Disappointing

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2005)

This movie gets a 7 out of 10 solely because despite all its shortcomings, it is STILL Harry Potter. This movie is a drastic step down from the first two movies--mostly because of a new, inferior, director. The set has been greatly changed (did he think we wouldn't notice Hagrid's hut is in a completely different location?), the student's no longer have to wear their school uniforms--a sudden change in centuries of school policy--and the change in camera techniques are annoying. There are very few still shots in this movie. The camera is panning from up right or left and "swooping" down to the opposite corner while coming toward the subject on nearly every shot. It would be okay, I suppose, but it gets quite annoying after awhile.
The magic and grandeur of the first two movies is sadly lacking from this incarnation. When shooting the magic stairwell, for example, where Columbus shot it from the ground-up, giving it a majestic, magical quality; this new director (whose name we do not speak) chooses, rather, to shoot downward at it--giving it a carnival-ride, ho-hum, feel.
Finally, this book departs from the book far more widely than its two predecessors. The books have been thoroughly enjoyed and were well-written. Why would someone choose to depart from them? There were not just scenes from the book that were altered, but themes that were not at all addressed by the movie.
The movie is certainly worth seeing, but if I did not love the Potter series so much, and if I were not hoping beyond hope that this current director does not continue with the fourth, my rating would be much less than 7.
Please bring back Columbus.