Better than the other 2 and the book.

Rating: 9/10 (31 May 2004)

Having heard some good things about this third installment, and having enjoyed the first two films i was quite looking forward to seeing Harry Potter 3. The first obvious thing about this film is how much it has changed due to having a different director. Even though the book is darker the film is completely different. For a start, i don't think their is a brightly lit shot in almost the entire film!
The acting is improved, as is the script, and all the children just look right. That's mainly because they have all aged, and are wearing normal clothes, so the film feels less Disney than previously. IT may be a departure from the book, but since JK hasn't mentioned the kids growing in 5 years, it seems more realistic. The new characters are OK, thewlis is impressive (which is a shock given previous work), oldman has little to do but is okay, and Emma thompson is plain weird.
The most important parts of the book remain intact, but quite a lot has been ditched to keep the running time down. Unlike the last two films, this one retains a good pace throughout, while keeping the sense of wonder i enjoyed from 1 and 2. It's really a great film - good acting from a mostly young cast, great visuals (no dodgy CG this time), good story. My only bad point would be that i don't think it's a film for kids at all. Teenagers yes, younger kids no. 9/10