Huge improvement

Rating: 9/10 (1 June 2004)

I'm not a fan of Harry Potter. I read the first book and it was fairly enjoyable but by the time I got halfway through the second I had experienced too many feelings of deja vu to want to continue. I saw the first two movies with the kids and was distinctly underwhelmed by the experience. Again, the first much hyped film struggled to be average and the second film felt like a rehash of the first.
Before going to see this one my hopes were raised by the reviews, but I was still skeptical. I'm glad to say the reviews were correct, this has to be three or four times better than the first two Potter outings. Yes, I was confused in places, such as when Sirius Black turned from lethal enemy to friend, but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Better acting, better script, better plot, better cinematography, great special effects and so on. One or two minutes of Quiddich was more than enough for me! What's more, the film actually ended when it felt like it should end, no endless scenes in the Great Hall. Hurrah!!
I'm giving this a 9, the others I gave 5 and 3 so I don't give my high scores lightly...