Huge Disappointment

Rating: 3/10 (4 June 2004)

This movie me had me leaving the theater feeling disappointed and dissatisfied. The deviation from the book was such that there were gaping plot holes and the chronology was utterly destroyed. Many scenes that were added were unnecessary and took up time that could have been dedicated to more plot specific events. The scenes between Harry and Lupin which are critical to the story were very awkward and often were rambling without providing significant dialogue. While it is true that it is difficult for a movie to die hard fans of its original book, this was a complete distortion. Characters and events that are crucial to the outcome of both the third book as well as the story of the fourth were omitted or changed beyond recognition. Essentially the story became secondary to the imagery, which was lacking in itself. The scenery was a fierce deviation from the first two films, giving the impression that they were not even at Hogwarts. The attempts to make the film poignant came across as trite giving the movie a hackneyed quality. The characters were flat making it hard for the audience to empathize with them. I was glad I read the book because there was so much lost I would not have been able to follow the story, yet upset that I read the book because this movie fell so far from my expectations. All in all I would recommend waiting for video or even not seeing the film at all.