Surgeon's General Warning: If you love movie 3, don't read this!!!

Rating: 6/10 (24 September 2005)

Although this is my favorite of the 3 so far Harry Potter movies, there are also several things I dislike about it. Let's start with the good. Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson (I really hope everyone who's reading this knows who they play but if not: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger) have totally grown into their roles. They are are amazing actors and I loved every one of their scenes--and since the movie is focused around one or all of them at all times, this was really what made the movie work for me. Also very good were Madam Rosmerta and Severus Snape. As for the bad...I'm afraid there's quite a few things. Number one being Dumbledore. I absolutely loved the Dumbledore from the first two movies. I thought he was amazing; he really embodied the character. This guy--Gambon or something?--is pathetic. I'm sorry; he's just not Dumbledore. I am especially disappointed about this because in books 4-6 Dumbledore has some great lines and I'm hoping that he won't mess them up but predicting he will. Numbers two and three are Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Lupin was this greasy-haired, weird man; totally unlike what I imagined a friend of James Potter to be. Sirius is supposed to be handsome. And I'm a woman, guys, and...he's not. What else? Well, there were the Hippogriff, werewolf, and Dementors. The Hippogriff is supposed to be made of glorious colors. He was gray. The werewolf...well, I don't really know what a werewolf is supposed to look like, but I feel he could have been much more scary. And the dementors come in about where the new Dumbledore does. In the books, Jo says clearly, several times, that Dementors GLIDE. Didn't catch that? GLIDE, people. These dementors FLEW. ?????? Sorry? Maybe I missed something, but Dementors don't fly...that is, if this movie was really what I thought it was--an adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and not some weirdo's take on Jo's story. Their hands also looked like they were made out of strips of black garbage bags wound into some sort of hand shape. There were too many pointless scenes that could have been the funny lines Jo has written. All in all, I loved the trio, but hating mostly everything else. I would watch this if and only if you are a Harry Potter fan. As for movie 4...even critical me says WHOOHOO!!! If you've seen the theatrical trailer, I'm sure you agree. It looks outstanding! Go see it!