Best Ever!!! WARNING-MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2004)

First off, I have read all the Potter books at least four times. I can practically remember every detail in every book. I went into the movie theatre prepared to be disappointed but being a harry potter fan, i couldn't help myself. I saw this movie and loved it. The atmosphere is great and so much better than the ball of fluff the first two movies were. Unlike some people I found the humor to be just right.
Yes, i know a lot was cut out and the storyline was basically butchered, but for once I wasn't thinking about that when I was watching it. It was so much more adult than the first two and the movie showed that brilliantly.
The acting was much better in my opinion. Hermione(Emma Watson) wasn't so annoying and talked naturally. Ron (Rupert Gint) was better too. He actually had a display of emotions instead of the normal panicky look he constantly had. Harry(Daniel Radcliff) is about the same as he was before, if only slightly better. The adult actors were great as usual. Snape deserved much more screen time and Michael Gambon can never compete with Rex harrison, but he wasn't a complete failure. Finally, Malfoy, I thought, was a bit whimpy in this one. He looks a lot better (HOTTER!!) but he wasn't as vicious.
The set was much better. Hagrids' hut is in a different place, which i'm not sure how they will manage that in the future movies, since some scenes have to rely on the fact that the hut is near the castle. The castle was a lot darker. It isn't the cheery place you would imagine. They showed the characters more outdoors than in the castle, which is fine since the outdoor scenes are just gorgeous. The scene with the whomping willow was great fun, and had me laughing more than usual. The characters weren't in their school uniforms but in normal clothes. I found this to be great since it shows them as normal children.
And finally, the scene where Hermione punches Malfoy, is worth every dollar I paid.