The best harry potter film yet...by far

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2004)

I saw the movie yesterday and I loved it! The camera work was amazing using extreme angles, and shots which last up to a minute. The 'moving' camera really did create a great effect. The acting is so much better this film too. A lot of people have felt that the darker feel has meant that the film doesn't seem as magical now but I disagree, its such an improvement from films 1 and 2. They were OK films and people loved them because it was harry potter but PoA is in a different league.
One criticism though - it really did need another 2mins of dialogue to explain the plot better - why sirius seemed so bad - i can't remember hearing how he blew up a road which these days people can relate to and would help us understand why everyone thinks hes such a dangerous man. also we were never told that james lupin peter sirius were the makers of the map which was surprising, and lastly it wasn't clear enough that peter was the one that blew the street up. so people who haven't read the books #might# be a bit confused. Another 2 mins of dialogue would have turned this into an excellent film but hopefully we'll get those scenes on the DVD!
Visually the film looked so impressive, from the hand-held camera shots at the beginning to the long swooping aerial shots near the castle. The scenes with the time turner are amazing too. The director, the acting, the very impressive landscapes, the excellent buckbeak scene, and the camera work made this into a very, very good film...and dawn french was great!