What a disappointment (Spoiler)

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2004)

We went to see the third in the series of Harry Potter films last night, and were hugely disappointed. Why oh why has the director changed? The effect on the film is immeasurable, and completely ruins a very successful precedent set by the first two.
Rowling's biggest achievement with the Harry Potter books has been her amazing talent for continuity. Yet here we are subjected to an entirely different set (a visibly different Hogwarts has suddenly appeared in a mountainous region, probably somewhere in Wales), with Hagrid's (again visibly different) home down a large flight of stone steps out of sight of the school. Surely, when you are creating the THIRD in a series of films, you stick with the well-established and highly successful sets. Did the copyright disappear with the previous director?
One of the biggest flaws, which all lovers of the books will notice, is the lack of certain important details in the film. Rearranging the timing of certain events, and leaving out other crucial ones altogether is not necessary in such a well-structured story, by one of the best story-tellers in the world.
The total lack of all the good things that made the first two films a close second-best to the books themselves, meant I found it impossible to enjoy and focus on this film. I found myself wondering the whole time if anything was as it should be, and wishing we could just go back to the proper Hogwarts. Even Dumbledore - I fail to believe it would have been very hard to make Gambon look like Harris, and act similarly. I don't want to see Gambon bringing his own personal stamp to the character, just like I don't want to see Cuaron's personal stamp on the film. What an egomaniac he must be! Come back Chris Colombus, all is forgiven!