An improvement on the first two movies but still very underwhelming

Rating: 5/10 (14 April 2020)

While I wouldn't exactly be in a hurry to watch it again, the third instalment in the series was probably my favourite so far. It is still prone to atrocious acting from Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, as well as more unforgivably poor special effects, but the story is much less cluttered and contains plenty of exciting, well-executed sequences.
However, we still see all the trademarks of Rowling's weak writing. The Superman-style 'turn-back-time' plot band-aid was simply laughable, and although it was a fun part of the film, the logistics of those events just don't work. I also became aware of just how weak a lead character Harry is while watching this film. He doesn't actually achieve anything off his own back. He doesn't train hard, study hard or ever really sacrifice himself. He has genetically inherited skills that he doesn't seem to have any control or understanding of and is constantly told what to do by Hermione and all the Hogwarts staff. Dumbledore and McGonagall seem to have no other purpose in the story than to help Harry justify his place as the star of the story.
One thing I will say about the series so far is that Emma Watson and Alan Rickman are both excellent. Admittedly, it would be difficult not to shine when starring alongside Radcliffe and Grint, but they still do a lot to make these films watchable. The heavy-hitting A-listers Oldman, Thompson and Spall are all decent in their roles but are not really tested in this particular film. A slight improvement but still a grotesquely overrated production.