Details left aside

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2004)

This installment of the Harry Potter series had many highs and many lows. With the new director you could certainly sense a different feel for the movie. From the opening camera shot that wasn't as clean as the past two, to the beautiful camera angles throughout the movie, Harry Potter 3 had an independent film's artsy quality. The beautiful way in which it was shot aside, this movie was very rushed. I felt many of the important details were left aside and shouldn't have been. The lack of explanation of Lupin and Sirius was the most disappointing. Those of us who have read the books understand their importance, but those who watched this for the first time were left in the dark.
There wasn't even the buildup in the movie about Sirius that the book gives its readers. And holes with the map and the fact that the names on it include Harry's father were awful. Now I did enjoy parts of it. The special effects continue to improve, as do the actors, but I feel the true story was lost with this new director. I look forward to a change in the position for the next one. Oh, and one last thing. The new Dumbeldore was insulting. You can't replace Richard Harris, but you can find someone who doesn't make a mockery of the role. Grade: An unfortunate C