movie magic

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2009)

If you are one of those HP fans who list every departure from the books, don't watch this this film, it will only infuriate you and ruin the whole experience. You want the unchanged story? Read the book, it's excellent.
However if you only want to be entertained for two hours and see a good fairytale/fantasy picture, this is the film for you. The story is the best yet for Harry Potter it's twisting and turning, yet it is not unfollowable (even my grandma understood the story). The new director is simply brilliant, he didn't want to copy&paste the whole story into the silver screen, he just wanted a great movie so he took the scenes he needed and left out what he didn't.
He even changed many things established in the first two films, but to the Potter universe's benefit: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry never looked and will never look more magical (at least in the 4th and 5th movies), it's as the castle is truly alive, not just a Gothic background.
The special effects are great, better than film 2 and a lot better than film 1. John Williams's new score is excellent, it serves the new atmosphere really well, he rarely used the full orchestra. He didn't reach his 'Hook' or 'Home Alone' level, but this score is still very good.
The teenage actors are okay, not brilliant but okay. Daniel Radcliffe couldn't properly channel Harry's emotions yet, but he is fairly decent (he will get better in later films).
The adult actors are excellent, especially the newcomers. Gary Oldman joins the cast as the resident threat to Harry's life, he is maddened, he is tortured soul and you never know what he'll do next. His presence looms over the picture with much more strength than Voldermort's did in the first or second film.
Michael Gambon's headmaster Dumbledore is very intelligent and somewhat crazy (like in the books) and more energetic than the late Richard Harris's, yet he is not the more aggressive Dumbledore we'll see in the 4th film.
David Thewlis is also very good as professor Lupin, an old friend of Harry's deceased father, his scenes are warm and touching. Emma Thompson... she is magnificent, you'll see. Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Robert Hardy and Maggie Smith are all returning, Coltrane and Rickman are simply stellar.
To sum it up: great story, brilliant new designs and atmosphere, excellent special effects, very good music and magnificent actors, BUT: if you are a hardcore fan and hate when the filmmakers change things from the book, do not watch this.