Great in places but a jerky, 2D adaption.

Rating: 6/10 (3 June 2004)

I have really been looking forward to this film for a long time since I thought the first two films were excellent and this was a MUCH better book/story. The previous films had worked very well even though they left quite large parts of the books out, there was a continuity and a flow that was true to the spirit of the books. Unfortunately this can not be said of this film, and for this I am grateful that the Director is not making the next film in the series.
So what is good about the movie ? Well the special effects are great and there are some really good moments when the main characters really do get you involved. However the cuts have been so savage that the character development of the supporting roles has been trashed and the extra scenes added actually made the film worse.
Do you know the film Scrooged with Bill Murray and how he butchered Dickens ? Well when I left the theatre, that was how I felt that this movie had turned out. A lot of the characters had their development removed and were nothing more than cardboard cut outs, Hermione is now turning into a typical Hollywood lady (holding hands through chase scenes etc.) and what happened to Mrs Weasleys development into a Mother figure with an edge. No linkages into the next book such as Quidditch World Cup, Sirius Black's letter, threatening the Dursley's to take Potter back (would you after he'd blown your sister up ?) just took the shine off the whole book.
I really hope they get back to basics and follow the book more faithfully for the next film. If they do that then we are in for a real treat, if not then they will lose many millions of pounds/dollars/euros in lost sales and will probably damage the reputation of the remaining films.