Good, but not great

Rating: 6/10 (31 May 2004)

I went along to this film expecting it to be pretty good. Not because I liked the other films because I only found them OK, nothing special, but because I heard good reviews, the trailers were impressive and because I wanted to see how the new director handled it.
This film is a huge improvement on the previous two. The director, Cuarón does a good job. The film has a more stylized look than Harry Potter one and two but it still leaves much to be desired. The CGI was patchy in some areas, and astonishing in others. The Dementors are done well and I managed to watch the whole film without them once reminding me of the black riders from Lord Of The Rings. Which is quite an achievement in itself.
The kids have all grown up loads and it suits them better. I didn't think much of the acting in the first film but the trio are on top form in this installment and looking generally cooler whilst doing it! All three are convincing and if certain aspects let down the film, it's not them.
I think the problem with converting the Harry Potter films to the big screen is a matter of pacing. The books are so plot orientated that fitting it all in is naturally impossible. This film, like the previous two felt in some areas like a selection of the important bits in the book put into a number of short, individual scenes. However, this is coming from someone who's read the books and is sickening biased towards them so I couldn't speak for those who haven't.
Overall I'd say this film was good, but not great. Cuarón is not afraid to change the story, which may annoy some and entertain others. He obviously has a good flair for action and the early sequences with the Knight Bus are fast paced and breath taking. This film is worth seeing and if you liked the first two you'll probably love this. But for the more cynical viewers among us, especially those who have read the books, it might feel like something is missing.