Ignore the hype, it's not as good as The Chamber of Secrets

Rating: 1/10 (30 May 2004)

Possible Mild Spoilers . . .
Warner Brothers and the new director seem to have messed up with this one. Don't believe the hype, it lacks depth and is just the usual 'CGI v Humanity' battle and the CGI boringly wins. If you like computer games you'll love it but if you like films with real characters of depth and soul then forget it. The previous 'Chamber of Secrets' was a really good film with just the right amount of CGI and humour (Dobbie!) with the characters developed substantially from the scene setting first film. Essentially, many of the well crafted layers of the second film have now gone ..
The director has missed a real opportunity to look into the (much hyped)teenage angst of the main characters; there being very few facial close-ups or teenage flare-ups. He seems (director) to have just padded the whole thing out with CGI on a big scale which has in fact just diluted some amazing talent there ie. the eagle/horse hybrid and the hilarious ballooning aunt.
The mid quarter of the film is very, very boring with a re-run of the first section by time travel! All alittle complex for kids and ultimately very unrewarding.
I would give this film 5/10; first film (Philosophers Stone) 6/10 and the second [and best]film (Chamber of Secrets) 8/10