WHAT WAS ONCE GOLD IS NOW LEAD

Rating: Null/10 (6 June 2004)

I just saw the travesty that was supposed to be the jewel of the Harry Potter series. I don't know where they got the director from but it was the biggest mistake ever. I loved the book and very much disliked this movie.
The story was very rushed, left out a great deal of plot (and the story)and provided very little character development. After looking at the other reviews, I was glad to see that I was not alone in my total displeasure with this movie.
The transitions between scenes were sloppy and I don't know about anyone else, but I found that whole "fade to the center" camera thing annoying to look at. The movements were very choppy and disconcerting. There was too much editing for cinematic "moments". So much time wasted on birds flying into trees and leaves falling. This is upsetting when you know how much of the actual story they cut to show you these "art house" moments.
Why did he do the annoying shot under Robbie Coltrane's (Hagrid) nose. I felt like I was watching a hidden camera special...
What was with the costumes? Hogwarts used to look like a place you paid to send your kids...now it's students look like they're in public school...I wonder if there is now graffiti in the bathrooms? It's supposed to be modeled on a British boarding school!
Where were the fantastic supporting-actors that made this series a success. Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and the other highly contributing actors were exiled to the background. Chris Columbus was able to make "time" for everyone else and not lose the momentum on the plot.
Why did the director have to mess with everything? Sets and historical locations included...Was his ego so big that he needed to make his mark on everything.
He couldn't even keep the story straight. When a book is adapted to film, the true art, the magic, is when the fans watch the movie and it is as it was seen in their mind's eye when they read it. J.K. Rowlings made magic when she wrote the books and Chris Columbus showed us the magic.
What was once the gold created by Chris Columbus has now become lead.
No offense to the actors, who did their best regardless of the direction from a complete hack. I'm glad to see that the director was replaced for the fourth film. Hopefully his replacement can salvage this franchise, so we can ensure all the films will be made.
ALL FANS..REGARDLESS OF THESE COMMENTS, SEE THE MOVIE! ONLY BY HAVING THESE MOVIES MAKE MONEY WILL THEIR SEQUELS BE MADE.
MY REVIEW: 2 STARS AS A MOVIE - 0 STARS AS AN ADAPTATION
SAD, SAD, SAD