this is going to be huge

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2001)

I saw the film last night and can say that this movie will be bigger than anything we expected. I am a 21 year old college student who has read the books multiple times and enjoys arguing with people who say these books are just for children. The books were awesome and I must say that the movie does not disappoint. The key to whether or not these movies would be good was if the director stuck to the books. He did. And the result is the most visually impressive, magical 2.5 hours of film in a long time. The sets are absolutely amazing and the detail of the backgrounds (the moving pictures and such) are perfect. The kids are all great (in particular, Ron and Neville were awesome), but Snape is hands-down the best cast. My only complaint (and the reason the film did not receive a 10 from me) was some of the omissions that the director did decide to do. Of course the director can't put in everything, but I felt that some elements that the book had would have made the story stronger. The most glaring omission (in my humble opinion) was eliminating the meeting of Harry and Draco in Diagon Alley. In the book, that scene sets the tone for their relationship far better than the non-subtle way in which the movie does it. Also, there is simply a feeling of anticipation that the book broadcasts; the movie can't compete. But the movie succeeds in its intentions. The world of Harry Potter exists in more than just our imaginations now.