Great fx, no substance

Rating: 3/10 (3 December 2001)

** LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD **
First of all, let me say that I read all four Harry Potter books. I'm usually a reader of much more 'serious' stuff but that definitely didn't prevent me from enjoying every little sentence in them. They are among the best stuff I've ever read, despite some awkward spots here and there.
I was extremely disappointed with the movie though. It zooms past most scenes in the books but no time was given to develop them. Even despite the fantastic Quidditch game and the final scenes, everything happened so quickly I'm surprised anyone thinks this movie has been given such high praise among the public. What happened to Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback for instance?
The most positive thing about this movie is that it pictured the scenes exactly like our imagination would see it while reading the book. In that, only people who enjoyed the book would *potentially* enjoy the movie. The other good thing is that some of the characters, though not the most important were really good (I loved Dudley Dursley, Snape and his evil voice and Neville Longbottom). On the other hand, the actors who played Harry Potter and Hermione's roles were hideous, even for little kid actors they were - absolutely no talent there.
Although I didn't mis-spend my money I found the movie to be shallow, under-developed and a totally missed opportunity to make fans really proud of 'their hero'.
I will be giving it a 3, and that's all because of the special effects. I certainly won't want to see this movie again so soon.