The plot, yes... the magic and "soul", no

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2002)

I was one of the adults (without nagging children) who have been looking forward to this film - I thoroughly enjoyed the books and looked forward to their portrayal on screen.
I really wanted to like this film a lot. I really, really did -

and it was OK - but no more - rather to my sorrow. Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the film, and would recommend others to go and see it, but - possibly because of all the hype - I was disappointed.
I found it much less engaging that the books. There were lovely elements - particularly the backgrounds - pictures etc, but for me, there was none of the soul that the books have - and it was largely missing the sly humour. The books have an edge that the film was lacking, I found some of the actors were "distant" - reading the roles rather than acting them. The film also felt choppy - with no real sense of development, it seemed to just jump from one incident to the next.
I was also disappointed by the marginalisation of many of the characters who are important in the book - particularly the rest of the Weasleys and Malfoy. I know that there are time constraints in a film, but there could have been more characterisation and less eye-candy, especially in an adaptation of such a superbly characterised book.
Summary - not a bad evenings viewing, but I, for one, would rather re-read the books. 5/10