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A couple of people have said that it was after Christmas when the main three ran into Neville at St. Mungo's that he really began to shine in the DA practice sessions. But I'm pretty sure it was the Escape of Belatrix that sparked his determination. I'm too lazy to look up the pages but I'm almost positive it was the Azkaban break out and not the Hospital visit that caused Nevile to work So hard. And yes, he was in fact one of the fastest learners by the end. I can't rememebr the jinx they were working on, it may have been the patronous, but there is a direct line in the book where harry noticed that it was only Hermione who had learned to do the spell faster than Neville.
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Yeah, they never get Dumbledore's mixture of silliness, strength, weirdness, that twinkle in his eyes, the way he's always under control in the most terrible situations. The way he's just... cool. I was watching a bit of Harris in the 2 first movies. He was pretty cool and came close to getting it. But Gambon, the way he was shoving Harry around in the 4th movie... These movies just dont get it.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I agree that Gambon played Dumbledore a bit too stern, but I like his portrayal a lot more than Harris's. Harris was a fine actor, but by the time they filmed the first two Potter movies, he was just too old- his Dumbledore was downright frail. I wouldn't have bet on him against a gust of wind, much less the Dark Lord.
In "Azkaban," Gambon did have that wry humor that so characterizes book-Dumbledore, without being outright silly. It disappeared in "Goblet of Fire," but I've already mentioned why I thoroughly disliked the direction they took Dumbledore in that film, and I place responsibility for those choices solely on the writer and director, who seemed insistent on making Dumbledore look like an ineffectual, loud fool. In OoTP, he's played more sternly because that's how he was in the book- remember that he essentially spends the whole book brushing Harry off. I do think they severely underplayed the conversation between Harry and Dumbledore at the end of the movie, but again I think the lack of emotional resonance was due more to directorial choices and the extremely tight editing than Gambon's acting. You can't effectively convey a twinkle in your eye if the film cuts away from the entire scene the moment you finish your line.
I think HBP will be the true test of Gambon, and personally I suspect he'll do just fine, as long as the writing and direction don't once again cripple him.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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You don't see any of the lighter side of Dumbledore because this movie was all cowboyed up. It's not an automatic bad thing, but by removing pretty much every bit of fun or magic (in the less literal sense I guess) and turning it into a more militant oriented film, you lose a lot of the characters I think.
During the Dumbledore/Voldemort fight, I didn't see Dumbledore as lost at all. I took the look on his face during the possession as sheer horror. I think he knew perfectly well what he might have to do if Harry couldn't overcome Voldemort, but I didn't believe for a second that he was lost, even when the fire Basilisk looked like it was going to wipe the floor with him.
I did think the whole swooping swirly smoke aspects of the fight were a bit out there. I mean, sure it was cool (who am I kidding, it was really cool), but it was kind of ridiculous at the same time. I felt like I was watching a fight between the Ancients and Anubis from Stargate. Apparating means you POP in and out, you can't fly around like some weird non-corporeal wispy spirit ghost creature. I thought that aspect was very, very odd, much as my brain was also stamping it with little cool tags whilst watching it.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Re: Neville's ascension - American version of OotP, p. 553
quote:Harry was pleased to see that all of them ... had been spurred to work harder than ever by the news that ten more Death Eaters were now on the loose, but in nobody was this improvement more pronounced than in Neville. The news of his parents' attacker's escape had wrought a strange and even slightly alarming change in him. ... [He] worked relentlessly on every new jinx and countercurse Harry taught them ... He was improving so fast it was quite unnerving and when Harry taught them the Shield Charm, a means of deflecting minor jinxes so that they rebounded upon the attacker, only Hermione mastered the charm faster than Neville.
It goes on to say that Harry wished he could be making as much progress with Snape as Neville was in life.
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In the scenes Dumbledore was in he couldn't be smiling or glimmering. He had to not look Harry in the face for fear that Voldemort was controling his mind.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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I just saw it a couple of hours ago, and liked it quite a bit. Frankly, I liked it better than I liked the book- admittedly, it's my least favorite book of the series. They toned down Harry's petulant-teenager act, and gave him stronger motivations for the anger and frustration that remained; also, I felt they made the relationship (and break-up) between Cho and Harry more believable. It annoyed the heck out of me in the book that Harry finally has a requited attraction, and the author decided to throw a wet blanket on the matter; it's like she'd completely forgotten what one's first requited love is like. (Or, at least, her first requited love was very different from mine.)
I appreciated that the director was smart enough to let things that were grand and spectacular be so, but also willing to let some things be quiet and/or subtle when it was more effective; we don't ever actually need to hear someone yell "Nooooooo....!" in slow motion ever, ever again. The previews I saw during Ratatouille made me wonder if subtlety was going to become an extinct quality in mainstream motion pictures.
Luna Lovegood was so good and so... I don't have a single word; the movie focused on her so much?... That I was a little surprised, knowing (to the best of my knowledge) that there isn't going to be a romance between her and Harry. (Conversely, Ginny's absence from the film makes me wonder if they aren't planning to smuggle in a different actress to play the part for Half-Blood Prince.)
I agree with those that say the early parts were somewhat rushed, and without a knowledge of the books (or at least all the previous pictures) the viewer will be somewhat lost; still, as one who is familiar, I have to applaud it getting in at under three hours, and I enjoyed it tremendously.
ADD: Oh, and finally a supernatural battle that isn't the protaganists floating in mid-air and/or throwing things at each other telekinteically. Huzzah!
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Sterling: (Conversely, Ginny's absence from the film makes me wonder if they aren't planning to smuggle in a different actress to play the part for Half-Blood Prince.)
Ginny was in several scenes, she just didn't get much in the way of lines.
She also was given the chance to send Harry and Cho a knowing look. I liked that touch.
You really think that anyone who hadn't read the books even knew Harry and Cho were together at some point? Other than fleeting looks at each other and one kiss in the Room of Requirement, they didn't have a realtionship, and therefore the breakup was sort of a moot point.
And it wasn't just under three hours, it was just over two hours, it was the shortest of all the films thus far.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Puffy- I had to go look her up on imdb before I recognized her. Does she even get a line?
Lyrhawn- In this movie, I think that qualifies as a relationship, though based on what's in the movie a relationship with Luna would seem more likely. While they don't spend a lot of on-screen time together, almost all the time that they do focuses on either moving toward or away from that relationship. It's definitely a non-trivial plot element.
I had heard the movie was two and a half hours; rottentomatoes says 2 hours 18 minutes. Within reason, I appreciate that.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Thank you Carrie. I love it when I actually know something that I think I know. So often it turns out that I'm just flat out wrong.
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Gambon, the speed, the enormous amount of stuff left out, the bad acting, the myriad of unbelievable special effects. The spells in Rowling's HP world always struck me as not terribly flashy and rather restrictive. The curses thrown around in the final battle didn't even seem like spells... they looked like they were dueling with really long light sabers or something. Plus what's with the half corporeal flying around as smoke? They just screwed up so much. Plus did anyone else notice: JOHN WILLIAMS IS NO LONGER DOING THE MUSIC! I noticed all through out the movie that the soundtrack sounded horrible, nothing like the John Williams soundtracks of the first couple. Now I know why.
Worst of the movies in my opinion. And that's saying a lot, cause I've never been fond of them. Guess I'm just too fond of the books to really accept their portrayal of the movies.
Posts: 3295 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I think Williams only officially did the soundtrack for the first one. The rest just borrowed from him.
Posts: 1945 | Registered: Jul 2005
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The soundtrack to Azkaban was one of John Williams best soundtracks. I would say it was the best one he's done in 10 years. Absolutely stunning. The music in Goblet of Fire was distractingly simplistic and the music in this one? Well. I honestly didn't notice it. In my book, that's a good thing.
And now. My thoughts.
Loved it. I really really don't like this book. It's the only one I just can't reread. I try, and I've succeeded only once (in rereading). Here's why I loved the movie:
Harry's angst was much more believable in the movie than it was in the book. It was a burning, smouldering anger that came out now and then, but was quite evident in his inability to talk to his friends or feel like a part of any group. I really got that. Bravo to the script writers and to Radcliffe.
Ron and Hermione did not annoy me. For the first time ever, I actually LOVED movie Ron. His part wasn't big, but the writers' use of him as a calming voice for Harry was a brilliant stroke and I loved it. Hermione used less of her eyebrows, and that was a relief. She was also believable as a 'friend' in this one, instead of the constant nag.
Imelda Staunton is a genius. The costume designer is also a genius.
Much less Draco. Thank heavens.
Luna was beautiful, luminous, and a perfect addition to the crew. I really enjoyed how the director pulled those six together again on the train platform just so we could see that a team has been formed. I love the ensemble feel that this movie had because of that.
Speaking of ensemble, I truly enjoyed the DA meetings. Harry's coaching was a little too "rah rah rah" but it was lots of fun to see it. I could see the change that came over Harry as he transitioned from "alone" to "not alone" and it was believable.
This movie represents the longest book in the series thus far, and it had to cut out a lot. I didn't really mind those cuts. I would have loved to have seen Lockhart in the hospital wing, but I knew it would have to go. I was bummed that we didn't get to see the Umbridge/McGonnagal/Hagrid duel during the astronomy OWLs. However, I loved how they still managed to take time in this movie, which I never felt like we've had in the other movies. Time for talking, like people do when they care about each other. The H/R/H scene in front of the fire where they talk about Harry and Cho's kiss...the Harry and Sirius scenes...the Harry and Luna scenes. They were so nice and calming. I was grateful for them, for the quiet, for the character development, and for the great acting done by all.
The final duel was what we've been wanting to see. I was bummed that they didn't show the crazy rooms on the way into the prophesy room, and I was bummed that the kids didn't get injured like they did in the book. It kind of...belittled their involvement in it. However, I can't find fault with the Dumbledore/Voldemort duel. It was beautiful and exciting and again, we had TIME to see what was going on. And then V's possession of Harry...props again to Radcliffe. I thought it was very well done. Everyone in my theater was leaning forward in their seats...and I was in the back row, so I could see.
I thought Kreacher was perfect.
I liked that I felt sympathy for Grawp. Poor guy.
The only major problem with the movie (that I see) was pointed out to me by my mother. (I didn't even notice it.) She leaned over to me and said "Why did Voldemort want the prophesy?" I had to sit and think for a minute to remember why, and I realized that we had no idea why Voldemort wanted the prophesy and we didn't understand that it was only Harry or Voldemort who could take it from the Department of Mysteries. It just wasn't explained, so the motivation for V to lure Harry there just wasn't clear. Yeah. Slight problem.
but, all in all, I loved it. It's my favorite of the 5 movies, my least favorite of the 5 books, and all in all, tons of fun. Completely worth my long wait in line for a good seat.
quote: The only major problem with the movie (that I see) was pointed out to me by my mother. (I didn't even notice it.) She leaned over to me and said "Why did Voldemort want the prophesy?" I had to sit and think for a minute to remember why, and I realized that we had no idea why Voldemort wanted the prophesy and we didn't understand that it was only Harry or Voldemort who could take it from the Department of Mysteries. It just wasn't explained, so the motivation for V to lure Harry there just wasn't clear. Yeah. Slight problem.
Lucius does say that in the movie. He tells Harry that when he's trying to get Harry to hand him the prophecy.
Posts: 3580 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I thought that it was very, very good. In bits. There were some lines that made me wince (oh, God, like when Harry was all, "You won't ever know love or friendship and I feel sorry for you"), but there were also parts that made me all squealy with excitement.
The scene in the Ministry was excellent. I was as tense as a, a, a terribly tense thing. The Death Eaters traveling around in smoky blackness and always appearing everywhere and stopping the kids from getting anywhere was very cool. I didn't even notice how completely on edge I had been throughout the scene, but when Dumbledore showed up, every muscle in my body relaxed.
Imelda Staunton was perfect. I can't say enough good things about her. That giggle, the sweet sweet voice, it was all excellent. I wish we'd had the scene where Hermione rebels in her classroom, but I accept that it was necessary for it to go.
Gary Oldman made me go all teary-eyed, in basically every scene he was in. Such a very excellent Sirius. I was sad they didn't do much with him being trapped in the house, and Snape taunting him about it. (I think maybe they overheard a few things, but it was so very minor.) But the interaction between him and Harry was great.
Helena Bonham-Carter was exactly how I pictured Bellatrix Lestrange. Exactly. She was over the top, but the character was as well, and I have to say it worked for me. During the scene at the Ministry, I expected Lucius Malfoy to scare me to death, because he was quite scary in the second movie; but actually I was totally chill about him and all my tenseness was reserved for Bellatrix. She's a loose cannon! You don't know what she might do! She's a crazy crazy crazy lady!
I also thought that they did the Occlumency scenes well, even though I was chagrined at how short they were, and how little they seemed to affect Harry's life. But Alan Rickman was excellent. I should preface this by saying that I hate Snape ever so much. He's a big bully and he's nasty and I know his life's been rough but for heaven's sake, that's no reason to make life miserable for a bunch of kids under your charge. That said, the scene from Snape's memory, and the aftermath of that, worked so, so well. Alan Rickman actually made me feel sorry for Snape. Not just a little bit sorry, the way that seen does in the book, but like quite, quite, quite sorry.
However, the Occlumency scenes weren't very well explained. You didn't totally know what was going on, and it never said anything about Harry wanting to keep having the locked-door dream, and there wasn't that whole thing about if Harry had learnt Occlumency like he was supposed to then Sirius wouldn't have had to die.
But overall very good.
Posts: 910 | Registered: May 2000
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I saw it this afternoon and I really liked it. Echoing all the Luna and Umbridge comments - they were excellent. Emma Watson's eyebrows still did a lot of the acting, but I liked her. I loved the scene with the three of them (H/R/H) by the fireplace.
I'm a little disturbed at how grown up and *ahem* dishy Harry and Ron are becoming.
I also think that if you hadn't read the book it would have been impossible to follow - but meh. And I missed the swamp.
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I saw it last night and thought it was great. Having watched the first movie last Saturday and thinking wow this movie is so long, OotP went by so quickly. I'm sad they cut out the OWL exams, but it would have been sort of boring. They also didn't really talk about why the OWLs are important considering how much they stressed about them in the book.
I loved the looks Ginny gave whenever Harry was waiting for Cho. I also loved Umbridge. She was fantastic and everything I thought she would be.
As for Dumbledore, I really didn't like the first one. He spoke too slowly and didn't really capture the force I thought he would be.
This one is definitely my favorite of the five. There were funny parts and sad parts. Harry showed some good change in emotion whenever he saw Sirius and then again when Sirius died. Hopefully the last two movies will live up to this one, but considering the length of the books it might be hard.
Posts: 2867 | Registered: May 2005
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One of the things that really confused me was when Betrix killed Sirius in the movie. To me it looked like Betrix hit him with the killing curse, then he fell throuh the vail. In the book I seem to remember that she only hit him with a stunner that pushed him in the vail. A curse didn't killl Serius a vail did.
Am I right about this? Betrix didn't really kill Sirius the vail did it.
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One thing I have to say though, is that even though I've enjoyed the last couple of movies, they won't get a pass from me if they do 6 and 7 the same way.
It won't be fair if when they adapt the final two, they do so in broad brushstrokes, give you the feel, but leave out 80% of the material.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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I wonder how one of my least favorite books in the series could become one of the best movies in the Harry Potter series.
I have a theory. I think reading about Harry's angst and boiling, unfocused rage was more tiring and less sympathetic than the performance of it in this film. I saw the action and Harry's response to it-- pulling away from his friends, desperately not wanting to be alone but isolating himself anyway-- and it made sense. Not only did it make sense, but it was more relatable than in the books.
Also, Dan Radcliff can act. Who knew? Luna was fabulous, as were most of the secondary cast.I really enjoyed it.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Regarding Sirius and the veil, I think for purposes of a movie where you can't have pages and pages of internal monologue, it needed to be clear that Sirius had died at that point. In the book, Harry wants to look through the veil even before Sirius goes through it, and he's obsessed for days afterward that he might somehow still be just on the other side waiting for him.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Bellatrix didn't hit him with a killing curse or a stunner, she used Sectumsempra, and he fell into the veil after being hit with it.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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It was not Sectumsempra. The curse was never named. Here's how it goes in the book:
quote:Only on pair was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jets of red light: he was laughing at her.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laugher had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.
...
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.
It could have been the killing curse or stunning curse, but sectumsempra is full of blood ... so I don't think it was.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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The vet clinic where I work got free tickets to a sneak preview sponsored by Bayer drugs (talk about a weird pre-movie experience: instead of previews, we were treated to trivia questions such as "How many eggs can an adult roundworm lay per day?" and commercials for Advantage flea control.) Everyone here has pretty much covered everything I had to say about the movie, so rather than repeat them, I will simply say that I am proud of this movie for actually getting my boyfriend interested in what was going on. He agreed to come with me, which was amazing enough in the first place, as he wants absolutely nothing to do with Harry Potter, but after the movie he drilled me about who was who and what exactly just happened, and seemed to have some geniune interest. I was very pleased (even though this does not by any means indicate that he will read the books or see the previous movies, 'cause it ain't gonna happen) because now perhaps he will come see the next one with me, and not think I'm such a dork (even though I am, proudly.) Posts: 1225 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Yeah, I was rather interested that JKR chose not to tell us what color Bellatrix's light was in the book. She mentions that the earlier ones were red...and then we don't know what that last one is. Just to drive us crazy. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Olivet: I wonder how one of my least favorite books in the series could become one of the best movies in the Harry Potter series.
I have a theory. I think reading about Harry's angst and boiling, unfocused rage was more tiring and less sympathetic than the performance of it in this film. I saw the action and Harry's response to it-- pulling away from his friends, desperately not wanting to be alone but isolating himself anyway-- and it made sense. Not only did it make sense, but it was more relatable than in the books.
Also, Dan Radcliff can act. Who knew? Luna was fabulous, as were most of the secondary cast.I really enjoyed it.
Aw, man! Now I KNOW I'm not gonna like it. I liked all the internal monologue of angst. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Olivet: I wonder how one of my least favorite books in the series could become one of the best movies in the Harry Potter series.
I have a theory. I think reading about Harry's angst and boiling, unfocused rage was more tiring and less sympathetic than the performance of it in this film. I saw the action and Harry's response to it-- pulling away from his friends, desperately not wanting to be alone but isolating himself anyway-- and it made sense. Not only did it make sense, but it was more relatable than in the books.
Also, Dan Radcliff can act. Who knew? Luna was fabulous, as were most of the secondary cast.I really enjoyed it.
Aw, man! Now I KNOW I'm not gonna like it. I liked all the internal monologue of angst.
So did I/ I loved how dorky and embarassed Harry felt when it came to Cho, like how he thought his arms looked stupid. That was great. I thought he had every right to be cranky.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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All that is still there, without all the annoying "He said angrily"'s. The angst is still there, but it's raw and written on his face, in his actions. Very well done, actually.
Edit: I didn't re-read the book because I didn't want to be hacked off about all the stuff I liked that they cut. Eventually there will be a several BBC series or something that will have it all. Until then, this was good for what it was.
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I was sort of indifferent to the 5th book the first time through, but when I re-read all the books recently, the 5th and 6th were by far my favorites, and I'm not sure between the two which I like better.
There's just more going on in the 5th book than any of the others, more stuff outside of the Hogwarts world. I love The Order. I loved the DA. I loved Fred and George. I loved the ministry of magic fight. And I loved the big exposition at the end with Dumbledore. And there's probably more I loved too. Harry's angst really didn't bother me that much.
Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I'm about to be po'. Is this movie worth spending six bucks on tomorrow when I go to Cambridge to by Bernie some rabbit pellets?
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Olivet: All that is still there, without all the annoying "He said angrily"'s.
Oh god, the "angrily"s. I hope her editor went into book 7 and manually deleted every adverb in the text.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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I loved Ron in this movie, for the first time. I agree w/ those who loved the Ron/Hermione/Harry scene discussing the kiss with Cho. And yes, Luna was gold. They could have made her a little weirder, but still, she stole the show in a lot of ways.
I probably wouldn't have cast or directed Bellatrix the way they did, but I sure thought that Carter was fun to watch!
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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First off, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for telling me about Emma's Eyebrows. I've never noticed them, but I'm sure when the next movie comes out, I'll laugh inappropriately in a particularly dramatic scene, because I noticed her eyebrows for the first time.
Thanks. LOL
I really can't enjoy *any* movie based on a book unless I see it as a supplement to the book. It will never every be as good as the book, but it *does* present a chance to 'see' some of the things in the books, and bring my favorite characters to life.
My brother watched this movie, not having read the books, and he had no clue what happened. There were several things unexplained.
See, Me and my sister have read the books, and we had never seen any of the movies until this past weekend, when Family Channel showed the first three. My brother caught a couple of glimpses of the first movie, and hated it (Thanks Columbus!), saw the last part of the second movie, and liked the snake, and actually watched the whole third movie and liked it.
We got tgof off of netflix, and the same day my sister asks me to drive her to the theatre to see the ootp. She hated it. I liked it.
Honestly, I didn't see why they took some things out. If you haven't read the books, some of this movie isn't going to make sense to you anyway. So. If you're not going to explain things properly in the movie, why not perplex the non-readers a little more, and give the fans of the books some scenes that we'd like. The non-readers are already confused. A little more confusion won't hurt them.
The high point in the movie series for me was tgof. I felt that every cut was appropriate (And even though I didn't like anything being cut, the movie's just a supplement. I can always pull out the book any time I want.) The only real problem I had with the movie was that they didn't explain what happened between Harry and Voldemort's wands. My brother asked me what happened, and I had to explain it to him (After taunting him about not reading the books). That was bad. But that was all I didn't like about the fourth movie.
This movie didn't have things that I liked, and while the scenes were required, per se, I would have liked to see them in the movie. The movie was the shortest of them all, so far, so time wasn't an issue. They could have fit in more.
But, all I have are petty gripes. I can still pull out the book (My favorite in the series so far) and read it anytime, and just see the movie as a suplement. A cliff notes. Nobody gets angry at a cliffnotes book for bad storytelling. Not that the storytelling in the movie was bad, it just wasn't perfect.
Oh, and BTW, I never liked the soundtrack to any of the Harry Potter movies. This movie actually had music that I noticed as being okay (It wasn't distracting; I listen specifically for the music whenever there's a sweeping panoramic shot or something like that.). This is as opposed to music I never noticed. If I did notic ethe music in the music earlier in the series, it was because it was distracting, boring, or even sloppy sounding. The biggest problem I had with *this* soundtrack was that they played it so much.
This brings me to my next point... And final point. "My favorite book, the movie fell short," etc. I'll go on like this forever if I don't stop myself.
The movie didn't have the same feeling as the book. The book was the darkest of the first five, and possibly darker than even Thbp. It didn't feel the same... The sense of the school pulling together to get on Umbrige's nerves... I don't know what it was. But it was in the book, and not in the movie. And I felt that the music director tried to make up for it by playing intense music all the time, to create a 'mood'. <Sigh>
I'm done now.
Intellectually I can say this was a great movie, but as a die-hard Potter fan (Even if I only read the series for the first time this past March), I'm cringing.
Posts: 438 | Registered: May 2006
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My sister who did not read the book thought it was really good except for Hermione. I thought the posession scene was a major departure from the book and does a disservice to where this story is likely to go. Voldemort flees not only from his love, but his acquiescence to death IMO.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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The one part I thought absolutely needed to be there was when Petunia announced what Dementors are. Instead they wasted time with the letter reading itself. It would have been faster and more effective if Vernon had simply looked at the letter and announced that Harry had been expelled. That would have given them time for the flurry of activity in the book, including "Remember my last, Petunia!"
I also disliked the battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Gambon made Dumbledore appear to be struggling with Voldemort. The stronger he attempts to look, the weaker the character appears. Dumbledore's immense power can only be demonstrated through understatement. Harris had that in spades. I don't think Gambon has even read the books.
"'We both know there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom,' Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world, as though nothing had happened to interrupt his stroll up the hall."
Overall I liked this movie quite a lot. Yes, a huge amount was left out, but it wasn't a synopsis like Goblet of Fire, and it wasn't utter crap like Prisoner of Azkaban.
Finally, Radcliffe's acting is up to the job, and Ron didn't mug so much. Cinematography and editing was wonderful, and the story held its own.
Important to note: those directorial and editing shots that show that time is advancing, without hitting you over the head with it like Azkaban, allow the missing pieces of the story to be much more palatable, even if you don't quite understand what's going on.
And yes, Luna was great.
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My bad.
