My 20 year-old niece texted me as I was waiting for it to start saying it was her favorite of all. Having otherwise no expectations one way or the other, I was then inclined to enjoy it and admit that I did. However, afterward my companion pointed out numerous problems that I agreed with (many the same as yours) and, later on, after reminding myself of the book itself, I've become further puzzled by the omissions and additions. In particular, Tom Riddle's birth history and how he avenges his mother. Also, the burning of the Barrow. As for Harry not being immobilized at the end --- it made him seem awfully lame. But I did feel that the romances and hormones were very well done --- much, much better than in the book (and suspect it is why my niece liked it so much).

Oh, here is something that bugged me --- at this point in the saga, is Harry Potter famous among Muggles? I don't remember that (vis a vis that Muggle waitress at the beginning).

See, and I had MAJOR issues with the film version of PHOENIX, for many of the same reasons you had issues with this movie. It assumed you'd read the books and wanted you to fill in the gaps (like when Neville, Ginny, et all are taken to Umbrage's office near the end...we're never told that they were in the halls creating a diversion for Harry, they're just randomly "arrested"). Sloppy, sloppy storytelling. Sounds like more of the same for HBP. And I cannot BELIEVE they let you know what Snape is up to at the end! That's repugnant!

I must say that this is a truly great post. Truly, truly great. Forget librarianing. You are HILARIOUS and dead on. You need to be a movie reviewer.

My philosophy with movie adaptations of books is NEVER to reread the book before seeing the movie. The less I remember about the book the better. I enjoyed myself at the new HP movie as I watched it, but you point out some definite problems. Also, doesn't the book end with a major battle at Hogwarts? Where did the battle go?!

I found that weird too! They added an unnecessary chase sequence through reeds (scary scary reeds) and then got rid of the really exciting ending. Why on earth does one do away with an exciting ending? The logic behind it eludes me.

It's the screenwriter. Steve Kloves can't adapt these books to save his life. The reason (IMHO) that OOTP was so much better was because Steve Kloves wasn't involved. There. Rant over.

Actually, I agree with you 100%. Kloves was okay with the previous four films, but when he took a break on #5 it was clear how much better they all could have been.

My biggest problem with these movies so far is that they have completely relegated all the Order of the Phoenix characters to the sidelines. I honestly think the only reason they had that Burrows scene in the first place was for Lupin to just pop up and say "hello" for 5 minutes so you remember who he is. Tonks also called him "honey" which is the only mention that they are a couple. My problem with this is that in the last book, the tragic ending of certain characters will be far less tragic for those who only remember them briefly as "those guys" or "that chick." This was my major problem with their handling of Sirius Black in the previous movies. Great scenes in Prisoner of Azkaban, completely disappears from Goblet of Fire (except for one scene of disembodied head), only shows up for perfunctory exposition in Order of the Phoenix. Then dies. "oh no, not... that guy." They just completely suck the tragedy of Harry losing all the adults closest to him. His sense of abandonment is never explored. People just die, are briefly pouted over, and then everybody moves on to the next adventure. They didn't even mention Sirius in this movie, or Harry's reaction to his loss. Its just plot plot plot all the time. Sometimes you need to just reflect on the past.

"the bowl of exposition" -- I do love that man.

I kept waiting for the film to engage me, but it never did. Although I did think the sets looked sumptuous.

Heh - I agree with all that stuff. But I have to say I loved the spider funeral!

Spot on, Betsy.

The only film that was worth watching was Prisoner of Azkaban. (And yet, I continue to shell out $12 every few years...)

Thank you for this.

I really, really tried to put away my bibliophile self and enjoy the movie as mindless entertainment, but that ending was just too much. Totally wrong, out of character for both Harry & Snape. Oh... Harry just stands there and watches Dumbledore be murdered? Harry is nothing if not impulsive. His not being petrified sent my disbelief suspension over the edge.

And then Snape, let's just tell everyone right now "SNAPE IS A GOOD GUY! HE LOVED LILY." Of course, after all the stupid omissions, I've no real faith that they'll even mention this massively important plot point in DH!

Excellent review. Made me laugh much more than the stupid movie.

I haven't read the book and this was my favorite of the movies so far. I could actually follow the story easily and the time flew!

I haven't seen it yet, and won't until it's out on video. But considering that I found this to be the weakest of the series, and the book's "love" scenes ridiculous, it won't make me cry if they tinkered with it for the screen. Though I can hear the gung ho Harry loons (right up there with Star Trek fans who actually CALL themselves "Trekkies") howling in protest.

But neither the movie makers nor Rowling needs to care. They've still got 2 movies to make a fat profit from, and this one is doing just fine....

Eva makes an excellent point. The spider funeral was superb. And to think I'd forgotten about it when it was in the book.

I made sure to bring hankies with me since I cry at even happy endings (it's a family joke) and I was sure I would be bawling at the funeral scene. It didn't happen! That's when it came to me that they were doing the same thing as "The Lord of the Rings" movies by ending one book early to start the next movie with a bang. They're not making one book into two movies but two books into three movies.

Well, I did happen to find someone who hasn't read the books yet....my dear hubby! (Despite the best efforts of his librarian wife) We went and saw the movie together yesterday and the first comment he made afterwards was that it was the most boring movie he'd seen in years. I agree with every word you wrote - the filmmakers relied on people having read the books and concentrated too much on romance rather than on the real issues at hand - the rising of Voldemort and learning from his past to figure out how to stop him from gaining power. The movie was far too slow - they should have either cut out flying around and scenery shots or (even better) actually have included enough details to let the characters develop. I was also disappointed in how Snape's character was treated. Even my husband rightly predicted what was going to happen in the next books just based on how the final scenes were shot. If the next films are similar, it looks like I may need a new movie partner!

Spot on. The movie was boooooring. And my husband, who hasn't read the books, was totally confused. Although, I have to say, of all the books, I think this was the weakest one, too. Instead of standing on its own, like the others, it felt like it was just preparing us for the finale. So I'm not surprised that the movie felt that way, too.
I'm already annoyed in advance that the final book is coming out in two movies. How can they possibly make that work?

I agree with the reviewer about most of it, and wondered why they put that meaningless battle at Xmas instead of an exciting battle at the end!
I did like it slightly more than OOTP. Sure Umbridge was right on, but I almost got up and left in the middle of the movie I was so mad. It was choppy and wrong too much of the time. No one has mentioned Dobby, that was one great loss in the last book that I really cried about, maybe even more than Dumbledore.
Do you think they will have flashbacks of a final battle at Hogwarts when Dumbledore is killed in the next movie?

I totally agree with you, Betsy! In fact, I showed this review to my husband who has read the books and liked to movie to help explain my issues with it. Aside from your comments, my main issue was that it really felt like two movies: a teen romantic comedy, and a weird fantasy/thrillerish type flick. The two did not gel together at all, mostly because of what was left out. They're going to have lots of 'splaining to do in the next two movies, that's for sure!

Wonderful rant, Betsy!! I was really looking forward to the film, as Order of the Phoenix is my favorite film so far and I believed that Yates was the magic that had done such a brilliant job. Yes, things were deleted and altered, but the spirit of the book was brilliantly captured. Here - the spirit of the book is completely squandered! I second all the points you mention. But here's one wonderful moment that perhaps failed to move you, and that no one else has mentioned: when McGonagall raises her wand over Dumbledore's body and a spot of light appears in the Dark Mark, then the camera cuts to several members of Dumbledore's Army, who each raise their wands in turn, and then we see wands being raised all over the student body; the camera pulls up so we see the group of students with their pinpoints of light, then the camera swoops up to show the light blasting the Dark Mark out of the sky. I was choked up there. Just think - they could have focused on Harry, and let us see him thrust his wand up, with Ginny beside him (so true - no chemistry there at all! they're too much like brother and sister!) and Ron and Hermione on the other side raising theirs, the camera lingering slightly on the friends, then the camera showing the Dark Mark being blasted away with light, and Harry's voice over saying something like, "I swear, Professor Dumbledore, I will do what you asked." Cut to credits.

I mean - they didn't explain anything else in the movie. And that would have been a much more moving lead-in to Deathly Hallows than that boring scene with the trio (well, make that Harry and Hermione) talking interminably at the end.

It's as if the filmmakers wanted to suck every good emotion out of the film - no real grief at burning the Burrow, because no one ever mentioned it again (did one of the Weasleys whip out a wand and cast the reparo charm?), no real grief at Dumbledore's death (I was shocked I didn't feel a thing), no grief at burning Hagrid's hut for exactly the reasons you explained, and no real understanding of Harry's quest at the end. I saw a midnight showing, and even the most ardent Potter fans left the theater looking flat.

Boring. Yes. What a waste of a powerful story.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You hit the nail on the head. You said everything that I said when I walked out of the theater, disappointed beyond all measure. It was an awful movie, geared to the mindset of your average 13 year old. I had the feeling that the scriptwriter hadn't even read the book. David Yates was asleep at the wheel. It is an awesome story, totally dumbed down. I had a feeling it would be bad when I saw that it would only be rated PG. I agree - a waste of a great story. What were they thinking? My hope is that the last two are more on form, but now I have my doubts. Thank you again for verbalizing beautifully exactly how I felt when I walked out of the theater. Truly a shame.

Thank you so much for ranting! I was with a group of 12, and everyone else thought it was the best ever! I agree that the pacing was twitchy -- superfast hits, then slowed down to a crawl. My biggest beef was with the final scenes: Harry decides to stay quiet on the floor below and not act, rather than being prevented from acting when Dumbledore dies. Isn't that an enormous change? And I was ready for a huge weep fest with the funeral, with all the magical community coming out to honor Dumbledore and Harry having to step up and leave his loves behind for the more serious tasks at hand. Wassup with that?

I agree with Elaine about the raising of the wands scene at the end...I got a bit verklempt myself. My wife, who refuses to read the books, said she enjoyed the movie and followed the storyline just fine, but then again, she'll watch just about anything. Yes, it's different from the book, but was it worth the $2.50 matinee price I paid to miss almost 3 hours of 106 degree heat outside? YES!

It's a lame point but I was really looking forward to hearing the crowd cheer the "Weasley is our King" song in the Quiddich matches. This movie was definitely eye candy. It looked slick, but, I agree, slow and dull.

These books need to be a mini-series rather than a series of blockbuster movies. It's impossible to include all the necessary details and nuances. I thought the 'memory' scenes were well done, but how could they leave out the most important one, when Tom Riddle offs his muggle dad and grandparents! The reason V. doesn't appear in this volume is that we are getting all his nasty back-story, but the movie stops short of the point where he goes completely off the deep end ... why would they leave that out? And, personally, I missed the bit in the muggle Prime Minister's office - that would have been way more fun than the swooping oil slicks in the sky - and the scene where D. picks up Harry at the Dursley's and conjures drinking goblets that keep knocking them in the head because they refuse to drink from them - too bad the director can't recognize great theatre when he sees it!

My husband and I think that a proper BBC mini series would definitely be in order here. Maybe 20 or 30 years down the line...

I was also disappointed - perhaps if they'd included Dumbledore's funeral it would have packed more emotional punch at the end and saved the movie. Or maybe they're using that for the beginning of the next movie?

Oh, gosh. I am such the unsophisticated movie-goer. I loved this movie. Maybe it was the experience of being in an audience of appreciative fans. I had teenage girls (one of whom is related to me). They gasped when it was even a little bit scary, giggled when it was even a little bit funny, and nudged each other (and sometimes me) knowingly when i was even a little bit romantic. Even my granddaughter -- who has total recall of every detail of every single Harry Potter volume -- was able to suspend her scorn over what was left out or changed and just enjoy the luscious look and sound of the film.

I'm in the "really enjoyed it, but only read the book once and then long ago" camp. Also, I realized partway through that I must have slept through a good portion of the last movie (I had an excuse, though; I was pregnant and very sleepy after 7pm) because I can't remember a darn thing.

It sure is clear that there are a lot of Harry-lovin' librarians out there (me, too!).

Hmm. I kind of liked it, but I'll admit it dragged in spots. I read somewhere that the reason they didn't do the big Hogwarts battle at the end was so they wouldn't compete with the super big battle at the end of the series. It goes without saying that a movie is a much narrower format than a book--I always walk into the theater expecting scenes to be missing that I enjoyed in the book.

Lots to comment on here, but I'll limit it to two observations:

I think they've got a significant problem with the battle scenes in general. Let's face it, pointing wands and shouting words-- and missing! -- looks awfully silly after a while. "Crucio!" -- oops! Each time they've been forced to do it, the scenes strike me as downright goofy and lacking in all drama. The weapons are not conducive to exciting battle scenes, IMO.

If I were a filmmaker, I'd be reluctant to go to that well too often myself.

As for the pace, it's a book (and film) where almost nothing happens in terms of moving forward with the inevitable confrontation. It's basically a holding pattern -- and the love stuff does nothing for me. OTOH, I LOVED the back story of Tom Riddle in the book, and hope that some of that stuff is inserted into film #7, pt. 1.

But goodness knows the last book had Harry CAMPING for about 200 pages. And whining about it. So as readers we're sort of at the point of: "Get on with it, will you!"

I have to agree with your review. My son and I were totally disappointed with this rendition of the HP tale. I tried to warn my other son before he wasted his money, but he still viewed the movie for $6.00!! What's all the hype, if it doesn't follow the book?!
I could have waited for the DVD version.

Re: Endless pages of camping - yes yes yes yes yes.

Excellent review and an echo of myself and my 13 and 11 year old sons stomping out at the end. I had a vivid picture in my head of that tower scene, after hearing Jim Dale's wonderous audiobook rendition, and I was thoroughly disappointed -no way would Harry have let Dumbledore go down without a fight if he hadn't been petrificussed.
If you're going to go to all that effort and expense to make a movie, then do it right! Please!

My partner and I have also been saying for years that this needs to be a BBC series. If it's a mini-series, though, there's the problem of the characters' ages. (It's always dreary watching teens pretending to be children.) Maybe a series with, say, 4-year run? (Wishful thinking.) In the meantime, I've really enjoyed the past four movies, despite their many flaws.

Great review. Elizabeth! I just don't buy the argument that a running battle through the castle would be mistaken for a huge battle scene. Letting the killers of Dumbledore just waltz out of the castle says the forces of good are too weak to even resist Voldemort. And I'm sorry but the little glowing wands reminded me of lighters at a rock concert.
Of course the movie will make money Library Lady, that doens't mean, it's not confusing or couldn't be better. The person I watched it with couldn't understand the significance of the Half Blood Prince since the writers couldn't squezze in the explanation (a sentence?) that Prince was the maiden name of Snape's mother.

My boyfriend hasn't read the books but agreed to see the movie with me after seeing the previous one and enjoying it. He found this one extremely puzzling, hard to follow, and tedious.

I have to admit, I found it very boring myself (I've read all of them). At this point I doubt my bf will see the next film installments and I'm not sure I will either!