
This is clear just from hearing some of the comments.

If there's anything this movie proves, it is the difficulty in separating the series from the demands of fans. I wish all the Harry Potter films were like this one. Along the way are a lot of fun special effects and scenery, some humor (Emma Thompson is a hoot as an eccentric tea-leaf reader) and some fantastic 5.1 surround sound. Instead, we just go through one adventure after another until the final surprise ending. In other words, there is no despicable villain to hate throughout the film, which I thought was refreshing. I give this major points for cutting his role down.

I got tired of the dark, nasty and/or annoying characters of the first two films, and especially the irritating blonde wise-guy kid. Overall, the movie didn't have as mean an edge to it as the others, although it has a number of scary moments (which might have warranted a PG-13 rating). In fact, the early bus scene is the best in the film. This was just great fun, right from the opening. That's my feeling, and I'm still sticking to it. I thought this was excellent.better than the first two Harry Potter movies combined and better than what has followed.
