I dont know about you guys, but if the person I’m with isnt enjoying something, I know, and thus I don’t force people into coming to things I know they’re timid about, because another person having a bad time can affect my time. Have you ever had a friend over and shown them something, anything, be it viral video or a tv series or movie, and it just wasnt taking?

Now with all this said, I don’t love Harry Potter either. I don’t love the characters and I don’t love the stories. But I like them, and I can tell from watching them that the source material is probably very well fleshed out, so I can see the fanboy fascination pretty easily. I catch up with them in a way to see them grow up, and because after the fourth one I started thinking of them more as episodes to an overall series, where the ending – much like a single season of a series – hopefully has a strong payoff that makes you like the previous entries even more.

And for all that said, aside from the first 2, I think they’re quite well made films, and I very much look forward to what Yates specifically does after the series is over. Clearly he has a knack for adapting tomes of material into less than 2 and a half hours to most peoples’ satisfaction.

One of the first great spectacles is the gigantic arena where the World Cup of Quiddich (I don’t know how to spell it, nor do I really care) is played. We zoom overhead, see some of the players zooming around on their broomsticks, gasp in awe at the enormity of the crowd and their excitement. I was thinking, “this is going to be sweet.” Then we cut away to Harry and friends celebrating after the match. We got to see none of the game. This was a big let-down straight away.

The filmmakers do manage to make a huge deal out of the dance that takes place. A full 30-40 minutes is spent with the totally irrelevant and pointless acts of the kids getting over their fear of asking the girls to the dance, dance lessons with a professor, then the ball itself. NONE OF THIS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY! As soon as the dance was over, we went back to the competition. It was as if this whole dance thing was thrown in to lengthen the film to 2 and a half hours. I suppose it contributed to some charcter development and setting up for the next book/film, but otherwise, it just made me squirm in my seat.

With regards to having lots of actors in small roles, I agree it’s fine to have heavy casting with loads of faces. It gives you a diveristy of people to look at and to support the main players. I just think they could’ve done a BIT more (not “abuse the story,” as you say, Goon) with Rickman as Snape in the last 5 movies, and they have thankfully done so with HBP.

And Andrew, you skipped the third movie?! That was a mistake, dude!:P And why did the fourth piss you off? It’s probably the most outright “entertaining” if you’re going by action scenes – and that full appearance of Voldemort was epic.

Semantics. The first one was boring as hell. The second movie I don’t even remember. The third I didn’t see and the fourth one really pissed me off.

“i dont see the use of Rickman as a justification against it.”

That is not my justification against it. I said it’s ONE of the MANY reason why I don’t like the movies.

That said, my little heart wants more Snape. Really, it just wants more Rickman.

I mean thatd be like Kurt complaining about ‘misuse ofspall’ since he’s only in this new movie for like, one second. i think its completely justified to stack the movie with actors when theres so many movies to make, and especially when you’re starting off the series with child actors who may not or may never be, any good. the casting for the side characters to me is maybe the best decision the people behind this franchise made!

I was in a camp with you Kurt – indifference. I saw them as they came out but haven’t been excited to see any of them but after this, I’m ready to go back and take a look at the previous ones because I have a feeling I missed a lot of stuff in this one that may not have been crucial to the story but which would make it even better.

Me, I’m completely indifferent to them, I tried out #1 and #3 (due to Alfonso Cuaron at the helm) and really, they do nothing for me. And this from a ‘Fantasy writing Buff” in the 1980s to early 1990s.

I’m still waiting for The Sarantine Mosiac or Tigana to be made into a film with the gargantuan budget resevered for Harry Potter & The increasingly outsized collection of British Master Thespians.

he’s in it about the same as most of the movies if you ask me.

Agreed. I always want to see more of him – he’s awesome.

Ashley – no ewwww factor here. Rickman is awesome but sadly, still a little underused here. I haven’t read any of the books (other than the first) and I have a feeling we may be seeing a lot more of Snape in the final two films.

I lost interest after the third movie and the fifth book, didn’t read sixth or seventh and haven’t seen fifth movie, though I saw the fourth one on TV and I know the basic plot about the final two books.

So my question is: how much screentime does Rickman have in this movie? That’s probably the only determining factor on whether I’ll eventually see it or not.

I started childishly snickering at once scene in the Weasley’s house where for no reason Mr. Weasley has a pillow on his lap the whole time. In my head popped “Harry Potter and the Hidden Erection” and I just started smiling.

That 150-plus minutes FLEW by for me, and didn’t feel what you did, Goon, looking at my watch and such. I was engrossed from start to finish, and of course ***SPOILER***Dumbledore dying “got me” even if I knew it in advanced. You wouldn’t think they’d have the balls to actually do something like that in a “family friendly” film like this***SPOILER END***.

I was glad for Dumbledore and Snape having more to do in this one. Is it just me or has Rickman as Snape, in particular, been criminally underused so far? I always thought his performance as that character was one of, if not THE, best one of the entire franchise so far. I love the little pauses he takes between the words – and the fact that he ties into the story much more this time instead of being the slithering, strict potions teacher. GREAT stuff.

The film spends a bit TOO much time on the lighthearted romantic stuff between the students, but apart from that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this instalment. I’ve liked them all so far, each one getting better and better each time (with, as mentioned, the third one being my personal favourite).

Bit of the juice was taken out after Deathly Hallows was announced as being two parts, though – Half-Blood Prince suddenly stopped being the penultimate chapter in the saga.

Overall a solid 4 out of 5 from me.

I knew Dumbledore died in advance, after all, that was an internet meme a couple years ago, like ’05. yes, they cried then, but I dont know if he returns or not. I knew at one point but already forgot. I’m not satisfied with the reasons Potter kept quiet about Snape the whole movie. Kind of like how on Lost all the walking time should have revealed more info to each other and Sixth Sense falls apart on its logic (see the last FJ podcast), to me so do this when Harry should have talked about Snape to at least some degree to Dumbledore along the way.

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Were they crying because Dumbledore dies? I assumed he was going to come back for the one if not both of the next movies.

Saw it in a theater of Potter fanboys all bawling their eyes out at the end. 3/5

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