MPAA Rating: PG-13
Original Review Date: January 10, 2006
Reviewed by: Erin, Movie Muse
In a Nutshell: Excellent! Far and away the best Potter
adaptation to date. Probably a bit too scary/intense for little
kids, though.
Quick Plot: Harry is entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament
against his will and must compete not only for the glory of the
school, but for his very life.
In Detail: I enjoyed this movie so much, which is surprising
since I was very afraid of what would happen to such a long book
after all of the slicing and dicing to make it fit into a
reasonable (i.e. non-Peter Jackson) film length. They did a
remarkable job. Other than the disappointment of not getting to
see *any* of the Quidditch World Cup beyond the opening
ceremonies, which looked astoundingly awesome, virtually all of
the cuts made were appropriate and not really missed (I had a
couple of small nitpicks, but that is to be expected, and one
cut I did like: thank goodness for no S.P.E.W.!). I must say,
Ralph Fiennes plays Voldemort with mesmerizing perfection and
conviction. *This* is what we all knew a Harry Potter film
could be, though it is probably too much for young viewers. I
would not take the average 5 or 6 year old to see this film,
that's for sure (it is rated PG-13, after all). Great film!
I'm looking forward to the next one.
Will I Buy It? YES! I would have said yes anyway, to keep the
series going, but this is the first Potter film that I can say
without hesitation that I would buy on its own merits as well.
