[Zed gets on his soapbox]
You've got to understand something here, Harry Potter is a "childrens" book.
The book was written for children, and the success is based on children watching the reading the book and then watching the movie.
So if an adult says that the movie is crap, it doesnt really make a difference. It's when children say that its crap, then its crap. (which they havent)
Youre takin the movie out of context, the movie isnt there to entertain adults. If it does then its a plus.
[Zed gets of his soapbox]
Four books, Mech.
I'll remind everyone that the first book in particualr was only of interest to kids; the whole series is, of couse, designed for kids, but then so is Star Wars.
(POSSIBLE SPOILER) By the time Harry is being tortured at the end of book 4, you can be pretty certain that this is no longer a book just for little toddlers.
The series made its name in books 2 and 3; they grow more family (rather than child) orientated as time goes by.
The big problem is that the other books are longer- the fourth book up to 4 times so. Quite how they are planning to bring them to screen when they made a 150 minute movie out of the shortest one is beyond me.
It just wasn't good. No way around it.
I understand that it was a film aimed towards kids, but every good movie aimed towards kids has a little something for the adults.
I understand how it was very true to the book (for what I've been told). It did what "The Phantom Menace" did; Set the stage for the next films.
"The SS" never went anywhere. The first two hours of it was just explaining things. That may be good reading, but it's not good filmmaking. ABSALUTLY NOTHING happend for two hours.
I think the Harry Potter films to follow will be better. Now that they have created this world, they can have an adventure in it.
I give HP&TSS two stars out of four.