Harry potter was bad. WAAAAAY too stretched out. tons of exposition and scenes where nothing actually happens.
best adaptation yet, then.
Pretty much.
Excellent opening act, solid closing act, and the middle...well, it just fucking slogs. Like the book, the camping sequence just sucks all the momentum out of the story; unlike the book, it also once again highlights the fact that yes the two people who spend the most time onscreen just coincidentally happen to be the two least talented actors out of a fantastic cast.
Now, as a metaphor for the horcrux sucking all the joy out of life, or of Ron as the much-needed heart of the group without whom all is bleak and miserable, it works wonderfully.
Also the bit with Bathilda just sort of falls flat compared to being, for my money, the most disturbing sequence in the book. I think the CG has something to do with it. Also, lack of Voldemort blasting off a killing curse right next to Harry's face, but I assume they decided twice in one movie would be a bit much.
Other'n that, though, the grim foreboding builds solidly from the opening scene to the wedding, and the death at the end is appropriately somber. By and large a great adaptation that doesn't pull many punches and will scare the fuck out of small children.
