This first half of the final Harry Potter installment sticks to the original plot much better than the last Harry Potter film (thank heaven). The acting is better than it's ever been, the visual effects are great, and the movie really leaves you with the same emotional effects as the book. One suggestion--save yourself a few bucks and skip the Imax part. Just go see it in digital projection at a smaller theater. This was my first Imax "experience," and I don't plan to do it again. The theater was cramped, and to see the screen well, we had to sit so far back that it really didn't look much bigger than a normal theater screen at that point.