I loved this movie and felt that it may be truest to the books of all the previous ones. I saw it in iMax, which I'm not sure made that much difference. Right before seeing the movie I rewatched HP & the Half-Blood Prince and reread the last two books (actually I borrowed audio versions from the library and listened while doing chores). That really heightened my appreciation and enhanced my understanding of what was going on. The plot has become VERY complex, and I can imagine someone who has not read the books fairly recently (or, at the very least, seen the previous films) becoming confused or missing the significance of what they were seeing. The acting was magnificent, but there were a couple of times I didn't understand what Rupert Grint (Ron) was saying because of his English accent and his tendency to mumble a bit. I had wondered where and how Part 1 would end. I think the filmmakers did a fantastic job. The ending definitely exceeded my expectations.