This one was too dark and gloomy. I really missed Hogwarts with its color and the collegial atmosphere. I suppose it depends on whether you read the books or not. I did not and did not care that much for the movie. My wife reads them and loved it. Seems to be much the concensus among other reviews I have read. As a stand alone movie it was far behind the other episodes. Can't imagine a little kid liking it.
An entertaining movie. The strongest actors were the cop and the game show host. How this won over Benjamin Buttons at the Golden Globes is beyond me. Perhaps the story line, which was good, no doubt, did the trick but certainly no comparison in terms of acting. The Bahliwood dancing at the end was amusing.
I have not been this moved since, "We were Soldiers," and I am an OLD warrior but this one brought tears to my eyes and a huge warm glow to my heart. I thought I was just going to a chick flick to appease my wife. I was dead wrong and the acting and story line were magnificent. If Oscars are not given here, there is no justice in Hollywood.