The entry of Voldemort into the series at the end of Goblet of Fire means that this entry feels much less episodic and more of a direct continuation from the fallout of the last film. There is an even greater focus on jettisoning much of the extraneous plot and whimsy of Rowling’s world that mean even Ron and Hermione add little to the story. Harry’s guilt and trauma and his desire to isolate himself form a large part of the plot and Radcliffe manages to pull off Harry’s anger and frustration without ever making him unlikeable. That the film returns to the importance of Harry’s friends in his life is unsurprising, but the film balances this with the repercussions of Voldermort’s return on the wider world that Rowling has created - the ongoing thread of denial of the truth and control of information seemingly even more relevant than when the film was made and Imelda Staunton is a wonderful addition to the cast. The previous entry has also given the series a real sense of danger to the magical powers shown, and there is also a much stronger visual style to the film here than the rather flat Goblet of Fire, the final act in the Ministry of Magic being a great example. It’s a shame the final emotional beats of the film don’t hit home as strong as they should and it’s somewhat ironic that after complaints that previous entries tried to include too much of the books, this is the one entry in the film series that would have benefitted from more material to work with.

I’ve seen this one the least because it was always skipped on abc family’s Harry Potter weekends. I can understand why because there really isn’t too much of a plot advance with Voldemort. Still that final duel is great. Dolores is infuriating and worse than Voldemort. The kids working together and learning spells is wonderful. A solid entry to the franchise and where everything starts to get real.

Confusing at times but a good movie nonetheless. Harry tries to isolate himself but must learn that he is not alone. Luna is adorable, Umbridge and Bellatrix are despicable and the confrontation in the Ministry of Magic is amazing.