As for Ms. Cave, her obsessive teen drama-queen grew tiresome very quickly.

I’m astonished at your reaction to Imelda Staunton in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Her performance is one of the most delightful of the entire series and I thought it was disgraceful that she was overlooked by the AMPAS. Her chilly-sweet Umbridge virtually carried the entire movie. She displayed more conflicting emotions with a single look than the young Ms. Cave or experienced Mr. Broadbent did with their exasperated hamminess and droll facial quirks.

I can’t say that the cinematography particularly charmed me. Just about the only noticeable thing about it was how it managed to take a traditionally colorful production design and virtually wash it out. The blue monochrome worked well for the chilly events of the previous film but here they look simply exaggerated.

Cogent narrative in the Potter series has never been its strong suit. If that’s what you’re looking for–you’re bound to be disappointed. Many of the movies have a paint-by-numbers feeling–trying to cram all the plot points from the novel into the film. The end result tends to be a very disjointed storyline. Audiences in the middle of the films often ask, “wait…how did we end up here?” Rowling’s plot twists are probably less arbitrary in her novels (just a hunch, although I’ve never read them).

Azkaban overall is the best film for the simple reason that it has a very well integrated theme. It’s a film that can stand on its own for this reason. While we’re dorking out here; this is also why Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the best of its series.

Sorcerer’s Stone, being that it was an origin story, could have had this capability too, but by contrast it’s narrative was driven primarily by novelties which lost their luster on repeat viewings. (I only watch it now to see John Hurt in the wand store–has John Hurt EVER had a bad performance?)

This is also why Chamber of Secrets failed so badly–both films 1&2 finally get around to an actual plot only after two hours of eye candy and sight gags. 4 & 5 are a bit more focused, but the performances and aesthetics are still lacking.

Potter 6, is a refreshing improvement in both performances and aesthetics–returning it back to the quality and gravitas that Cuaron brought to Azkaban (despite the anxiety this brought to the original eye-candy enthusiasts that loved the first two blunders of the series).

One of Yates’ best moves with this new film was to replace the dreadful Soap-Opera-TV-Closeup cinematography of Slawomir Idziak in 5 with the breathtaking camerawork of
Bruno Delbonnel.

Delbonnel’s camera dances beautifully and, unlike Idziak, knows when to move in for the closeup. Between the talent of Delbonnel and Stuart Craig’s production design, Half-Blood Prince is a feast for the eyes without having to introduce a new creature or magical whatchamacallit every five minutes.

Potter 6 also manages to breathe under the weight of its adaptation. The 90210 moments, although somewhat indulgent, manage to lighten the mood and allow some gem moments from the supporting cast.

Bonnie Wright as Ginny, Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown or Tom Felton, as you astutely pointed out, are all wonderful. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood is simply adorable. And the comedy works because despite it’s specificity, it’s relaxed. Potter 5 was almost rendered unwatchable due to the dreadfully forced humor of Imelda Staunton as Professor Dolores Umbridge.

And speaking of cameos…the real treat of this film (and I am shocked that no mention was given at all in your review) is Jim Broadbent.

Broadbent steals the show as Professor Horace Slughorn and deserves no less than an Oscar for Best Supporting Character. (Yes, another one–he already received one for Iris). I savored every moment Broadbent was on screen. From his voice, to his facial expressions and movement–the embodiment of his character was a delight to watch.

The Harry Potter series has done well since 3 by stealing from Mike Leigh’s pool of British talent–David Thewlis & Timothy Spall were fantastic in Azkaban, and now Broadbent! Who knows? Perhaps we’ll get to see Eddie Marsan in the next film!

Let’s hope that the performances and aesthetics remain top notch and that the story of the next two films are…dare I say…coherent? “The binding is really fragile.”