I am fed up to the back teeth with the whole HP phenomenon.
But: I love the films. As a Brit ex-pat, they bring home back to me. The characters fly on their broomsticks around the London skyline, fly past the Houses of Parliament, past Tower Bridge, along the Embankment, love it!
Although she is a hateful character, the film is worth watching just for Imelda Staunton alone! The woman is truly fabulous!!! And the entire collection of excellent British actors makes the whole thing a good experience for me. We see a new, softer side of Prof McGonagall, Helena Bonham-Carter excels at evil, Gary Oldman is excellent, Rickman's diction remains delicious, unhurried and sends shivers of delight down the spine, and the three main characters are gradually moving away from the stereotypical, uni-faceted characterizations that they have been saddled with since the beginning. Hermione is more than just "the cleverest witch of her generation" who always has the answers, she has a great sense of humour and attempts to enlighten Harry and Ron about female psychology; Ron seems less awkward and less devoid of a decent vocabulary than usual: he shows great loyalty to his friend; Harry, thank god, is more than his usual "I'm gonna face the evil baddie alone even though I'm only 10 and let's face it, the odds are that I'll be blasted off the face of the earth"; he starts to look outside himself towards others. Others have answers too, others can help, and he can share what he knows and can do with others to empower them as a community against the evil.
Subtle changes, but very good to see.
The film is worthwhile. Enjoy!
Clare