... albeit a very, very expensive one.

Watching it I felt a mixture of boredom and second-hand embarrassment for the actors.

No matter how spectacular the "magical effects", the movie is really carried by script and characters. Both were very much an afterthought, I felt. Both Redmayne and Waterstone - what kind of wierd charachters were they trying to portray, exactly? I cringed for their entire screentime.

The magic - are we supposed to believe they have a more advanced level in the USA? Have you ever seen Molly Weasley cook the way Propertinas sister did, for example? What's with the honey after every other word?????? Eeew.

Also - are they all death-eaters over there? What's with the pure blood nonsense?

Are we supposed to believe that given the existence of a perfectly sensible term muggle anyone would choose to use nomaj instead?

As far as I am concerned I would have happily watched an hours footage of the niffler being chased by Collin Farrell. That cute thing! His soft, adorable tummy so reminded me of my cat! Who can resist a tummy like that? Also he was so mistreated by Redmayne - the little guy has a compulsion for shiny stuff, yet every time he manages to get his paws on some, Redmayne shakes it out of him in a most brutal way! Would you treat your pet like that??? I have a weakness for Colin Farrell, and in that coat and with that hairdo.... I would be fine with just him and the niffler for an hour.