We finally went to see Harry Potter today.

Have never read the books, or any part thereof. So I didn't know what was going to happen, who the bad guys were, or what things they left out.

Soooo, my thoughts:

I am the nit-picker in the family. Have on several occasions been forbidden to speak on the drive home from a good movie experience because I notice mistakes, usually in continuity, that just ruin the film for me, yanking me back to reality in a theatre.

None in The Matrix, but more than I could keep track of in both Mummy movies, and in Tomb Raider.

But couldn't think of any in H.P. Wife's godson issued a curse (been doing that too much lately) and got upset that the one film he wanted me to destroy, I didn't. But it wasn't perfect.

You never, ever, even for a minute forget that you're watching a children's movie. Even with Shrek, a cartoon, you occasionally lost yourself in the action. And, with one exception, everything that happens in H.P. is entirely predictable, well in advance.

Most special and magical effects were perfect, or near perfect. Already knew the invisibility cloak was a cheap green screen effect from the previews (but why did he keep dropping it?).

Most of the flying owls were simulations, and unnatural in their flight pattern. But the real snowy was beautiful. Lucky kid.

The Quiddich match was wonderful. Predictable, also, but the effects were everything you could hope for, or that you ever imagined a three-dimensional flying game would be. Worth the admission just for that.

The Fundamentalists who think this film teaches witchcraft and devil-worship are bozos. Ignore them.

Can't speak for anyone who has read the book, but all the settings looked perfect to me. As were the actors selected (did Rawlings have any say in that?).

I do get bothered by strange things, though, I guess.

In Shrek, it really bothered me that Shrek and the princess couldn't be happy together unless they were the same race. Didn't anybody else get that message?

In Harry, I am bothered by the decision to change the point scores at the end. Yes, the bad house loses, but if that is how the school runs their competitions, I would be pretty soured and bad also (can anyone say "the Supreme Court and presidential elections in Florida"). At that point, I wanted to help the Slitherin's.

A minor thing, I know, but it bothers me. Lets teach kids to cheat people we don't like. A draw would have been better, to be decided by another game of Quiddich.

All in all, it was still a thumb's up. I won't pay money to see it again, but I won't miss the sequels either. Just a little too sweet.

As wife's godson said, "I can hardly wait for Lord of the Rings, no 'happy endings' for the first two movies."

Oh, yeah. If you're one of the dozen or so folks who haven't seen it yet, a piece of advice. Sip your soda slowly, so your bladder isn't full for the last 15 minutes.