Anyone who has seen this, what did you think? Don't mention any spoilers. I couldn't make it to the premier, it was all sold out.

I just saw the movie this morning and I didn't think it was too bad (I didn't think it was great though either). This is NOT a standalone movie; you will definitely need to have seen at least on of the prior movies or have read the books to even understand what is going on in this one. In particular, the fact that they hit the ground running with this one leaves one feeling the need for more explanation. There is quite a bit of action, but I wish that they would have added a bit more character background/development with some of the supporting characters.

I haven't read the book, but a friend who had was pretty disappointed at several points in the movie. The series has definitely taken a darker note, and the main characters have definitely matured. But with that said, they didn't spend too much time on character development and went with the pure mystery/action motif.

Yes, I think this movie was more a filler for the next two movies. I thought the first half of the movie the director (David Yates) was trying to get the feel for Harry Potter. A lot of the "charm" or subtle things in the past movies were gone. However; I believe the 2nd half was spot on. Yates started to find that Harry Potter charm in the different characters, which made it funny and enjoyable and lightened the mood at some points. I thought it was a good movie, I am expecting better for the next film, The Half-blood prince.

I agree with both of you. I agree that this isnt a stand-a-lone movie AT ALL. You deffinetly have to see the prior movies, and I think it helps if you read the books. And I also agree that this movie was somewhat filler for the next two, but in a way, thats kinda how J.K. wrote the book. But the part of the movie in the ministry was much better than the first. The difference between this movie and the other was that gone was the "school" feeling. You didnt ever feel like Harry was at school, all the notions of school were missing. It was like the entire first part was about setting up the second, with no spice of its own. Although, I do think that Imelda Staunton does a wonderful job of playing Umbridge. She really puts a face to the mental image ive had since I first read The Order Of The Phoniex.