This was the last good book, imo. #5 and especially #7 need an author's rewrite (kinda like a director's recut).

I thought that HBP (the novel) needed a more aggressive editor as well. Too many ideas crammed into one book.

The consensus of my friends is that the movie isn't particularly faithful, but that it's a pretty good movie and the funniest script so far.

I saw it yesterday as well, and enjoyed it a lot. Yes, it leaves out quite a lot, but it's already 2.5 hours long and my rear was numb by the end. I reckon Dumbledore's memorial might be put at the start of the seventh film - the last book is being split into two films.

Our family recently read all the books, which we really liked. But the movies all seemed like sketchy outlines of the books, hitting all the big plot points, but without any feeling or depth. Can anyone make any sense out of the movies without having read the books first?

My spouse has been watching the movies and never read the books. His answer: "Sorta". He gets the big plot points but misses the little things that are thrown in for fans. Also, a lot of the character development is left to the books, so sometimes the motivations behind actions don't make any sense for him.

One of the funniest things I remember in the book is Ginny cutting Ron a new one (verbally) about his concern about her romantic life. It's just hilarious, and one cannot love Ginny after reading it. They touch on it in the movie but they should have had it all in there, word for word.

I went to go see it at midnight as part of my 'spend more time not in my house' thing. I liked all the giggly parts but my entire theater was pretty much DEAD SILENT for about the last 30 minutes or so. And even at the end everyone kinda sat there like '...that's it?'

I'm not big into that fandom, but I didn't like the ending. I thought it was much too sudden. If I hadn't read the book the week before, I bet I would've been so completely lost.

Can anyone make any sense out of the movies without having read the books first?

Sure! I've not read a single page of any of the books and have found the movies pretty easy to swallow and follow. It's pretty well understood going-in that a huge amount of suspension-of-disbelief is called for, anyway. You just don't come away with any real investment in the characters the way fans of the books do.

I have seen parts of two of the movies on TeeVee and enjoyed them but I have not watched one from start to finish nor have I read the books. I might get around to it one of these days, I really don't want to watch the movies without reading the books first and I don't really want to read the books. lol.

In all honesty the only reason I have any interest at all is because of Alan Rickman being in the movies.