80
It won't win new fans, but as Potter movies go, this is the most filmic of the lot, suspenseful and action-packed.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
50
The storytelling seems occasionally disjointed, but more important, for all the special-effects wizardry, that touch of film magic never surfaces.
100
New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein
For all its portentousness, this is the best Harry Potter picture yet. In some ways, it improves on J.K. Rowling’s novel, which is punishingly protracted and builds to a climactic wand-off better seen than read.
60
The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt
"Phoenix" might go down as the problematic film, full of plot but little fun.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
Taken as a motion picture, the new "Harry" comes up short. But taken as a visual aid to the experience of reading a book, the new "Harry" does its job.
88
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
It will hook you good and keep you riveted.
90
Not just a ripping yarn but a powerful, poignant coming-of-age story.
70
Considerably grimmer and grittier than the previous pictures.
83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by William Arnold
Yet, as good as it is in so many ways, there's no getting around the fact that this briefest Harry and first directed by an unknown filmmaker (David Yates) is the least substantial of the bunch.