Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - - (Spoiler zone)

[wendybeth]

I agree, Alex. If you haven't read the series, the movies are difficult to get in to. I have a different take on movies, though- particularily movies that are derived from books: The movies must convey at least a sense of what the books do. I've seen all the movies you mentioned, and yes, some stand on their own. They do not adhere to the books, but they are fine movies. Like the LOTR's, the HP books are simply too full of information to put into movie format in a timely fashion. There is so much that has to be left out for brevities sake- and you would know what I speak of had you read the books- that it seems the filmmakers were left with the same choice Peter Jackson had- try to explain everything , and lose precious minutes, or just assume that the viewer has at least a rough idea of the storyline.