The movie starts off with our intrepid hero, Harry Potter, relentlessly persecuted and maligned by a bureaucratic machine that controls the newspapers and the school he goes to, while the ultimate boogeyman Voldemort, a monster who terrifies people so much that many of them refuse to even accept the possibility that he's back, is trying to kill him. His uncle is persecuted as a criminal, his mentor Dumbledore won't talk to him, and most of the kids in the school think he's a liar.

Not surprisingly, given the circumstances, Harry spends much of the film in a foul mood as he's alternately gripped by fear, anger, and a sense that much of the world is against him.

In short, this is a surprisingly bleak, grim movie that tears a lot of the childlike whimsy away present in the earlier films away. In previous movies, there were dark elements, but there was also this childlike wonder present. You know, you've seen it a thousand times, in a thousand different ways,

"Sure, you're children, but you're special, and wonderful, and if you're resourceful enough and look out for your friends, together you can save the day."

This movie reminds me of that moment of realization all of us had, at one point or another if we're old enough -- and it goes something like this, "You're not invulnerable and good things don't always happen to good people. So, even if you're smart, resourceful, try your hardest, and do all the right things, it may not be enough and you may end up writhing in pain one day helplessly, as all the life drains out of you. Was it your fault, my fault, nobody's fault? It really won't matter then, will it?"

I've noticed some people calling this "Harry Potter grows up," but it's more like "Harry Potter grows up in a wizardly war zone," and truthfully, while it was well made and had a decent plot, it wasn't a lot of fun to watch because it was one of the most depressing movies I've seen since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Regrettably, I've been told that the next book is grimmer than the one this movie was based on and then there's the finale, which is supposed to be a murder-go-round that features lots of characters being killed.

Whatever happened to the charm of the original movies, you know, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone & Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? They might as well just call the next one, Harry Potter and the Funeral Parlor the way it's going. Thumbs in the middle, leaning down.