Erin--read them the books instead. Soooo much better.
I actually thought the movies were rather well done, though, except for a few things: Hermione was too stylish and pretty. We all found it funny how, as the movies went along, everybody quit wearing the pointy hats and started dressing like fashionable muggles. Using that silly kids' prop for the sword of Gryffindor was inexcusable; they could have at least used a decent replica of a Viking sword. The actor who played Voldemort was great, but he didn't look snake-like; he just looked like a pale dude without a nose.
And worst of all was the way they completely missed the whole point of the final battle between Harry and Riddle so they could get in a few more minutes of silly CGI drama. That really bugged me, because the final battle, in the books, summed up the whole story: Harry didn't win because he was the better wizard, and Riddle didn't die because he lost the duel. Harry won because he was fighting only for love, and love is ultimately more powerful than hate. The movies completely missed that. But you know, CGI effects=cash at the box office, blah blah blah.
Other than that, though...really well done. The guy who played Ron was just about perfect in his portrayal of a basically pretty good guy who is a bit bewildered most of the time. The little details around Hogwarts castle, moving portraits and such, are fun to watch out for. Allan Rickman was too old for Snape, but hey, he's Allan Rickman! And other than the ending, they really did stay pretty true to the story.
