It is true that it is a far cry from the first two. My feeling is that the first two were far too cartoony and "feel good" to be a true wizard story. I always imagined HP to be a darker story as I read the books. I was disappointed by Chris Columbus' treatment of the story in terms of mood and appearance. The casting was spectacular, but otherwise. Cuaron captured what I had been imagining all along. Same goes for my wife. She loved the third one.

Speaking of the third one, when's it come out on DVD?