Isn't Azkaban the film that showed us wandless magic in the Leaky Couldron? Film ruined!
I know it was a hard task to translate the last books to film, but I don't like a number of things Yates' films did.
-Instead of Voldemort being the only flier, now ALL Deaths Eaters fly. I think that was established in Goblet when they all appear at the end so maybe that wasn't his fault, but they certainly ran with it after that, letting a terrifying Voldemort-only skill be reduced to casual stuff
-No Voldemort back story in Half Blood. I know cuts have to be made for cinema, but I really enjoyed those parts and I don't like them not being there.
-Everything after they enter the castle in film 8. Completely removed Harry using cruciatus on Carrow, and that ruined that for me without even getting to the flying hug and the awkward hug.
The biggest thing I hated about Yates was how he just didn't explain things. It felt like he expected you to have read the books already. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are trying to talk to Sirius via Umbridge's fireplace, next scene suddenly Ginny, Neville, and Luna are also caught. Why? Never explained. Harry uses Sirius's mirror to communicate with Dumbledore. Where and when did he get that mirror? Never explained. Fleur Delacour is suddenly back after three years and engaged to Ron's elder brother. Harry randomly is aware that Lupin and Tonks have a child. There's probably more, too. I mean, if he or one of the directors didn't set up something in their respective movie that would be much more important later on, work around it. Don't just put the aftermath in just because the book you're adapting has it. Sirius never gave Harry the mirror? Then make Dumbledore give it to Harry via his will, and then have it smash into pieces in some other scene - it would also explain why Aberforth would have the other mirror, too! Problem solved.
That's one of the reasons why I didn't mind Newell as much; like, he saw Cuaron didn't mention Cedric and how his victory made Gryffindors hate him in Azkaban, and so in Goblet, made everyone do what they logically would otherwise - admire him.
And then there's awful additions and changes like the crappy, utterly useless attack on the Burrow in the 6th book. What's the aftermath of this attack? Nothing. Hermione says, "Wow, it's so easy for them to find you!" and that's it. Done. They cut the entire journey to the Hall of Prophecy. The Death Eaters and Order can randomly fly. Avada Kedavra goes from being not instant death in Phoenix, to instant death again in Prince. The trio get caught in Part 1 by Snatchers and instead of just Apparating like they do to get out of pretty much every other situation they're in in the movie, they decide to run (at least in the book, they couldn't just apparate because they had their tent and possessions all laid out instead of in Hermione's bag, so just apparating wasn't an option). Voldemort disintegrates when he dies, as if he's some sort of monster - when a big part of his death was how normal and just like the other corpses his body was; in the end, he was still human and not some invincible being.
I could just go on and on. >___>
