Best adaptation I've ever seen. My wife read the book over a year ago and told me I would like it. I said, "Yeah it seems interesting, but it's for little kids". I therefore saw it in the theatre without reading the book first. I loved every minute of the film, from start to finish. I haven't enjoyed a movie in the theatre that much since Braveheart in '95. Knowing that books are always better than the movie versions, I realized my wife was right and that by falsely "assuming" it was only for kids, I cheated myself out of sheer enjoyment for quite some time. I purchased the book a week after watching the movie and upon finishing it, I was thoroughly amazed at how well the screenwriters adapted the story to film. Some people say that too much was left out. I say "Hogwash". This was a wonderful story, and the adaptation was as good as it could have been. Most people haven't ever seen a script and therefore don't realize that even a long script is extremely 'abbreviated' compared to a literary narrative. The filmmakers get an A+ on this one or rather, a 10 rating. Also, Thanx J. K. Rowling, for inventing a wonderful world in which people of ALL ages can readily escape.