Gambon does not protray the Dumbledore in the books at all. In the books he is very mild mannered and is reverently respected by everyone.
My gf thought I'd be confused w/ the movie, having not read the books. But I don't think there was ever really a moment for me where I thought "what the hell is going on?" There were moments where I felt things could have been explained better or developed more fully, but I got the gist of everything. The beginning was just a little too fast paced though, which had me worried...the story cut from one scene to the next with little or no explanation. And while I don't think you can top Richard Harris as Dumbledore, Gambon has done an excellent job of bringing his own take to the character. There seemed a few times though where he seemed to come off a little too bumbling and overemotional for a dignified, well-respected Headmaster. I was kinda feeling like, "whoa Dumbledore, calm down a bit"
Have you even read the books? Or maybe you just stopped at book 4. Gambon is a perfect choice for the next movie and beyond, when Dumbledore actually DOES something.
I just got back. I thought it was great. Dumbledore is a little harsh but it's no big deal. Fienes was excellent as Voldemort. The scope of the movie was incredible. I give it a small edge over Azkaban. I don't understand all the parents bringing five year kids to this pg-13 movie on a Sunday night... The King Kong preview looked really good.
Saw it today and really enjoyed it. I think that they should stick with British directors from now on. These are very British books and foriegn directors sometimes don't get the essence of them.
I have read all of the books and I also believe that Dumbledore's role changes quite a bit in the next two books. BUT, through Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore was mild mannered and that is something we did not see in this movie. I just do not prefer Gambon in this role, so far.
