Paul, that is EXACTLY how I would describe the last two movies. Between the glossy CGI'd visuals and Yates' bland approach to the material the last two films have lacked a distinct cinematic point of view. They are very workmanlike without a lot of cinematic inspiration -- I might not have loved Alfonso Cauron's approach to AZKABAN but I can at least appreciate that he had his own style and brought that to the material. Yates does come off like someone who has spent his career in British TV -- there's just nothing compelling going on there, leaving the story to keep you hooked.Yates' efforts feel "small" and less epic than the previous directors' films -- more like a TV movies.
I agree also the Tom Riddle scenes were good -- but in a 150+ minute film there needed to be more than that. The romantic material was also not very well developed either, coming off as clumsy.
Between Yates' direction, Hooper's scores, etc., these last two films do seem to have employed somewhat of a budget-conscious approach....and they look and feel like it as well. I really couldn't wait for this one to end, and I've been a fan of the earlier films in the series. I actually felt, overall, it was even a comedown from the prior installment.
