Reply #109: I was amazed at how well they nailed the setting, visual effects, etc.

[Shakespeare]

And deeply disappointed as the movie went on and it became obvious they'd gutted the story. I thought the visuals would be the hardest part to accomplish convincingly, and that part turned out beautifully.

The only casting misstep I think they made was casting Nicole Kidman as Ms. Coulter. I pictured somebody more like Catherine Zeta-Jones, dark and fiery and mysterious, and instead they played her as an ice queen. Everyone else was, I thought, quite good (butchered narrative notwithstanding).