A different spin (possible plot spoilers)

Rating: 9/10 (5 June 2004)

Well, I gotta say, I enjoyed it. Probably not as much as I thought I would, but I'd definitely see it again. It was everything I expected and yet not at all.
Cuaron definitely brought a new spin to the wonderful world of Potter with a darker, more serious spin on an enchanting tale. There is however, just enough whimsy to let you know you are indeed watching a Harry Potter film. I don't know if it was Klove's writing or Cuaron's direction, but there is a definite growth of the characters and in the story telling. While the first two films matched closely to the book, deviating only a little the third film makes it known that this is an adaptation not a recreation. There is definitely a change of focus in that it is not on the overall story, but on one main event. In doing so, there is something reminiscent of M. Knight Shamalan's 'The Sixth Sense'. I gotta say I liked that. The characters themselves have grown and you can see that. There are also times when you look at all of them and say: yeah, these are real kids. They could be your own kids or the kids next door. In that alone, you can almost forget they're at a school for witchcraft and there are flying fantasy creatures carrying them about. The movie like the books takes the more serious darker spin and runs with it.
I truly did enjoy the film, but unlike Chamber of Secrets, I didn't entirely know what I was getting into. The formula was discarded and we had to begin again. My fear would be that people will see this film with the first two in mind and be left shell-shocked or disgusted. The differences are like night and day. It's like going to into an ice cream shop and ordering the pink ice cream assuming it must be strawberry and finding out it's lemon. Lemon's a good flavor, but it's just not what you expected and quite possibly wanted. There were children in the theater younger than 8 years old, and if the film were more like the first two, I wouldn't have been bothered, but for me, this film is perhaps a little too dark and scary and a bit above their heads. The more I think about it, the more I love this film, but as I feel with the books, the films are entering times that are not necessarily suitable for younger viewers.
All in all though, it was quite enjoyable and I'd see it again. My only advice is that no one see the film expecting anything. Just go in and enjoy!