Harry Potter and the Difference of Direction.

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2005)

This third Harry Potter film strays from both the lighter Chris Columbus movies and the book it is based on. This means that it sticks out like a sore thumb, but it is a well directed sore thumb. It is by far the most exciting of the three movies. The movie may not be quite as magical as the first two, but it does capture some of the severity of the book. The scene in the shrieking shack is tense. The scene where Harry goes into a hallway after seeing Peter on the Maurauder's Map, while not in the book, is still an effective scene. I think that it was wise to take out the center of the book, because, none of the movies written by Steven Kloves are very faithful except in structure anyway. Why keep the basic story, but slant everything and say "we are faithful"? The removal of the middle made the film easier to make exciting without that all that nasty character development that we hate so much. Fans of the book looking for a straight adaptation will be and have been disappointed. If Mike Newell can combine Columbus's whimsy with Cauron's tension, Goblet of Fire may be magical and exciting. Of course, this is assuming that Steve Kloves will stop doing the Reader's Digest versions of the books in his screenplays. The actors are growing up nicely. There is a stronger Daniel Radcliffe and a Hermonie that is ready for her date with Krum. Unfortunately, Richard Harris, who was a fine Dumbledore, is no longer with us. He is missed. The new Dumbledore, Michael Gambon is very different, but stronger in his portrayal. The music by John Williams is impressive as always. This is a very good movie that must be approached openly, although I would be very open to a version that followed the book more closely.