A New Hope * SPOILER *

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2004)

First, I must say I was really impressed by Alfonso Cuaron's vision of the Harry Potter's world. I read and loved all of the 5 books but disliked the first 2 films by Chris Colombus : in my opinion, there was no real adaptation work on these 2 ; they were nothing but a flat and scholar illustration of the books without any drama or flavor. With the same kind of original material and the same scriptwriter, you can have total crap or absolute grace. That's why the director makes all the difference to me ! To adapt a novel, I think you have to make it yours by being deeply moved and inspired by it. You'll have to make choices in the process and take liberties with the written material. This way, the movie may have its own atmosphere, making sense as a stand-alone work of art.
I felt a New Hope ( no joke ;) rising when I first heard Alfonso Cuaron would direct this 3rd installment ; I had seen "Great Expectations" years ago and was convinced by the qualities of his directing... and I'm glad I wasn't disappointed at all ! He chose to focus on the Oedipus's theme ( to grow up by replacing the father's image ) and the dark side of the teenager's crisis ( serving a "hors d'oeuvre" for the next 2 movies ). The pace is much better than in the first 2, leaving space for real life and feelings to come in. Just take, for example, that short scene when the Gryffindor lads eat candies that make them do impressions of several animals : only one shot and you feel like you were in Hogwarts with them ! Cuaron did not hesitate to develop the scenes he seemed to love the most : the taming of the Hippogriff is a marvel, Harry caught holding the marauder's map by both Lupin and Rogue ( Angel and Devil ? ) is a dramatic and haunted moment with a gorgeous photography, and all concerning time travel in the ending is even more brilliant than in the book. The acting is much more inspired, too. On top of everyone in the cast, you have David Tewlis who IS Remus Lupin. And a star is definitely born in the shape of Emma Watson ( Hermione ): everything she does sounds or looks true, every expression she makes gets to the point. A really moving performance. She is now quite an actress ! A career to follow with great interest...
On my 5th viewing of the final dementors' sequence by the lake, I suddenly realized Alfonso Cuaron may have paid an unexpected tribute to a french science-fiction animation movie called "Time Masters". In this movie ( which is the adaptation of a novel as well ), you have a young orphan lost on a desert planet being attacked by many giant bees flying all over him. As in PoA, the scene takes place by a lake, the kid is outnumbered by the creatures and this specific moment is the central core of a time travel phenomena... The angles Alfonso Cuaron chose to shoot the scene made me think it's obvious he saw it and used it as an inspiration. Maybe that's the reason why dementors actually FLY in the movie ( because of the bloody french ;) To sum up, I highly recommend "The Prisoner of Azkaban" to everyone who loves Harry Potter and/or great cinematography. What a shame Cuaron will not direct the next movies !
Terry Gilliam for "The Order of the Phoenix" !