One of the Best Fantasies on Film

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2004)

I was not crazy about the first film, and while the second film was better it still wasn't the be all and end all. This film is damn near close to being the be all and end all.
Granted the acting is at times off by the two male leads,and Malfoy is too much of a wimp but for the most part this is everything that the first two films should have been but weren't. I have to credit the fact that this film was not directed by Chris Columbus, who is too light weight a director and was too faithful to the material. That is not the case here...
Here the hero is director Alfonso Cuarón, who made great dark fantasy by handling the material the way that it should have been handled. He made changes in the source, but kept everything focused on characters and plot. Best of all he made a movie that seems real, no matter how fantastic it gets, something that never happened in the first two films.
I want to recommend this film to everyone, but I'm pretty certain you'll be best off if you watch one of the first two films to bring you up speed. It's worth it, trust me.