A new director, A new formula but the same old magic.

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2004)

I have just got back from the cinema, where I caught the first showing of the latest in the Harry Potter saga.
I'm still a bit lost for words so forgive me if some of the things i say may not make sense. Woweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. (did you understand that?)
Daniel Radcliffe seems more man now than the mere boy we met in the first movie and Emma Watson is also on the bloom towards being the newest English Rose. No doubt the two of them will be setting teenage hearts fluttering worldwide this summer. Stand aside Orlando and Keira, you have competition.
This was the first Harry Potter movie I watched after having read the book and unfortunately I feel the adaptation was poor. The story was told adequately enough but I feel that several events from the book that would have made for entertaining cinema were omitted and several interesting facts essential to addicts of all things Potter were also overlooked. Like the origins of The Marauders Map for instance.
I also found that from out of nowhere we were onto the climax before we knew where we were and we had not yet managed to build up the suspense we should have been experiencing for Harry's first face to face meeting with Sirius Black.
In the book, Rowling had used her story telling talents perfectly and by the time this meeting takes place we would all have rather died than to have put the book down. Here, I was startled when I realized what part of the story we were at and then tried to remember whether I had fallen asleep or not as it seemed a large proportion of the film appeared to be missing.
Despite this it is every bit as fascinating and awe-inspiring as the other two offerings and if, like me you are a fan of Harry Potter and his magical world then you will not be disappointed.
I was also impressed by the depiction of both The Dementors and Buckbeak and they were on film exactly as I had pictured them in my mind as I read, as was also the stag shaped patronus.
Sir Micheal Gambon steps into the role of Prof. Albus Dumbledore and although he is an accomplished actor who adopts the role exceptionally well, one cannot help but miss the late, great Richard Harris. I'm sure that over the years and with four future Potter yarns planned, we will all grow accustomed to Gambon, but to me the role was haunted by Harris' ghost which therefore distracted me in my efforts to believe that this is supposed to be the same man from the previous two movies.
Having logged on to IMDb I checked out the castlist and it is great to see a movie (an American movie mind you) filled almost entirely with home-grown talent. Gary Oldman is as dominating as ever and Alan Rickman is at his "freak me out" best. Also a return for the likes of Sir Robert Hardy and Dame Maggie Smith and the ever watchable Julie Walters are a blessing.
Fans of British comedy will also be amused by the cameos made by the likes of Dawn French, Lenny Henry and Paul Whitehouse.
To me however the best performances are made by David Thewlis as Prof. Remus Lupin, yet another Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, and Emma Thompson as the comical yet scatty Prof. Sybil Trelawney the Divination mistress. I have never really been a big fan of Thompson's in the past as I found her films a little to "arty farty" for my tastes, but her roles in Love Actually and Azkaban have lead me to believe that she is the possibly the most gifted and natural actress around today.
Another hit for the series which leaves us awaiting Goblet of Fire (my favourite book) with an impatient lust.