Care for tea?

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2005)

As a Potter fan, the world is a rather sad place to be hanging around. It's a matter of principle, no more, no less. The refuge one may find in the books is comforting in an enchanting way, but can the films be so as well? After watching HP's one and two, nay was all that I could say. Both films were somewhat played down in quite a few regards and despite differing only in details from the books, they both achieved the tremendous performance of boring me to a paralysis-like state. Surely enough, there were things I liked, but reality and fantasy remained two separate things: you can't get a Harry Potter without taking him from the muggle world and the muggle world simply needs time to learn and to grow up. And they did, all of them, those little brats, all for Harry's sake and under Cuaron's guidance!
What makes HP 3 a much more enjoyable ride is the sense of existence with which the characters are finally bestowed. They are leading a life of their own and the kids finally learned how to show that on screen - obviously, with Cuaron's help, who was more than able to reinvent Rowling's universe in a way only a true visionary could've done. Columbus wasn't up to the task, for all that mattered in his case was the frame and not the painting itself! It's very important to be able to guide children and the only real way to do it is by making it feel natural. So Cuaron did.
The third book is probably the best one to film due to the plot, mainly. That's one of the reasons why it plays out so well as a movie. But the fact that the kids have started to grasp the basic concepts of acting and the stunning visuals create a new world for us to taste have had an undeniable positive influence upon the end result. This new film is good because it finally shares the spirit of the book: the innocent hope, the complicated issues of life (and death), the reasons which make us tick the way we do. It's a step in discovering who the heck you really are, who the heck Harry is and what he is becoming. The "wise words of Dumbledore" are always powerful and mysterious, in the sense they really should be. And it's good this way, because there so much more behind them and we want to want to be intrigued. That's what Cuaron managed to do, he created a world which leaves enough unanswered questions as there can be. Finally someone who understands the essence of the book. Finally something fresh and exciting. That's the way HP is supposed to be!