The saviour of the Harry Potter films

Rating: Null/10 (6 June 2004)

Darker, tenser, scarier... the Harry Potter film has left its childhood behind. And it's fantastic.
Cuarón has replaced Columbus' ever-present daft humour with a darker, more sinister tone, and his gaudy, almost comic-book rendering of the world of Hogwarts with much moodier, grittier cinematography. The incredibly pristine kiddies we saw in the last films have suddenly become rather more believable teenagers; not only with shirts untucked, ties untied and hair ruffled, but also with much more convincing dialogue and more down-to-earth performances from all.
Is the film perhaps a little too dark, then? Well, no. The beauty of the first films has by no means been entirely left behind; the audience is treated to stunning views of Hogwarts and its surrounds at every opportunity. And there is still a large dollop of humour - Emma Thompson and Dawn French, amongst a host of others, make sure of that. But this time around, the audience have no trouble in losing themselves completely in Harry Potter's world, in believing in its characters, in feeling compassion and concern for Harry and his friends, or, most importantly, in being very, very afraid...
Alfonso Cuarón has saved the Harry Potter film, as a genre, from drowning in its own corniness, and we should hope and pray that his successor follows in his excellent footsteps.