Finally, a Harry Potter film worth watching

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 2004)

Wow. I guess the third time really is the charm eh?
Now, I've read all three books, with PoA being my favorite. I've always thought that they've been a good read, although I haven't really felt the need to bow down to J.K. Rowling like some out there. The books always had an magical atmosphere, obviously. They were great adventures, and the world was astounding and beautiful, although not exactly original. But they've also been about friendship, love and all those other warm fuzzy feelings.
Now, with Christopher Columbus' movies, you got the blow by blow adventure onto the screen. But, somehow, even though the literal translation made it onto the big screen, little else did. The actors were wooden, the sets beautiful-don't get me wrong, but seemingly almost a little too polished and perfect. The quidditch scenes seemed to take up over half the movies, and the endings? Left me with a big,g aping hole of disappointment. The movies had lost that feeling of magic and mysticism, and seemed..well, almost campy. Like there was really nothing to be afraid of. They were about as magical as a two hour bus ride-- and about as interesting as well.
And then Alfonso Cuaron came along. And finally he makes a Harry Potter film actually worth watching. And not just worth watching, but one that I highly enjoyed as well. The trio are no longer cardboard cutouts of their characters, they actually are their characters. Admittedly, they still have a long way to go, but now they can actually convey emotions! The casting was on spot with Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson and David Thewlis. They fit perfectly into their roles, unlike other casting decisions in the past. The CGI was phenomenal and writing and tone of the movie no longer campy, but darker and creepier, thank God.
Some fans will complain of the deviations from the book. Oh please, get over it you book elitists. If you want it to be exactly like the book, please..turn around, go home and just read the books. I'm sure your imagination works just fine. What Cuaron made was not just an adaptation of the book, but an actual FILM, and a damn enjoyable one at that.
I only wish it was longer, so that they could've fleshed out the story and characters a little more. Ah well, I guess you gotta keep it short if your movie is catered for the 12 and under crowd.
8/10. Not flawless, but a helluva lot better than Columbus ever did.