Probably the best so far...

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2004)

Perhaps I'm writing this review as a Mexican who is proud of the mexican director of the film, but aside some nationalistic feelings this is probably the best of the three Potter films so far. I've read the book before watching the film, just as I did with the other two Potter films and one way that tells me that is better is that I didn't get bored at the middle of the movie (because I knew all the things).
This film set apart (witch some had disliked) from the previous two in ambient, in darkness and in a more mature atmosphere (it's clear in the acting of the main characters), but for one reason: it's the first chapter in the Potter series were all the previously child characters are now teenagers (13-14 years). That's way the director (and I hope the producers) want (and ultimately does) a new style that is welcomed, and make a precedence to the next films to follow as the characters and actors grow older. Some other reviewers complain that the movie is loosely based on the novel, that the other two had almost everything from the books, and this had not, but that's no all true. Sure some of the key plots that link Azkaban to Goblet are missing (like the Chan girl, Harry's love interest in the next chapters), but many of the things that other users complain of are present, like the absence of the explanation of who make the marauders' map (in the film Sirius explains that is HIS map), and some other things that are there but inside dialogues and situations. It's was an intelligent way of compress a big novel into a two hour movie. And of course it's Cuaron way of doing things: that the spectator had to stay focused on both dialogue and picture to get all of the script and the film, and to understand things and situations. It's good that some one makes a truly `teen' movie, for intelligent teens. I hope my teen nephews appreciate,enjoy and like this movie. One last commentary: my wife is still at the middle of the book and understands the entire plot, and of course had enjoyed the movie as much as I did. Cuaron get to make thinks a little different than the book to make me interested from start to finish. 9/10.