AzKaban'd

The Monkette2B is a BIG Harry Potter fan -- read all 5 books in hardcover, waiting in anticipation for Nos. 6 and 7, loves the three kids from the movies, etc. I read HP1 and HP3 after we'd seen Harry Potter and the Chamberpot of Secrets and she had devoured book 5. Because we guessed (rightly) that the number of eedjits who'd take their very young children to a semi-scary movie would be minimized for a midnight Thursday show, we saw the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Az-Kaban last night/this morning.

And here is the basic fact, what you've likely heard about this movie is true: the direction by Alfonso Cuaron is MUCH better than the ponderous set pieces by Chris Columbus, the look and feel is darker, danker and moodier, the plot is more complex and the kids' acting is generally better (especially Ron -- he was fine in HP1, awful in Chamberpot). Personally, I think the kooky older-brother connection Cuaron had with the kids (from reading on-location press reports) worked to get better performances from them than Columbus' semi-paternal relationship. Another note -- more cuts from the book. HP3 was over 400 pages long; the first two barely reached 300, so Cuaron and Steve Knowles (screenplay for all 3) had to abridge more of the less necessary details from the book.

There are other touches that Cuaron's direction brings, most of them subtle by nature, others subtle in comparison to Columbus. First, the backgrounds with the wandering ghosts and moving paintings in full action while the students are wandering the innards of Hogwarts adds a more natural feel to the shots. Second, the 5-second transition shots of the Whomping Willow that show what time of year it is instead of abrupt scene changes. Third, the running gags with Professor Lupin's cure-all for magic attacks and Hermione's out-of-the-blue appearances in class (more subtle than the book too, and well done). Fourth, reinforcing the interactions of the schoolmates with more natural group scenes (like the boys all BS-ing in the common room). Fifth, Cuaron's treatment of Malfoy and his henchmen is outstanding -- he portrays them all as sheep in wolf's clothing, cowardly imbeciles who derive their strength from others' fear or weakness -- a fine statement.

To the specifics of the flik itself: positives include the look, feel and pacing. Another positive is Michael Gambon's more whimsical Dumbledore as opposed to the great Richard Harris' kindly but aloof interpretation of the headmaster. There are also fewer goofy touches like the floo powder and flying car rubbish from HP2 -- the Knight Bus sequence is pure fun. Also a plus, David Thewlis' Professor Lupin -- a fine mentoring relationship with him and Harry is well-rendered in the film.

Finally, the books are about the students, not the teachers, and Cuaron captures this by ensuring that all scenes are from the kids' perspectives, not the omniscient observer or an adult's view. The drawback (from some folks' perspectives) is that Hagrid, Prof. McGonagall and Prof. Snape all have relatively small roles in this one. But the book and the film are about the kids' development, so the priorities are correct.