Movie Poster

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.

Past Harry Potter film reviews:

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone

# Review

This film felt much more mature than the first two films (although it's still targeting a younger audience); I didn't have to watch this one on 2x speed. The story is the same as the one presented in the novel, but there are noted differences in many of the details, such as the film skipping the second Quidditch match (which was one of my favourite parts of the book).

Despite this, this film did an excellent job exploring the many themes present in the book, such as the subject of intolerance and racism, through illustrating the disgust surrounding the term mudblood. I particularly liked the use of atmosphere when introducing the Dementors for the first time; I still remember watching the film when it first came out and being terrified of that scene.

Oftentimes, when one is tasked with adapting a novel to the screen, it can be difficult to balance being faithful to the novel and being faithful to the screen. I thought that Cuarón found the right balance in this film; he remained true to the story, but told it differently, in a manner appropriate for the screen, not only capturing the magic of the book, but also layering on the magic of the screen. The excellent acting and long takes make this not only a decent Harry Potter film, but a decent film in general.

# Conclusion

Although the film skipped over some of the details of the book, it made up for it by creating new details of the screen.

# Overall rating: 7.6

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