alfonso cuaron's PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004) & mike newell's GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)

watching it again, it's easy to identify Prisoner Of Azkaban as the best of Harry Potter's screen outings, and it's as much to Cuaron's credit as anyone else's. his Hogwarts (as opposed to Chris Columbus' kiddified tone-down) is better suited to the mysteries and dark times that befall it, and that's symptomatic of the rest of the movie's strengths over the two that came before; Cuaron's realist flourishes give the story a grim grounding it will need as the films progress, and Steve Kloves' smart, subtle changes (vs simple excision) liberate the story from its source material where his other scripts couldn't. once again, the supporting cast is terrific, from Gary Oldman to pinch-hitting Dumbledore Michael Gambon, who brings the character a wry vitality. pity, of course, that pacing problems are built into the time-bending final act, but the film has nothing if not grace to spare.

Newell's Goblet Of Fire, on the other hand, is cursed with Kloves' most leaden adaption - understandable considering the book's length and narrative breadth, but regrettable nonetheless. Goblet hits the notes it needs to for the most part, and the dragon chase is as brilliant as any sequence in the series, but it also makes a few poor decisions where the mystery is concerned, and cuts corners in the larger narrative with surprising recklessness. hopefully Order Of The Phoenix will fare better, and plug some of Goblet's leaks.