The new Harry Potter isn't good. It's brilliant. Or at least that’s what Ron Weasly might say. And he’d also be right. The new HP is brooding without losing its sense of humor, dark without being morbid, and sincere without being cheesy. In other words, Alfanso Cuaron succeeds everywhere where Chris Columbus fails. But don’t entirely discredit Columbus. Cuaron’s success stems somewhat from building upon the past films and tweaking our expectations. But gone is the "Oh boy" mentality ("Oh boy, I get to play quidditch" or "Oh boy, I get to be invisible"). Instead, Hogwarts and magic are an integral part of their lives and you begin to take it for granted. In other words, the exposition has finally ended.

Cuaron’s HP is a more adult HP, which is to say that the young wizards are becoming cool (inexplicably Urban Outfitters now makes Hogwarts' uniforms), relatable to an older audience, and much better actors. I wouldn't mind hanging out with these kids, but not the ones in the last film. Dumbledore is also more drunken (Michael Gambon subversively carries the mantle of the late Richard Harris), a welcome though disorienting change. Where Columbus would place a gross out joke, Cuaron simply puts a well-observed detail (Professor Lupin's "Have some chocolate" or Ron's "Where did you come from?"). Where Columbus would swell the music and hugs and smiles, Cuaron simply lets the relationships speak for themselves. This is also probably why John Williams's music works much better. Instead of having to musically explain to death the emotional lives of the characters, Williams is now free to be more fun, even jazzy, to add another level rather than patch up poor storytelling.

Perhaps the biggest difference between HP une et deux and HP trois is the focus on the internal struggle. Instead of having to fight off ghouls and goblins, Harry must fight off his own inner demons. The point is made earlier in the film when a boxed creature morphs into your greatest fear. Refreshingly we finally are told that magic is not just a physical tool but a psychological one. As we enter the mirror on the box containing this creature, we aren't sure if we’re looking at the reflection or the thing itself. More than a cool trick, Cuaron shows us his hand: is this the Harry we imagined or is it Cuaron's Harry, the mirror opposite of Columbus's Harry.

Harry's invocation of a powerful spell, the emotional climax of the film (I don't even remember there being one in the other two films), comes almost as a shock because of its immediate insight into Harry's plight. He spends his time trying to learn about and defend his late father, but all he needs is to find the father within. Joseph Campbell would have been very proud. Too bad immediately following Harry must explain in synopsis form the plot of what just happened, but as a concession to the subtlety-challenged, this is quite bearable.

Director Mike Newell has some tough shoes to fill in "Goblet of Fire." But until then, this new film has proven to me that the entire film series, if not book series, can be more than just good wizards defeating bad ones, it can be more than manipulative Hollywood spectacle, it can be even more than Barney-esque lessons about friendship, loyalty, courage and kindness. It can be, dare I say it, art.
-Howard Ho