Warranted Praise

'Harry Potter' Box Office Tally Raised

I'd like to think I had a little bit to do with the $93.7 million haul for the latest Harry Potter film this weekend. At $12 a pop, a pair of IMAX tickets must really help the gross.

The movie was worth every penny. There's been a lot of hype surrounding the fact that Alfonso Cuaron directed this film, replacing Chris Columbus; the change--and its success--are evident from the opening shot of the movie, as Cuaron dives through the Warner Brothers symbol and rushes into the action. The suggestive first flicks of the wrist we see as Harry casts spells beneath his bedsheets mark a new tone for the film, and that tone carries through the film; this is still an epic fantasy series, but it now has undercurrents of seriousness and meaning, particularly as we watch Harry come to terms with who he is by learning to face the Dementors. Hermione also weaves quite a spell onscreen, both literally and figuratively. Emma Watson has the character down cold, and while Daniel Radcliffe experiences the most character growth and a fair amount of acting improvement, she's the real scene-stealer. Watch the look of recognition on her face during the time-shifting scene before she tosses the stone through the window, or the look she gives to Harry and Ron when she appears midway through a class thanks to Dumbledore's assistance. Without digging into the whole film, I think it's fair to say this is the best installment of the series so far.

A quick question: am I crazy, or did Cuaron compare Lupin's plight as a werewolf to being gay? Cuaron has explored issues of sexuality before--the threesome scene in Y Tu Mama Tambien, for instance--so I regarded Lupin's words and actions as he left Hogwarts carefully. He talked about letters flooding the school from parents who don't want their parents taught by such a "monster," and said he's used to it. He was exposed for his nighttime behavior, the content of which is something he was born with and has to make serious effort (an elixir, for one thing) to undermine. And that suitcase he was packing had some pretty fancy shoes in it. This wouldn't be the first time Harry Potter's saga has been interpreted to include a gay-related theme; A.O. Scott reads it as resembling a story of growing up gay and confused (as Harry does) and suddenly discovering that there's a whole other world filled with people like you (the wizarding world, for Harry). I wonder if Cuaron knew of this interpretation and thought it would be sly to include his own show of sympathy in the film?