Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Reviewed 12.2005

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the series is more complex, just like the young stars.

It's late in the summer. Harry is still living with the Dursleys on Privet Drive. He's ready for his third year at Hogwart's. When an obnoxious relative drops by and demeans his father's memory, it causes Harry to lose his temper. As a result, Harry violates the rules of student witches and wizards, causing the offending aunt to inflate like a dirigible and float away into the night sky. It's a delightful opening to a film with far more serious issues to explore and frightening obstacles to overcome.

Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), imprisoned at Azkaban for complicity in the murder of Harry's parents, has escaped, and is looking for Harry. The soul-stealing prison guards called 'Dementors' (Latin for mind-removers) are searching for Black everywhere, but when he and Harry meet, there are revelations that change everything.

One of the greatest things about this film is the maturity level of the cast. Daniel Radcliffe continues to grow along with his character bringing with it a decided assertiveness and confidence.  Thankfully, Rupert Grint brings a more entertaining and believable Ron to the screen. He is both the joker and noble soul as he is portrayed in the novels. It's wonderful to see that Grint has a genuine sense of comedy about him, and has made Ron more than the one-dimensional, face-pulling joke he started out being.  Emma Watson as Hermione, grated in the first film with her occasional woodenness. Pleasingly, she has grown into herself as an actor and her performance here is much more mature.

Draco Malfoy continues to be a menace. Let's hope he branches out soon.
New cast members acquaint themselves well. The role of Sirius Black was tailor made for Gary Oldman - he has a requisite creepiness with just a dose of humanity to bring the character to life.

Dvid Thewlis is good as Professor Lupin, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts master who takes Harry under his wing. He is definitely a highlight of the film. 

Emma Thompson is irritating as Divinity Professor Trelawny with bad eyesight. She can see into the future but can't tell which students are falling asleep in her class!

Alan Rickman continues to walk the finest of lines between good and bad with his marvelous performance as Professor Snape. Has there ever been a better match of actor and character? Snape shows again that, while he may take occasional delight in making his students' lives difficult; he does have their best interests at heart - like any good teacher. He has some of the greatest lines in the film.

Richard Harris brought a wise frailty to Albus Dumbledore. Michael Gambon does a superb job stepping into Harris' shoes. Dumbledore takes on a new and heightened sense of authority and vitality in the film.

Dame Maggie Smith and Robbie Coltrane continue to shine as Professors McGonagall and Hagrid.

Stepping into the director's role this time around is Alfonso Cuarón. He succeeds in blending the screenplay, again written by Steve Kloves, and production design, into a creepy magical atmosphere that the darker story requires. There are edits and reshuffles with regard to the Azkaban's story compared to the book, both in terms of how the story fits together, and what information from the overall seven novel arc is in the film.

The cinematography though, is what makes the film so beautiful. There's barely a shot in the film that isn't utterly gorgeous. The scenes of the Dementors floating outside Hogwarts are inspired, the moonlight scene after the return from the Shrieking Shack, the flight scenes with Buckbeak, the first Dementor scene on the train; all are captured beautifully.

The unheralded thread of creative continuity in this marvelous series, as it moves from Chris Columbus to Alfonso Cuarón to Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) is screenwriter Steve Kloves. He and the producers have been true to Rowling's works and to Harry's fans, in ways that have always enhanced, not diminished, the author's incredible achievement.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban takes the world of witches and wizarding in a whole new direction. Can't wait to see where it ends!