Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Written by: J.K. Rowling (novel), Steven Kloves (screenplay)
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman

The Harry Potter series still enjoys the same rabid popularity it had a few years ago, and with this third installment finding its way to the big screen the filmmakers have seemingly settled into a comfortable groove. But are they getting a little too comfortable? This is probably one of the reasons why they decided to bring director Alfonso Cuarón on board, while retaining Chris Columbus in a more background role as producer. Having directed the critically acclaimed spanish film Y Tu Mamá También, Cuarón does bring a slightly more artsy approach to the visuals of the movie and his presence is a nice change of pace. Overall though, it’s still hard to shake a slight feeling of deja vu at times.

The plot of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban revolves around Sirius Black, a murderer-at-large who has recently escaped from Azkaban Prison. But what does this have to do with Harry and his dead parents? Quite a lot obviously. Perhaps this is where the similarities with the last film are most accute, as there is yet another evil, mysterious presence hunting down Harry. Hogwart’s is locked down and on high alert, and Harry is told not to go out anywhere alone. But as you can probably guess, he does anyway. I haven’t read the book, and once again I find myself wondering if some of the more divergent parts were cut out due to time restrictions. Still, there are some fun new twists along the way, and many elements of the book would appear to have been perfectly concocted for cinematic interpretation. The time travel aspect in particular was well executed even if it didn’t make logical sense.

It has been said that the second Harry Potter film was much darker than the first, and this one steps even further into genuinely creepy and/or frightening territory. There are a lot of horror and suspense elements to this movie, to the point where you have to wonder if it might be a little too scary for children. The Dementors in particular seem loosely inspired by the Ringwraiths from LOTR are quite chilling. Unfortunately they offset some of this darkness with some unnecessary cartoon flourishes. While they aren’t frequent enough to detract from the overall enjoyment of the movie, they stand out because the first two movies didn’t pander to kids in any way, while this movie every now and then feels like it’s trying too hard to bring itself down to a level kids understand.

It does bear mentioning that the same primary cast has returned, a few more years older, and still looking quite comfortable in their roles. As you might expect, there are also some new characters introduced and thus some new additions to the cast. David Thewlis (no, NOT the guy who played Faramir in Lord of the Rings, contrary to what the lady behind us thought) gives an excellent turn as the aptly named Professor Lupin, Emma Thompson has a small but enjoyable appearance as the visually-impaired Professor Sybil Trelawney, and Gary Oldman plays that maniacial serial killer himself, Sirius Black. Michael Gambon does a good job of replacing the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, although he does seem less benevolent and good natured at times. One of the things that may have weakened this film a bit is the fact that there isn’t as much interaction with the other kids at the school. It’s a very self-contained and straightforward story, which takes away from the richness of the world. I missed some of the exploration and sense of discovery that the first two films had, but I guess at this point that’s to be expected since we’ve already been introduced to everything by now.

Even if you don’t find the story overly stimulating, you know you’re in for a treat with the visual effects. The world of Hogwart’s is still as imaginative as ever, and I think it is movies like this that push special effects forward more than any other because they are based on a book, where the author was not thinking about what could or couldn’t be achieved with current technology. Hagrid’s hippogriff is one of the most realistic CGI creatures ever to be seen in a movie, and all of the details within the school such as the ghost paintings and the moving wanted posters make you feel that yes, this is a real living, breathing world.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a strong addition to the series, and will not disappoint fans. For those of us “muggles” who haven’t read the books, it may feel a little less thrilling than the first two, but it still avoids becoming stale and uninspired. If you’re one of those types who think it’s just kid’s stuff, this movie will definitely prove you wrong. You just might want to think twice before you let little Jimmy watch it… though, on the other hand, it is probably well worth the weeks of nightmares it may bring him. — Sean