Review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) by Spangle — 12 Jul 2017

Heralded as the best entry in the Harry Potter film franchise, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is certainly the best film thus far, though I do hope it is not the best film overall. Perhaps, in writing this review, it is a good time to admit one of my greatest cinematic sins: I really do not see the hype with Alfonso Cuaron. In fact, I really do not like his work all that much. Having seen all but two of his films, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is something in his films that really turns me off. They look, feel, and sound like cinematic classics, but lack that crucial element to make them truly soar above the competition, when they are good as is the case with Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity. While A Little Princess left me feeling a little indifferent, I found Children of Men to be impeccably underwhelming and I really had to gut it through Y Tu Mama Tambien, which was one of the worst films I have ever seen due to how juvenile, crude, and vulgar of a film it turned out to be. Yet, in saying all of this, I let myself get overhyped for Prisoner of Azkaban due to word of mouth and the presence of Cuaron. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me five times, definitely shame on me at this point.

What really holds the film back is how rushed everything feels. While the film's plotting is surprisingly tight and lacking in exposition and diversions into various wacky elements of the wizarding world, the film is a weird position. It is still a long film (though shorter than its predecessors), but feels far more rushed than either of them. It would have been better served being as long as the other films, even though those films were hurt by their length. By further developing scenes, characters, and dialogue, the film would feel more adequately paced instead of being a speeding bullet to the finish line. The film's climax and falling action are particularly susceptible to this with the film ditching its slow build-up to revealing Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), exploring the dementors, and building fantastic atmospheric tension. With the film introducing time travel during the climax, quickening the pace is perhaps a technique used by Cuaron to make the film less repetitive. However, the quickened pace really undermines the most important of the film: Harry meeting his godfather Sirius and learning the truth behind his parent's death. Instead of letting the emotional weight of this reveal take hold, the film rushes through and then half-heartedly tries to go back to these moments with characters explaining exactly how they felt, such as when Harry explains the secrets behind the encounter by the lake to Hermione. It is admittedly a series aimed at children, yet like its predecessors, it feels the need to explain details that are either inconsequential or obvious to the children in the audience. As a result of this, the film never really convinces anybody regarding Sirius' turn around from lead villain to kind godfather. Harry seems all too willing to believe anything about this man who he was told was loyal to Voldemort. It makes no sense, even if the film does it best to try and go back to convince you it made sense. It is touching, sure, but Cuaron never really made the moment feel earned or realistic. Thus, the film feels rather lacking in heart and soul. It has spirit for sure, but feels far too pedestrian and safe to really knock it out of the park, which is a real Cuaron trademark.

That said, Cuaron really does add some terrific touches in bringing the novel to life. Taking the Spielbergian child-like wonder of Chris Columbus' first two films and blending it with a much darker world, the first hour of the Prisoner of Azkaban is a master class in atmospheric tension. Starting off with the ominous train ride in which the dementors are introduced and the groundwork for Sirius Black's shocking escape from Azkaban prison is laid out, the film becomes both a treat for the eyes via good special effects and a thrilling experience. With the slow reveal of the dementors via the freezing of the bus and their terrifying encounter with Harry on the train, Cuaron sets the scene perfectly for just how terrifying these figures will become in the film, often far exceeding Sirius' menacing exterior in the beginning. It is honestly this tremendous build-up for Sirius with such an ominous feeling in the air whenever he is mentioned that the film's ending feels so unconvincing. Fortunately, that build-up is so good, it is hard to deny that the film is a truly haunting and mesmerizing experience for much of its runtime.

Cuaron also smartly takes advantage of the design of Hogwarts to add to the ominous nature of the film. With the pictures watching the kids' every move, the film begins to feel very much like a gothic horror at times with how much the building factors into the fright factor. With an intricate design as always, the long looming features of the school are an ominous sight on their own.