Review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) by Stephen Z — 05 Aug 2014

As the Harry Potter books get longer, it becomes more and more difficult to cram the whole book into the timeframe of a single movie without losing something. But "The Prisoner of Azkaban" triumphs in this way, shedding the excess and coming out as one of the better Harry Potter films.

This film is the beginning of the series's transition to a darker tone. But the film does match the darkness with some fun moments. While some moments are dark and dreary (particularly Harry's internal struggles), the film finds time for some fun moments too (like when Harry is riding Buckbeak). The balance is great, and gets me excited for the darker movies to come. This film also does an excellent job of interpretating things from the book. The film does a great job of transitioning Hogsmeade, Buckbeak, the Marauder's Map, and the Dementors from the page to the screen, and really brings them to life.

The cast once again gives a solid performance. Gary Oldman and David Thewlis join the cast as Sirius Black and Remus Lupin and do an outstanding job. And Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid brings the character to life in ways not even imaginable.

As with the two previous films, I recommend "The Prisoner of Azkaban" because it is (aside from the extraneous Quidditch subplot) a close interpretation of the book. While it doesn't explain the time-travel paradox any better than the book, it does have the fun and magic of its predecessors, with the maturity of its successors. It's got the best of both worlds and is an enjoyable film.