Review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) by Drew O — 28 Mar 2013

The Prisoner of Azkaban is when the Harry Potter series began to turn into into its darker side, focusing more on deep and mature themes rather than good-hearted fun and magic. This change in style proved to work very well, and it was the direction that the series went with for the remainder of the films.

This is probably the most well filmed movie out of the franchise, with smooth camera transitions and wonderful imagery piecing everything together. Alfonso Cuaron did a fantastic job in the director's chair, and it's a shame that he wasn't able to return for any other of the following movies. He perfectly captures to growing maturity and seriousness of the characters and the stories following them. The actors themselves also began to turn into fine actors by this point, and we would continue to see their talents develop by the time the series is finished.

The only thing I can say bad about the Prisoner of Azkaban is that nothing exciting really happens. There's no Voldemort, so no strong antagonist plays a role, and the story itself really isn't very engaging. The story of Sirius Black escaping Azkaban isn't really enough to carry the film, and definitely lags at various points in the film.

Nitpicking aside, The Prisoner of Azkaban is yet another great film from the Harry Potter series, featuring the the transition of the series into a darker and more mature tone, as well as some excellent visuals and brilliant direction at the hands of Alfonso Cuaron.