Review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) by Stevenf — 12 Jul 2013

The third instalment in the hugely successful franchise leaps onto the screen with rapturous confidence, completely reinventing what we remember from the first two and paving its own path to be quite possibly the best in the series. Alfonso Quarón has stepped away from the friendly and sophisticated technique that Chris Columbus used in the previous films and injects the series with a much needed sense of purpose, that the stories are all somehow connected and we can be a part of this growing tale.

There is certainly a sense of maturity as the film unfolds, there is much more of a gritty story and darker content that will amaze and even frighten, and it is visually stunning.

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is preparing to attend his third year at Hogwarts, but as the story goes not everything is going to go smoothly. He finds himself on the Knight Bus, a magical vehicle which transports him to Diagon Alley where he is informed that he is in very grave danger, his godfather, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban, and is out to finish the work of ridding the world of the Potter family.

But Harry has his own demons. literally. He introduced to the Dementors, gruesome and soulless beings, hooded and terrifying. They are searching for Black, and give Harry nothing but grief, something his returning friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) pick up on.

The third film is such a delight that it is the little additions that make a difference, the flicker of a wand now has a whirring sound to accompany it, it still maintains a comic touch but introduces an almost relatable world that we could be a part of, these school kids go to class with shirts hanging out, they bully and fight with each other, this is a school after all.

The addition of key characters is welcome to the series. Michael Gambon takes a daring and edgy approach as the new Albus Dumbledore, his presence is energetic and youthful, making his own mark in the role is excellent to see. David Thewlis plays the mysterious put helpful Professor Lupin, the new man in charge of Defence Against the Dark Arts, something and someone Harry comes to know much more. We also have the crackpot Divination teacher Professor Trelawney, who has a few too many crystals balls to read.

As mentioned, the film is stunning to watch, its visuals when being used with the mountains of Scotland are quite exasperating, Hogwarts has truly never looked better, placing it atop a mountainside and introducing various alleyways of discovery has truly been brought to life by Quarón.

As a fan of the books, I was pleasantly surprised at how insightful, inventive and enjoyable this film adaption was, it has all the seasons, all the mishaps, all the laughter, but somehow manages to push itself to the top of one of the greatest of the series, it is perhaps the little touches that made all the difference.