Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)June 7th, 2004
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are heading back for their third year at the now-famous school of magic and wizardry. But, as the magical train takes them back to Hogwarts it is abruptly stopped and Harry is confronted by a soul sucking Dementor searching for a dangerous escaped wizard in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."
I've read the first four of the Potter books, liked the newness of the first, was bored by the sameness of the second and developed a grudging acceptance of the third and forth. As to the first two "Potter" movies by director Chris Columbus, I felt pretty much the same. The first did a good job of adapting J.K Rowling's book to the big screen and it was a well-crafted F/X extravaganza. The kids established themselves pretty well, too. The second installment was more of the same – bigger, better and more bombastic special effects – including yet another Quiddich match. (I had had enough the first time around.)
For "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," now-producer Columbus and company have hired on Mexican helmer Alphonso Cuaron ("Y Tu Mama Tambien") to direct the third installment of the lucrative franchise, as the child wizard-in-training becomes a teenager. The choice, to me, is a major improvement over the previous installments for a number of reasons. First and foremost is how the magical aspects of Hogwarts – the living paintings, ghosts wandering the rooms, candles floating in midair and scary Dementors – are given matter of fact treatment. Cuaron and his obviously talented crew, utilizing Steve Kloves's solid screenplay (his third "Potter" script) make this magical world, filled with illusion, feel normal. This allows the second thing I found thoroughly enjoyable in part three of the series.
One of the things that have always been consistent in the "Potter" films is the fine job done in casting all the incredible characters that populate this magical universe. Richard Harris gave a fragile strength to his headmaster Dumbledore and his passing could have dealt a blow to "Prisoner" (but does not). Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Julie Walters, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths, Robbie Coltraine and others appear in the first and/or the second and reprise their roles again here. But, there is a new who's who of British actors that attached themselves to this project in a big way.
Of course, the kids do a fine job as Radcliffe, Grint and Watson show real maturity in their perfs and are quite comfortable with their characters. The newcomers joining them in this latest adventure are some of England's finest actors: Michael Gambon, filling the shoes of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Gary Oldman as the sinister title prisoner, Sirius Black; David Thewlis appears as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Remus Lupin; Emma Thompson (who steals the show during her brief on-screen time) is Professor Trelawney, in charge of Divination; Timothy Spall is the rat-like pivotal character, Peter Pettigrew in Harry's on-going quest to unravel the mystery of his parent's death.
The third thing I really like about "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has nothing to do with story or actors. It has to do with the one effect that knocked my socks off – the Hippogriff. Fans of the book will remember this amazing creature but the F/X team has created something that even the great Ray Harryhausen would be pleased with. Buckbeak (that's his name) is the magical combination of an eagle and a horse that is the subject of Rubeus Hagrid (Coltraine), the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. It might be a bit hokey as Harry bonds with Buckbeak then take off astride the flying creature but it sure made me want to have one of my own.
Harry's story continues as he enters his third year at Hogwarts and learns that Sirius Black, the wizard who is professed to be after young Potter, has escaped his Dementor torturers at the notorious Azkaban Prison for malefactors of magic. Black is heading straight to Hogwarts and Dumbledore is forced to enlist the deadly Dementors to guard the gates of Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Professor Lupin has taken Harry under his wing and teaches the lad, scared to almost paralysis by the evil guardians, how to use his magic to control these unrelenting demons. But things are not what they seem and Harry learns some life affirming lessons as the lines of good and evil are redrawn by the end of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."
Director Cuaron shows his skill with actors as he elicits sound, even endearing performances form his fine cast. The new additions make the biggest splash with Thewlis giving dimension to his aptly named Remus Lupin. Gary Oldman, always a treat to see, first appears as the raving moving image in a wanted poster for Sirius Black. He maintains his sinister, menacing air and his transformation of character, by the end, is quite well done. Michael Gambon does not disappoint as the new Dumbledore and adds some wry humor to his character. Emma Thompson is really quite marvelous as the near sighted, theatrical Professor Trelawney, who, when reading Harry's tea leaves, sees an omen of death, the Grim. Timothy Spall has some fun as the rodent like Pettigrew. Robbie Coltraine continues his portrayal of Hagrid to good effect. Alan Rickman, always a pleasure to watch, continues his nuance performance as the distrustful and arrogant Professor Snape. Maggie Smith, as Professor McGonagall, has little screen time as the aging wizardess.
I was hopeful, going in to "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" due to the involvement of Alphonso Cuaron, a director I have respected since I saw his enchanting "A Little Princess" (another film that I highly recommend). He lends a dark edginess to his interpretation of J.K. Rowling's tale and makes it better. It is the best entry, yet, in the series and I give it a B+.
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