Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Stars (Out of 10): 7

One Word Summary: Dreary

Movie Details: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Adventure | Fantasy | Family/Kids MPAA RATING PG for frightening moments, creature violence and mild language 136 minutes | Color USA WRITTEN BY Steven Kloves J.K. Rowling (novel)   DIRECTED BY Alfonso Cuarón THEATRICAL RELEASE Jun 4, 2004   Relevant Sites: IMDB Official Movie Website Watch The Movie Trailers Shopping: Shop Amazon for items related to this movie. Shop for movie posters at AllPosters

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" Review:

          Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is third installment of the popular Harry Potter series. After turning his Aunt Marge into a human hot air balloon, Harry leaves his home with the Dursley's a little early. Back in the wizard world he hears of Sirius Black, a man who, somehow, became the first person to escape from Azkaban prison. Harry is warned that he might be in danger, Black was involved in the murder of his parents and might be looking to finish off Harry.

          What's different about this movie? Well, Chris Columbus decided he was done directing and handed the camera off to Alfonso Cuarón; how was the transition? Shaky.

          I don't understand handing control of one of Hollywood's biggest franchises over to a director with this little experience. Azkaban is a completely different movie both in style and message. Cuarón overhauled the sets and wardrobes to give the movie a completely different look, and his use of cinematography is nothing of the kind audiences are used to seeing in a kiddie movie. That's what he doesn't get; Harry Potter isn't Y Tu Mama, it's not artsy and it's not sophisticated… but that's how the movie looks.

          Off are the enchanting classroom scenes and Quidditch games, major characters' roles are reduced to insignificance. Azkaban talks about being more dark and scary than its predecessors, but it's so overcome with stylistic flair that it's only less magical. I think Chamber of Secrets is scarier, and both movies were filmed to be much more enjoyable. They capture the magic that made J.K. Rowling's book of wizardry into one of the most popular children's books ever, Azkaban is good, but it's too dreary to ever reach that height.

          So how young is too young to see Harry Potter? I think the easy answer is, if they can't read the book, they shouldn't see the movie. It's better that way nonetheless because so much has to be cut out of the film to fit it into a reasonable runtime.

          All that being said, it would take quite a loser of a director to ruin a Harry Potter movie. Azkaban falls flat when compared to the others, but it's by no means a bad movie. Cuarón still captures enough of what has made all the films and books so great, and his style does come in handy when directing the tricky time traveling scenes.

          With all that's been made of the child actors who play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger (are they too old? do they have enough experience? is one of them going to get slapped with the ugly stick before the movies are done? etc.) it's clear that they're maturing as actors as quickly as they're maturing as teenagers. Even though Radcliffe is the undisputed star of the films, Watson (Granger) is a scene stealer and the one I can picture seeing years from now.

The supporting cast proves to be the true heart of this film; Michael Gambon (who replaces the departed Richard Harris) is a good replacement for a great actor and great character. By design, which is why I give him credit, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) provides the most obnoxious performance in cinema in a very long time. I give him credit, but I still hate his guts!

The Bottom Line is that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a slight falloff from the rest of the series, but it's still Harry Potter. I said Chamber of Secrets was too long, well this is too short. Cuarón cuts too much, and sends the story in a different direction that I would have sent it. When a child reads Harry Potter they don't see the dark and dreary world that the movies depict… here's to hoping that Goblet of Fire is more magical because that's what this series is all about!