Less Wonder More Excitement

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2009)

While the dark mood and feel of this chapter in the Harry Potter saga may startle some, I thought the style and tone were a less of a departure from previous films, and more like the biggest step in the shift that began with Prisoner of Azkaban. I also thought that director David Yates the least well known of the directors in this series really captured the feel of the book and I look forward to his return for Halfblood Prince.
I found the pace of this film as it built towards its final confrontation to be the most exhilarating in the series. While I understand that some may have found it a bit choppy, for me the jumps that caused problems for others were simply filled in for me from what I consciously or sub-consciously recalled from the book.
The size of the book necessitated drastic editing to fit within the available running time and while I may miss some of the flavor I think the final result captured that which was essential. As always I look forward to the DVD for the deleted scenes and I would love to see an extended version someday.
I have enjoyed all the films (as I have the books) in the series for different reasons and though for me Prisoner of Azkaban was the weakest it was still for me an enjoyable film. It is very encouraging to see a series of books so consistently well adapted to the screen.
While it is somewhat unfortunate it was also wonderful to be able to see this veritable who's who of a generation of great British actors appearing briefly in what are essentially cameo roles. Just look at this list; Richard Griffiths, Ralph Fienes, Brendan Gleason, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Jason Isaacs, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane.
While the performances of the three leads could easily be over shadowed by such a stellar supporting cast I believe they have continued to develop and portray their characters effectively.