Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban/Falls Short

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2005)

I am sure that Harry Potter fans will turn out in true form to see this movie. The reputation of J.K. Rowling's story and Steve Kloves' (screen writer) adaptations of previous books have been exceptionally well done.
In The Sorcerer's Stone a new and fascinating world of fantasy was opened up and Chris Columbus did an impeccable job of making you believe in the existence of that fantasy world.
In The Chamber of Secrets you expected action and you GOT action. For some of us even more than we wanted. Ewwwwww, Spiders! Chris Columbus once again did not disappoint his audiences.
With two extremely well done movies as predecessors, the third film promised to be just as exciting and well done. You could feel the excitement and see the anticipation on every face of the audience as they entered the theater. We left disappointed. Gone was the excited buzz of chatter after the first two movies; people left this one in stunned silence.
The story-line itself left much to be desired, jumping all over the place and veering completely away from the book in several instances. Unfortunately, the veering left excitement behind and bordered on mundane.
So, what saved this movie from actually becoming mundane? 1. Excellent graphics exceeding those of the first two movies. The "blowing" up of Aunt Marge, the transformation of Peter Petigrew, and the knight bus adventure are some of the scenes that will certainly impress the viewer.
2. The characters make-up and costuming, fabulous.
3. The set, exactly as you would picture Hogwarts to be from the books. In Azkaban the setting should be darker and it does not disappoint us.
4. The actors were right on with one exception. Michael Gambon's portrayal of Albus Dumbledore fell short. He simply was unable to portray the quiet strength people have come to expect from Dumbledore.
Alfonso Cuaron's direction did not make the cut with me. He had it all; characters, setting and plot....he just didn't make it work.
Steve Kloves, stop attempting to "improve" upon J.K. Rowling and continue to follow her lead.