New director and new tone

Rating: 9/10 (31 July 2007)

Alfonso Cuarvos takes over from Chris Columbus for the third tale in the "Harry Potter" adventures. The plot has a more adult, ambiguous tone than it's predecessors, and Hogwart's feels less like a place of magical wonder and more like a creepy, haunted house that just happens to be a school.
After performing a spell on his repulsive aunt, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) flees his home and relies on his old mate Ron (Rupert Grint) to help him back to Hogwart's. Word reaches Harry that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped Azkaban prison. Black is meant to have had a hand in his parents death and is heading to Hogwart's to hunt Harry down...
The casting in this one is a bit mixed. While the regulars (Emma Watson as Hermione, Coltrane, Smith, Gambon et al) do their parts well, they are let down slightly by Emma Thompson, who just seems embarrassed playing the kids' new psychic teacher. On the other hand Mark Williams is on form delivering some delightful comic exposition as Ron's father, and David Thewlis is very moving as a teacher who hides a dark magical secret. To anyone not familiar with Potter but know their cinema the presence of Gary Oldman may wrong-foot some into thinking he's the bad guy. He isn't, and his brief appearance continues a run of quality good guy characters from the actor.
Another great sequel. Worth watching.