Darker and better: the Potter franchise keeps maturing

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2005)

Like Tim Burton did with Batman, Chris Columbus "dumped" the Harry Potter franchise after the first two movies. Luckily, his replacement, Alfonso Cuaròn, is no Joel Schumacher and the third Potter episode is no Batman Forever.
While still children-friendly enough to get a PG, The Prisoner of Azkaban is quite darker than Columbus' opening twosome: this time, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is in serious danger. No, the fact that he put a spell on his aunt has nothing to do with it. The real problem Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), a feared murderer who has broken out of magical prison Azkaban to track down and kill our favorite teenage wizard. Why? Well, probably because he used to work for Voldemort and wants to complete what he started several years ago: apparently, he is the one who betrayed Harry's parents, leading to their death. With all the other weird things going on at Hogwarts (new teachers, werewolves, "I have a bad feeling about this" speeches), it looks like the third year will be like the previous two: filled with dangers, excitement and, most of all, magic.
Cuaròn does an excellent job when it comes to showing the young protagonists' growing pains and frustrations, emphasizing the fact that they are getting older and more aware of what is required of them, as well as laying the grounds for further exploration of teenage problems in the upcoming fourth film. Also, unlike Columbus, he's not afraid of removing certain parts of the book to make the film less stiff. As a result, Prisoner of Azkaban is more fluid and enjoyable than the first two Potter flicks, but the director could and should have kept a couple of crucial explanations in the third act, their absence implying viewers who haven't read the book might be left with more questions than answers. Another crucial innovation, as previously mentioned, is the darker tone, never more evident than in the scenes featuring the Dementors, the demonic creatures that have been sent to capture Black. An impressive example of good (as in serving the story, not being above it) CGI, they might remind of the Nazguls from The Lord of the Rings at first, but in the end they come off as much more frightening).
As for the additions the cast (the other element to constantly evaluate in each new film), Emma Thompson is very amusing (though in a spooky way), while Michael Gambon proves a worthy replacement for the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, having the authority and at the same time kindness the role demands. But ultimately, this movie belongs to two actors: David Thewlis and Gary Oldman. The former provides warmth and humanity as Remus Lupin, the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, even if it is weird no one ever becomes suspicious because of his last name (as seen in the brilliant climax); the latter comes close to stealing the entire movie, making Sirius Black this installment's Big Thing. All the character's pain, resentment and anger come out of Oldman's face and mouth with an almost scary intensity, adding plenty to the film's emotional resonance.
Overall, this darker, less by-the-book (in terms of fidelity to the source material) Potter is much better than the first two entries in the series. If the fourth movie is at least equally good, the franchise might turn into something spectacular.