By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Darker This Way Comes

Rating: Null/10 (1 July 2004)

The latest installment in the Harry Potter septology has swerved away from the lighter, childish approach of the first two movies, which I believe is for the best, adopting a darker tone.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry runs away from his relatives' home after an unfortunate magical accident to wizarding London. He later returns to Hogwarts with the knowledge of a dangerous murderer on the loose and sinister beings known as Dementors guarding the grounds of the school.
I thought that the three main actors in the film, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, were able to produce stronger performances than previous, although there are some slip-ups, noticeably when meeting each other in the Leaky Cauldron, and later where Harry is upset over his parents' deaths. These moments seemed contrived and wooden.
New cast members Gary Oldman, David Thewlis and Michael Gambon as Black, Prof. Lupin, and Dumbledore respectively, did very well considering their short screen time. Gambon, although less personal to the protagonists, was able to impart more vigor and energy into Dumbledore than Harris did. I was disappointed by the actor who played Peter Pettigrew; he overacted and put me off the movie a bit so close to the end.
Although the movie contained a lot more creative licence than the other two, it suits this new installment. Afterall, this is Cuaron's movie, so he has every right to veer away from the manicured image of Colombus's magical world. I applaud him for his handling of the Time-Alteration scene, as it conveys a logical sense of time-travel to the viewer. It is very well done indeed.
Die hard fans of the book will be disappointed by certain plot elements that have been omitted from the movie. For this, I think we need to turn to Steve Kloves and see why this has happened, rather than blaming the new director. I do see the need for the pronounced tension between Ron and Hermione, as this will become useful for conflict between the pair in the next movie with the addition of Krum.
Overall, this movie is far better than the first two, and more realistic in its portrayal of Harry's world. Prisoner of Azkaban has veered away from Colombus's manicured and magical world, to a more realistic and darker setting that will support upcoming conflicts and crises. In short, this movie is no longer just for small children, but for a teenage audience, and smaller kids will have difficulty in understanding the movie (I heard 'I thought he was a bad guy! Is he a bad guy Mum?' in a small voice so many times it wasn't funny).
Hard core fans of the book will do best to keep their mind open during the movie rather than picking at what was excluded from this portrayal. Overall, I thought the movie was excellent, although a slightly longer movie could have compensated for a few explanations for key elements in the plot.
I give Prisoner of Azkaban 8 3/4 out of 10