The Moose Hole - Review of Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2004)

For the first time a film adaptation of one of the series of wildly popular Harry Potter books is presented with the most unaccustomed challenges, ones the previous two ventures had not met up with. First, Chris Columbus, who had directed both the Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, has moved into the producer's chair in order to give Alfonso Cuaron, director of Y Tu Mama Tambien, a chance to take a stab at the fantasy series. Secondly, though the previous feature films had enjoyed fruitful success at the box office during the Thanksgiving holiday, the Prisoner of Azkaban is the first film in the series to open during the summer. Perhaps WB is trying to prove Harry Potter can have just as much success at changing venues as Pixar did last summer with Finding Nemo? Maybe  The most notable change for the series of film adaptations is the particular demographic it is attempting to play to. Though the first film was aimed mainly at the tweener and teenage crowds, the third movie will shift swiftly by aiming for a more mature audience, namely teens and young adults. Will too many changes all at once be too much for this film to handle? There is no doubt its opening weekend will bring in big numbers, so its final evaluation will depend mainly on the reaction of movie-goers and, of most concern to WB executives, the fans.
The story once again follows the adventures of young Harry Potter, now a teenager, just as he is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After an incident in which Mr. Dursley's snobbish sister, Marge, is blown up like a balloon after angering Harry, the wizard in training goes on the run and catches a ride aboard a bus, on which he hears about the new danger that threatens his life. For the first time, a man has escaped from Azkaban prison, the place where the wizardry world's most notorious criminals are held and Sirius Black is no different. Word going around was that he was once a trusted friend of the Potter family but unbeknownst to them he was following the dark path of Lord Voldemort, which led him to betray the Potters and reveal to the dark lord their whereabouts. Though Voldemort's following is long since disbanded, his time in Azkaban prison has led him to go mad, swearing to return to the wizard world and finish the task that his master was unable to do  by killing Harry Potter. With Black on the loose and young Harry attending school, dementors, evil creatures which guard Azkaban prison, have descended upon Hogwarts in an effort to capture the madman. But instead of presenting Harry with a finer sense of security, they present a darker threat to him, one in which he must find the light within himself to uncover additional clues needed to unlock his mysterious past. The story for Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban presents not only a continuation of the Harry Potter plot line but is successfully able to mature its stylization and atmosphere along the same lines as the series' continually aging audience. As with the previous two films, the Prisoner of Azkaban never once feels dragged on longer then it should or hurried up too quickly. It leaves the audience feeling at the end as it should, not longing to continue this particular storyline, but anticipating an entirely new adventure in the next adaptation.
Though a considerable amount of the cast members from the previous two Potter outings have returned, the younger actors and actresses have gone through a considerable change, namely puberty. This doesn't hurt their performances in any way and actually contributes significantly to the idea of the series of films maturing along with its characters and audience. Daniel Radcliffe's performance will obviously be the one most critics will focus on out of all of the children and they should see a heightening sense of his acting abilities especially as he becomes ever more accustomed to the character he is playing. Depending on whether he will stick around or not, as well as the question of whether there will be, a seventh film, Radcliffe should be able to present one hell of a performance then and his maturing actions can be seen in this film. The most notable addition to the cast, at least to fans of the film series, would Michael Gambon taking on the role of Professor Dumbledore after the recent passing of venerable acting talent Richard Harris. Though his performance doesn't quite match up to Harris', Gambon gives it his best shot and maintains a certain level of charm about the character that had been seen in the previous features. Gary Oldman, notorious for his villainous roles in movies like Bram Stoker's Dracula and Air Force One, slips perfectly into the role of Sirius Black. The only disappointing aspect to his character is that not nearly enough of him is shown in the film as much as the advertisements imply. This isn't necessarily a bad mark against the film, it's actually quite reasonable considering the source on which the film is based on  it's just an annoyance. And Alan Rickman, reprising the role of Professor Snape, presents another amusing performance, though not as seen as the character had been in the previous features.
Overall, director Alfonso Cuaron picks up right where Columbus left off but, in the process, stylizes the third adaptation to his own specifications and presents the most mature and darkly toned Potter film yet to grace the screen, which, in the end, makes it all the more spellbinding. With that in mind, those parents whose younger children were little more then skittish through Chamber of Secrets will have greater difficulty getting them through Prisoner of Azkaban despite the shorter time length. The best option is to view the film for yourself prior to finalizing a decision as to whether your child should see it in theaters or wait for them to mature and catch when it arrives on DVD over Christmas break. The dementors alone are enough to creep out even the most confident of adult viewers  what do you think they will do to a sensitive six year old? The rest of the film comes complete with 'jump' moments, murky atmosphere, and ominous musical score which are more then enough to set a little child up for some sleepless nights. So for the most beneficial viewing experience for both the child and the movie-going audience around them please take proper precautions prior to venturing out to the local Cineplex this summer. This is not to say that the film is a horribly frightful experience  in fact for teenagers and young adults it should be quite an entertaining film, with a wonderful blend of slight humor, eerie chills and whimsical fantasy. The only major flaw seen in the film is the level of confusion that is presented when all the pieces of the puzzle come together and the truth about Sirius Black is revealed. It's hard to describe without giving anything away but when it does appear in the film, relatively near the end, be sure to pay attention to details and actions of the characters or else it will leave slightly confused as to what is exactly going on. Other then that, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban fails in its attempt at being one of the bigger surprises of the summer, especially for those who enjoyed the previous two films, but succeeds at being one of the more enjoyable experiences of the season.