Great cinematography and music, my favourite Harry Potter movie

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2018)

Chris Columbus did an excellent job setting up the world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts with two exciting kids movies which adults could also greatly enjoy. Alfonso Cuarón manages to capture the same sense of magic while taking things to the next level in various ways.
The kids are given more individuality in the way they wear their school uniforms and also get to wear more casual clothes. Apparently much of the filming was moved to Scotland and there are lots of gorgeous landscapes, some beautiful views. Overall, more time is spent outdoors, showing things we have yet to see. The cinematography is very creative. There are many impossible shots, including some which pass through mirrors. They make you pause and think, wait, how'd they do that? You can't just say "cgi" because you can see the actors clearly and the camera seems to move smoothly. However it's done, it's impressive, draws you in and makes the movie much more fun.
The story is just as good as the first two movies, giving us some more insight into Harry's parents and what happened leading up to the fateful night he received his scar. One of the new characters is Lupin (David Thewlis) who becomes a kind of paternal figure for Harry, helping him develop useful skills and understand his own emotions. Gary Oldman is excellent as always, in this case a crazed murderer but entwined in a mysterious past which we gradually learn more about. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot. One popular device is made use of, perhaps better than in any other movie. There are a number of nice details which enhance it greatly.
There is a theme of light in the movie. Finding light in the darkness. Finding hope and inner strength at the right time. Lifting yourself up by your bootstraps. This movie is in many ways more personal than the previous two. It is less epic in scope and more focused on betrayal, lies and finding the truth. And also about inner conflicts. It's hard to say much else without giving things away.
This movie touches on themes of sadness and fear more directly than most movies ever do. They're universal emotions that everyone can relate to. Our childhood might not be the same as Harry's, but most of us can relate to distant happy memories which we can't even tell are real. We all yearn for some lost golden age from the past from time to time. Many of us have times when we realise we'd falsely judged someone, not knowing the full truth.
HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban is also full of humourous moments, clever details which are easy to miss in the background, multiple seasons and cool transitions between them, creative ways of filming scenes and moments of true pathos. John Williams' music is great as always with two stand-out parts being when Harry rides Buckbeak and the theme Window to the Past. This is one of the best fantasy movies of all time - I wish Cuarón got to direct more of the HP movies!