A wonderfully put together film, both in style and substance.

Rating: 9/10 (19 March 2008)

Well for me at least, having just had my third viewing of this, the third instalment in the Harry Potter franchise, and I'm pleased to report that now I'm finally at peace with how I feel about Alfonso Cuar贸n's delightful picture. When I first watched this film upon its DVD release, I found myself yearning for the children to be children again, it was as if the magic had gone, for the reason I liked the first two films was because they allowed me to be childlike again, was the franchise losing it's fantastical ability to draw the viewer in and make us feel magically childlike? Thankfully some four years later I'm positively beaming about it's wonderful adult aura, the professionally handled structure, and yes, the delightful magical charm at every turn.
The Prisoner Of Azkaban finds Harry aged 13, back at Hogwarts with his friends he finds out that a murderous prisoner has escaped from Azkaban prison, and he's heading straight for Harry.
The film suffers from its young stars not quite developing their acting skills to befit the burgeoning onset of their now teenage characters, but it's a minor complaint that's forgiven because the new additions to the adult cast are positively fabulous. One could possibly decry that Gary Oldman & David Thewlis are sadly underused, and to a degree that would be a fair gripe, but both men leave such an indelible impact it helps offset the sad loss of Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Into Dumbledore's big robe comes Michael Gambon, and although he is solid, watchable, and graceful enough, he could never have hoped to achieve the magnificent aura that Harris brought to the role.
Directing wise I think it's fair to say that Alfonso Cuar贸n was blessed with a far better script than Christopher Columbus had for the first two Potter movies, where here we get a gripping denouement and certainly the best finale of the franchise thus far. Certainly this is a darker movie, where threats of death loom large and moody imagery features throughout, but credit has to go to Cuar贸n for neatly pulling it all together, be it for the snow bound sequences, a Dementor attack, or a sumptuous wide angled shot of the rolling Scottish hills, it's a beautifully crafted piece of work that thrills for adults and kids alike. Stuart Craig's sets are a joy to behold, Michael Seresin's wonderfully mystical cinematography brings the whole locale into your lap, and John Williams naturally scores it with deftness personified. In short it's the technical highlight of the franchise so far and a benchmark that the others will struggle to equal. 9/10
RIP Richard Harris.