Thought I hated it...

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2009)

...turns out I love it!
For a very long time this movie was my absolute least favorite of all the HP films. It has largely to do with the fact that the cinematography changed massively from the first two to this one and I had trouble adapting to this new cinematic style.
However, after a recent HP marathon I came to the conclusion that Alfonso Cuarón was able to capture the darker mood of the book much better than Chris Columbus ever would have been able to, and in fact seems to have a better grip on the universe than the following directors (read David Yates). In Columbus' movies the childlike innocence worked as Harry hasn't begun to fathom the elements of his life and his parents death, but he would not have been able to turn this book into the great movie it is.
Although Cuarón changed a lot of the ways Hogwarts looks it actually is better as in this way the wildness of the Scotish mountainside really becomes much more profound.
The elements of the book that were significant for understanding the story were well explained and as a coherent story it works very well. The actors all did a really good job and Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Tom Felton all showed that they have grown since the first two films and particularly Emma Watson was allowed to show her qualities as an actress (a feat she has been so incredibly denied since David Yates took over).
The new characters introduced were also great casted David Thewliss as the soft spoken, haunted Remus Lupin quite simply stole every scene he had on screen with his underplaying. He fitted the part perfectly and he really conveyed the love he had for Harry's parents as well as the affection he has for Harry with exceptional artistic quality. As for the rugged and insane Sirius Black, no one else could have played the part as well as Gary Oldman. Unfortnately he isn't on screen much, but in the few scenes he has he really nails the essence of his character. Now Michael Gambon had some pretty big shoes to fill, and I feel that he never completely steps out of the shadow of Harris (which also is felt in the sequels) however I must say that he is far more like the Rowling Dumbledore in this one than in the next three films. Also Timothy Spall shows his quality as the loathsome, pitiful Peter Pettigrew and you feel that the casting director had the best luck in the world with these positions (which I generally feel as not one single character within the entire HP universe could have been played by others than those who play them).
All in all Harry Potter and Prizoner of Azkaban is probably my favorite so far, tied maybe with Goblet of Fire, and I (unlike previously) would have liked to see Alfonso Cuarón finish the series as I think he would have done a far better job than David Yates.