Now we're getting somewhere

Rating: Null/10 (5 June 2004)

I really love the Harry Potter books (can't convert my friends, but that's alright) and have read all 5 of them, and the 3rd is far and away my favorite. I mean, they're all great, but for me the third just falls together so perfectly, it felt a little like a reward for reading the first two books. And now I feel the same way about "Prisoner of Azkaban," it's like a reward for sitting through the first two movies.
Don't get me wrong, Chris Columbus did a fantastic job with the first two. Much like Harry himself, I watched in awe as he wandered around Hogwarts, every little detail was perfect. But while I really liked it, my friend who hadn't read the book fell asleep. Same with the second, I stared in awe, my friend kept asking when it was over.
I was more than skeptical that the director of the sex-romp, Y Tu Mama Tambien, was directing my beloved Harry, but now I kind of wish he would direct them from here on out. Harry was finally able to break out of the idealized little boy, worshipped by 10 year old around the world, who kind of beat the bad guys out of dumb luck in the first two movies and became more real. He's hotheaded sometimes, but also very insecure about who he is and where he came from, and really faces his fears.
This movie is only 10 minutes shorter than the first, and 20 shorted than the second, but it felt like it was 45 minutes shorter. The pace really picked up (by getting rid of some of the pomp and circumstance the first two sometimes focused on) the tone is darker, and even though I knew what happened I was still very excited. And my friend (same friend) only asked if it was almost over once, and there was only 10 minutes left.
As much as I liked the first two movies, it's nice to see a Harry Potter movie get over itself and not play like the longest kids ad ever. ***1/2 out of ****