Truly enchanting

Rating: Null/10 (8 June 2004)

I anticipated the film version of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" with a mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement, because the third installment in JK Rowling's series is my favorite, and dread because the dialogue-and-exposition heavy story struck me as one which could easily be screwed up on screen. Done right, it could lift the series to new heights; done wrong, it could easily kill the franchise.

I needn't have worried. "Azkaban" is wonderful-and if director Alfonso Cuaron and screenwriter Steven Kloves have been somewhat free with the letter of Rowling's work, they have captured something which the first two films, for all their wonder and charm, never quite did: the human element of its source material.
As in the books, "Azkaban" takes us firmly into darker and moodier territory than its predecessors. Harry's world is becoming a complex, difficult, and frightening place; a place where "right" and "wrong" don't always fit into neat categories, where teenagers grope through their adolescence while adults nurse bitterly the wounds of their past. Such an adult is Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), the prisoner of the title, condemned for murder and now escaped to seek Harry and vengeance. It's of course all a bit more complicated than that, and everyone from the new Dark Arts teacher Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) to the sadistic and sour Professor Snape (Alan Rickman, excellent as always in the part) to Black himself have their secrets and suspicions. The narrative explaining how and why all these characters are connected to each other-and Harry-is some of Rowling's best work, and it's been done justice by a strong director and a richly talented cast.
Taking his cue from the book, Cuaron infuses "Azkaban" with a haunting, Tim Burton-esque atmosphere. Though there is still plenty of wonder and joy (such as a flight on a half-eagle, half-horse creature called a hippogrif), it's balanced with soberer colors and more compelling imagery. Clocks and mirrors are dominant themes, fitting for a story centered on time, deceptive appearances, and souls. And most of all, there are moments of almost heartbreaking reflection and tenderness, bringing new depths to the characters.
The young actors in the lead roles are growing up before our eyes in more ways than one. Every time we see Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, their line readings become more confident, their performances more natural, their screen presence stronger. The adult cast, comprised of some of the best British talent to be found, remains on an excellent par with the first films. Thewlis is wonderful as one of Rowling's most beloved characters, giving the kindly, sad-eyed Lupin the warmth and gentle wisdom he needs. Emma Thompson has a short but memorable role as Hogwart's rather daffy and melodramatic Divination teacher. Michael Gambon takes over for the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore and, while he doesn't quite have Harris' regal air, captures a bit more of the character's eccentricity. And Oldman, though he remains an enigma for three-quarters of the film, delivers in the climax as a passionate, deranged, and captivating Sirius Black.
At two and a quarter hours, "Azkaban" is the shortest of the three films-and yet, there seems to be more of substance here than before. Part of that is due to the source material, but a good deal of credit must fall to Cuaron for taking a few risks and uncovering the heart which has made the "Harry Potter" series appeal to readers of all ages.