Third Time Lucky

Rating: 10/10 (16 June 2007)

We all know the saying: third time lucky! Well this film is living proof of that.
Prisoner of Azkaban comes the closest to depicting the story of the book so far. Azkaban seems to really go that level further than COS or PS in so many ways (special effects, mood, narrative style, performance from the actors and storyline in general) and it seems in this case the book was definitely suited to the director (Alfonso Cuaron).
This film has such a richness to it, and it's easy to see that this book is easily the most cinematic from the series. POA flows so much more smoothly than PS and COS, which seem to have more of a repetitive structure to them. POA has a freer structure and style, which is really symbolic of the characters, whom are now teenagers.
Which brings me to the actors. Well, they all seem to be maturing not only physically but in their performances too. Danile Radcliffe is transforming into quite the spunk; his transition from a child to a young adult is truly amazing to watch. He brings a more nuanced performance to this film, exploring more emotional territories.
Rupert Grint gives his best performance to date, playing an awkward and comical Ronald Weasley. He has good on screen chemistry with Watson and we see the first pangs of romance between Ron and Hermione kick in. It doesn't help that Grint is becoming more handsome...
Full marks also to Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. Watson has proved herself more than capable once again to display the real human emotion in these films. She is maturing into quite a beauty and has excellent screen presence. I especially liked her performance in the Time-Turner sequence. She led and dominated the scenes with such procession and style while still being true to the clever Hermoine. She brings insecurity to the character, while delivering a rather gutsy performance.
As always, the adult cast of Harry Potter deserve a huge mention. Gary Oldman was a perfect choice as Sirius Black, David Thewlis as Professor Lupin gave a sensitive performance as a father figure to Harry. The rest of the cast (Sir Micheal Gambon, Dame Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane and Emma Thompson)all step up to the mark as the films are heading in a more mature direction.
The thing I really loved about this film and that I feel separates it from it's predecessors was the Gothic style visuals that Cuaron brought to the film. The dramatic and beautiful landscape of Scotland, with it's mountains and valleys, really symbolize the emotions you feel when you are 13 years old. This stunning cinematography makes the characters, events and all of the quirks and emotions felt by all in the Potter world leap off of the screen.
These dark and eerie sights are matched with humour and the occasional romantic emphasis between the trio. Cuaron has a true sense of humour and infuses a slight sexual tension between the main characters into the story.
While the three are obviously maturing, Hermione as the only girl, is usually caught in the middle of all of this sexual tension. (And when I say sexual tension I mean it's very subtle and you can read into it any way you want, but it is in no way inappropriate). Cleverly with Watson though, Cuaron makes the wise play of acknowledging her development without drawing perverse attention to it.
There's the obvious signs like an awkward glance here and there, a consoling hug that lasts a little too long, the awkward flouncing around of Watson and her co-stars in the action parts of the film, in which they are usually bent awkwardly and breathing heavily as they try to escape/set things right, the odd hand grabbing and odd touch or unaware brush, just small things like that.
Cuaron uses tight framing in these shots to suggest intimacy (the scene where the trio hug when Buckbeak is slaughtered, the quick close up of Harry reaching his arm around Hermione's behind to take her wand out of her pocket, the awkward moment when Hermione grabs Ron's hand when Harry is trying to tame Buckbeak, when Harry is conveniently behind Hermione when they are riding Buckbeak to save Sirius, etc).
As I said before, Cuaron tries not to draw perverse attention to it, by deliberately (I would say accentuating) the awkward moments so as to not draw bad attention to the young stars's obvious maturity.
On a different note, the special effects are really something in this film. There's the beautiful Buckbeak, the frightening and splendidly eerie Dementors, the hilarious Knight Bus sequence, all of the special effects have really improved. Everything looks so realistic yet still retains an old-school magical look and feeling.
Another thing I have to mention is the Hogwarts castle and the musical score. All of the things in the castle, the props (especially the divination room) has such a beautiful but old-style look to it; it's really a visual feast for your eyes. The musical score infuses a little 40's big-band pizazz (think the Knight Bus scene and the Boggart scene) and the general score is very grandiose old-school but with a modern sound. It somehow seems to retain earthiness at the same time. One special piece of music that deserves recognition is the Irish style music (think medieval pan flutes and strings) that plays over some of the really touching and heartbreaking moments in Azkaban.
Azkaban is essentially a coming of age story, that really has such a mature look and feel to it that it will attract a larger Potter audience. It really is just one big exhilarating adventure with highs and lows and I truly believe that no other director but Cuaron could have mastered this.