A review, saw it last night.

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2004)

Spoiler
Plot
It was good but flawed if you know the book well since so many important scenes are missing like no-one explained to Harry how James Potter, Remus and Sirius were best friends nor the meaning behind their nicknames so Harry has no idea why his patronus is a stag. Nor do we see why Snape hates Sirius and Lupin.
Also, the ending was too cheesy with Harry flying at the screen on his new Firebolt broom and then freezing on him smiling. I'd have preferred the book's ending, much funnier.
It was all a bit rushed. However, several lines were lifted directly from the book and it flowed far better. It seemed more likely a movie and less like a straight transfer of the book to film like the last two. Some people won't like that every scene wasn't included, but it really helps the movie feel more cinematic. The scriptwriters just need to ensure they include every crucial scene as leaving out such important parts as detailed earlier is extremely noticeable to book readers (especially because they are important to the overall series plot) Basically, another 10 minutes of screen time would have solved these errors and I can only hope the DVD comes with deleted scenes!
Acting
The Pupils
Hermione. She's a high point on her own; she stands out the best of all the young actors. She's just spotless in her acting; she balances humour and emotion just right and is generally enjoyable. As is Ron, who was very funny and more like he is in the books. I'm glad these two are gradually being set-up as a couple; they are a cute duo and fun to watch spar/spark.
Sadly, Harry is still letting them down... he was chosen for his resemblance to the character and it's obvious. His acting is slightly better this time round, but he's still not terribly good. Draco was also a disappointment in this movie; he was reduced to comic relief as a total cry-baby/sap. The menace of his character was totally absent.
Fred and George were just right in this movie; a lot of the characterisation of these two was lost previously and it was good to see the humour and generally mischievous nature of these two portrayed properly.
The Teachers
The new Dumbledore was good, I can't distinguish if I prefer the first actor or this new one but I didn't notice any real change. This is good. I don't recall McGonagall having any relevant part to play at all in the movie. But Snape provided his usual intimidation, new teacher Trelawney was suitably batty but a lot of the humour involved with her was lost. Personally, I always love Harry and Ron's mocking of her lessons, a funny highlight of the books. Hagrid was enjoyable in this film; I liked his new interactions as a teacher and his chance to do a bit of serious acting in the scenes involving the execution of Buckbeak.
And finally, Lupin was a good addition to the cast. I enjoyed his lessons of Defence Against the Dark Arts more than all previous ones shown and still found him to be my favourite teacher of this subject as in the books. Only drawback was I felt he was a little mean and some crucial dialogue he should have shared with Harry was cut leaving me with a sense of disappointment.
Special Effects
Special effects were good, aside from the Patronus, which I wasn't a fan of. Buckbeak was good. The Lupin werewolf was cool though not really scary, compared the Sirius dog was actually much creepier and looked much better stylistically. Quidditch was the same old stuff, though it didn't get much screen time this time round so there isn't an awful lot to judge.
The Whomping Willow was a nice device used in the movie to show the changing of seasons as well as being surprisingly funny. Oh, and the big thing people care about... The Dementors. At times I thought they were slightly scary but most of the time i just wound up thinking the Nazgul in LOTR were much creepier.
The Knight Bus was good, but not how I imagined it to be. However they achieved a good effect in showing how fast the bus travels and the overall design was impressive.
Finally, the paintings in the school were wonderful. We get to see many of them up close this time round and it's a treat seeing the sheer variety of characters contained within. Plus, Dawn French as the Fat Lady of Gryffindor is a hoot. I loved her.
General Stuff
* The entire Hogwarts scenery has been changed. Some will complain but I think it's much better, it seems much more like a castle in the Scottish Highlands, which is what Hogwarts is meant to be, and because the majority of the film is set outdoors it helps add a feeling of depth and scope to the locale around.
* Speaking of Buckbeak, I love this creature. The special effects were beautiful, the scenes with it in glowed and I got a sense of the power and beauty of this creature. They did an excellent job creating the Hippogriff but more importantly giving it life.
* Personally, I liked the darker tone of the movie. The book was dark and it was suitable that the film was too, allowing the characters more depth and as said earlier affording the whole movie a much more cinematic feeling. It felt grown up and as our heroes are getting older this was just what the film needed.
Wrapping Up
Despite what anyone says, Azkaban IS worth watching and in my opinion it is the best of the movies so far. Don't miss out on a movie that by its own merits is good, even if it pales slightly in comparison with the novel.