My first Harry Potter movie. All I can say is, hype is overrated.

Rating: 7/10 (6 June 2004)

I've heard both sides. The Harry Potter movies are brilliant!...and the Harry Potter movies aren't all that fantastic. I've heard the same about the books. What I remembered quickly after seeing this film, is either way, don't believe the hype.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was an interesting experience. Having never read one of the books or seen the previous movies, I was tempted to try a little of both before seeing this movie, but decided to give in. I was happy with my choice. Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson made a great team and carried the movie well from beginning to end. (I'm not sure why IMDb lists them - Grint and Watson - so far down the list of cast - to me they were the prominent figures). I was impressed with their abilities in the film and would be interested to see them outside of the Harry Potter genre.
The special effects in the movie were decent, though the werewolf effects were a little weak. I enjoyed the flying scenes and the comic relief on the bus as well as from Rupert's Ron Weasley. The ending was a surprise and I thought tied up the story nicely.
My only disappointments in the movie were three. First, I would have liked to see more from Maggie Smith in this movie. Perhaps it is because her character in the book has a small role, but such a wonderful actress as Ms. Smith is one I always enjoy. Second, and this is more of a personal annoyance rather than disappointment - Alan Rickman's character "Sererus Snape" was pretty distracting. I didn't care for that character much. Last, and this is entirely unrelated to the movie's production - I think I would have enjoyed it better without so many young children in the theater. >From smells of diapers, to cries and jumping around and sudden outbursts - it became a little distracting. But, what can I expect from a children's cult movie?
All in all this was a fun movie to see and it has turned me on the possibility of seeing the others. I still enjoyed Lord of the Rings better :), but every movie has its place, and there's certainly no doubt of that after you have seen this wonderful flick!