Outstanding!

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2005)

Praised by many, hated by many, the third part of this well known fantasy saga is probably the most controversial of all. Nevertheless, and trying to be the most objective about it, this is probably the best movie in the series, and one of the best movies of 2004.
Most of the complains have been directed towards the director, Mexican Alfonso Cuarón, who has received many awards for his work in "A Little Princess", "Great Expectations" and "Y Tu Mamá También". I find most of those complains a little bit too childish, considering that their main topic is how much it was taken from the book. Not only this complain should is directed to the wrong person(whether true or false, it's the writer of the screenplay's fault), but it's very simplistic to say that the book should be completely transcript to the movie.
Regarding this aspect(and counting myself as a fan of the book), I found the adaptation(key word: Adaption) very good, and while it was not the most faithful to the book(unlike parts 1 & 2), probably this liberties helped the movie to be more entertaining, and gave it a more dynamic pace. In my opinion, all the changes to the book served to a bigger purpose: to make the movie enjoyable. Of Course, as a fan of the books I was shocked at first, but considering the length of the book and how good the final product is, I think they did a pretty good job with the adaptation.
Cuarón's direction is fresh, and shows a development over previous parts, considering that our characters have grown up. The world looks now darker as the plot moves to somber situations. The plot is as follows: As the mysterious Prisoner Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban in what seems to be a hunt for Harry Potter, the young wizard, now 13 years old, returns to Hogwarts for his fourth year of study. Meanwhile, the Dementors, the horrifying guards of Azkaban, patrol the surroundings of Hogwarts looking for Black and make the year uncomfortable not only for Harry, but for the entire school. Sirius Black carries part of Harry's past and a shocking discovery will take place when they face each other.
The acting for the most part is superb with the young actors gaining more experience every year. Emma Watson displays an enormous improvement and shows promise of a bright future. Rupert Grint, as Ron Weasley, has less chances of displaying his abilities but nevertheless he manages to perform a good acting. Daniel Radcliffe is not so lucky, but considering that the weight of the entire series rest on his shoulders, it's good to see him improve in this movie. Maybe he is not the best actor in the movie, but he has known the part and has made it his own.
The adult cast is awesome, and even when the kids are the stars, there are fine performances by veterans of the Harry Potter series Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and Robbie Coltrane as well as newcomers Gary Oldman, David Thewlis and Michael Gambon. David Thewlis steals the movie as the gentle but cursed prof. Lupin. He manages to capture the sadness of the character and the kindness he displays to his students.
Overall, this is probably the best Harry Potter movie to date. Sure, it's not as faithful to the source as the others, but the changes help it to be enjoyable for both Harry Pottewr fans and the casual movie-goer.
9/10. Outstanding