I'd recommend it, but...

Rating: Null/10 (7 June 2004)

Frankly, the film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was sort of a disappointment. Of course, as with the previous movies, even Chris Columbus' directing could not--by far--compare to Rowling's superb series. The new director took the movies on a whole different level. I liked how Cuaron delved into the series on a darker note, because this book was definitely a turning point in the series. Nevertheless, seeing as Cuaron--until he began directing--had never read a page of the Harry Potter books, or even seen the first two films, he wasn't a fan of the young wizard from the start. Because it is an ongoing series, the movie needed a little bit more "flow" to it because it fits out of place from the rest of the films. Hogwarts had always been a cheery place that Harry looked forward to each summer. Yet, in this movie, everything--including Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry--seemed all too dreary. The worst part of the new directing was how much was cut out of the movie. For example, Quidditch was always a big part of Harry's life, but in the film they cut the entire season down to just one extremely short scene. Unfortunately, the movie just seemed so rushed, when some parts needed to be lengthened in order to get an effect. All in all, the movie was indeed, enjoyable, but there is much room for improvement. My fellow Potter-heads will see where I'm coming from :).