Third and Best Film of All in the Harry Potter Series

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2011)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004), the third film in the Harry Potter series still remains my favorite of all. Not only is this movie about good conquering evil, it is also a coming of age movie for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson). This movie continually shows how Harry, Ron and Hermione have grown and matured into their roles. The film also shows how the friendships and the bonds among the three have strengthened and grown as well. Hermione, in particular has grown into a strong adversary for Harry, not only her knowledge but her skills with magic and her wand have also improved. Above all, she deeply cares for Harry and is as pure and good as he is. Ron continues to offer some comedic relief as he grows and we love watching him. The main plot of the film is that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) who was imprisoned for his part in Harry's parent's deaths has escaped Azkaban prison and is coming for Harry. The role of Sirius Black seemed to be made perfectly for Gary Oldman. He portrays Sirius with such tenacity that you find yourself fearing him and at the same time falling for him because you see goodness in him. Ultimately we are cheering for him when we find he was not to blame for Harry's parent's deaths and that he loved them dearly as well as Harry and that he is Harry's Godfather. Harry continues to fight the Dark Lord and his followers throughout the film. Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) continues his role as the nasty and unfathomable character we have grown to despise because of his harsh treatment of Harry and the underlying notion that he is fighting on the side of the Dark Lord (Ralph Fiennes) and betraying Dumbledore (Michael Sambon). The story behind this movie continues to be gripping from beginning to end. It opens with Harry struggling with his family and the struggles only increasing, to Harry struggling with the fear and reality that Sirius is coming for him and ending with Harry struggling over the threat of Voldermort coming after him. I believe what makes this film so intriguing to the fans of Harry Potter is how true it has remained to the novels. J.K. Rowling has done a magnificent job of bringing these characters and the magic to life in her novels and the reward of seeing them as we imagined while reading on screen is phenomenal. The film continues to open up new avenues for our imaginations to expand with the twists and turns. The continual use of images moving in paintings, stair cases moving and ghosts floating around Hogwarts gives the audience the overall illusion that magic truly does exist. Even though we do not see as much of the Dementors, the special lighting used allows the viewer to feel their looming, dark presence overshadowing the school. The special effects used when Harry is using the invisibility cloak and seeing his foot prints on the map help the audience to have a sense of moving along with him quietly and softly. Kudos to J.K. Rowling for writing such a fantastic series of books. The Harry Potter novels and films are truly something I will cherish for years to come. I fell in love with the characters in the books and only hoped that the movies would portray them as I had imagined. In reality, the films were much more than I could have asked for. It was a great experience watching the characters grow, endure and triumph over tragedy and evil.