Excellent third installment

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2004)

This third story with Harry Potter is easily better than the first film and is at least equal to the second and this third chapter seems to have a darker edge to it. Story begins with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) going back for his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and re-teaming with his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) but while at school he learns that a prisoner named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban and that he is responsible for the death of his parents and now wants to kill him! Harry meets some of the new faculty like Professor Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson) and Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) and while Sirius Black is still roaming the area the Dementors guard every exit but are they really going to protect them?
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Word spreads that a werewolf is also on the prowl and everyone must be careful but Harry finds a map that may help him solve the mystery about Ron's rat and even the death of his parents. A giant bird/horse named the Buckbeak is to be killed so Hermione and Harry figure out how to go back into time and try and help themselves as Black and the werewolf get involved in their adventures.
This third installment is directed by Alfonso Cuaron and he adds a darker tone to the series which I enjoyed and it seems to fit as each of these characters are getting older and not exactly kids anymore. In each of these films the character Hermione keeps getting more prominent and Watson could easily star in her own series of films, her character actually takes charge and brings Harry along with her! The actors are getting older and Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy has grown a good foot taller than the last film. Some new actors pop up in roles like Emma Thompson, Timothy Spall, Julie Christie and Michael Gambon replaces the late Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore. Like the previous two installments this is a visual delight and there is so much detail in every scene like all the pictures on the walls having a life of their own. One of the hard parts of viewing this film is trying to catch all the action that goes on in every shot as anything and everything has a life of it's own. One thing about the story that I found confusing was Sirius Black wanting to kill Harry. I never understood why he wanted this and if it was explained in the film than I missed it. Readers of the Potter books should be more than satisfied as this story is brought to life on screen but even if you haven't read any of them (Like myself) this is still a very entertaining film from start to finish.