No longer for little kids

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2004)

Spoilers
Over the past three years, whenever I heard someone mentioning Harry Potter and LOTR in the same breath, I got rather annoyed. Must admit though that I quite enjoyed HP 1, mainly for the novelty, although I would never have the empathy felt by someone who has experienced the British boarding school. I dozed off through part of HP 2, due as much to the dark tone as to the fact that the novelty had gone. The Prisoner of Azkaban, however, is a delightful surprise. At one time convinced that nothing would ever induce me to pick up Rowling's books, I'm now considering giving it a try, before I go to re-read LOTR the fifth time or any of Guy Gavriel Kay's novels the second or third time. But has I have not done it yet, my comments will confine entirely to the movie.
Whether your thought association is with H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov or Stephen Hawking, you will have to admit that bringing another dimension (both figuratively and literally) into the story of HP 3 is a winning move. In a way, it's marrying science fiction with fantasy, although many bookstores put them in the same section anyway. No matter how you look at it, the temporal paradox elevates HP 3 to a level considerably above the two previous ones.
Even more interesting is the blurring of the line between good and evil. Sirius Black is an optical illusion that turns from evil to good. Professor Lupin is a double optical illusion that turns from good to evil, then to good again. If, however, these two are optical illusions, the Dementors will make you stop and think. Absolutely in the name of the RIGHT, this army of keeper of order turns out to the most terrifying embodiment of evil. (Does that remind you of a certain army, today, at a certain part of the world?) Also, these Dementors are far too frightening for little kids, making the PG rating somewhat incomprehensible. Some may argue that the APPEARANCE is not really that frightening, but it's the oppressive dark mood that conjures up images in an atmosphere akin to Mussorgski's Night on the Bald Mountain.

While becoming less suitable for little kids, HP 3 has considerably more to offer to the adult and young adult audience population. The three principles have grown gracefully into their teenage persona. The addition of heavyweights like Gary Oldman and Emma Thompson is a further attraction. If I have a compliant, it would be that the same old opening sequence is getting rather tedious. But things start to go uphill with the appearance of the absolutely darling Shrunken Head (`Why the long faces?') in the delightful triple-deck bus ride.