A Harry Potter Classic

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2012)

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry. This movie features Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. This fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón is based on the novel of the same title by J. K. Rowling. It is the third installment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by Chris Columbus, David Heyman and Mark Radcliffe. The story follows Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts as he is informed that a prisoner named Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban and wants to murder him. It is somewhat of a departure from its predecessors, and particularly beloved among fans for its surprise ending. Prisoner of Azkaban also marks the introduction of Sirius Black,portrayed by Gary Oldman who has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration.
Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age as Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school such as the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron and Hermione, and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin, Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned.
Some movie-loving wizards must have cast a magic spell on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, because it's another grand slam for the Harry Potter franchise.Under the assured direction of Alfonso Cuaron, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban triumphantly strikes a delicate balance between technical wizardry and complex storytelling. Demonstrating remarkable versatility after the art-house success of Y Tu Mamá También, Cuarón proves a perfect choice to guide Harry and his friends into treacherous puberty as the now 13-year-old students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry face a new and daunting challenge: Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison, and for reasons yet unknown, he's after Harry in a bid for revenge. This dark and dangerous mystery drives the action.The familiar Hogwarts staff returns in fine form and even Julie Christie joins this prestigious production for a brief but welcome cameo. Technically dazzling, fast-paced, and chock-full of Rowling's boundless imagination, The Prisoner of Azkaban is a Harry Potter-movie classic that deserves the highest rating.