Fantastic Installment of Harry Potter

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2012)

It's the third Harry Potter film and things are changing. Alfonso Cuarón has taken over directing, and as the characters get more mature, so too do the themes.
It's summertime at the Dursleys again, and things only get harder for Harry when Uncle Vernon's dreadful sister Marge comes to visit. Harry is unable to control his emotions when she insults his parents, flies into a rage, and accidentally causes her to blow up like a balloon and float away. Still furious, Harry storms out and catches a ride on the night bus to the Leaky Cauldron. While on the bus he hears the latest wizarding news—mass murderer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison. Harry is even more alarmed when Ron's father tells him that Sirius Black was one of Voldemort's followers, and that he likely escaped to find and kill Harry. The whole if the wizarding world is on the lookout with dementors, the guards of Azkaban looking for Sirius and guarding Hogwarts. The dementors are dark, hooded creatures who drain all happiness from their victims. Harry learns first-hand how horrible they can be when one attacks him on the train to school; but luckily he is rescued by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin (David Thewlis). Professor Lupin proves to be the best teacher they have had in this subject, and even gives Harry private lessons to defend himself against dementors. Harry, Ron and Hermione try to go to their lessons, Quidditch, and on outings to Hogsmeade village as normally as possible with the constant search for Black going on. They manage well enough until it's rumored that Sirius Black has infiltrated Hogwarts, and the heroic trio go on their own personal mission to find him and discover what he really wants.
This film is where the Harry Potter movies start to feel less like children's movies, and more like young adult movies. The tone and emotions are darker, the theme is more serious, and even the colors/lighting are darker. Cuarón did a good job on this film. Hogsmeade looks great, and the special effects with the hypogriff and patronus are really good. The only thing I don't really like about this movie is the wardrobe. In the first two films the students were almost always seen in wizard robes, but in this the students are always in normal "muggle" clothing during their free time. I feel that seeing a witch and wizard in a sweater, jeans and sneakers takes a bit of the magic away. Some of the more "traditional" wizard wardrobe has also changed, and looks more adult than in Columbus' designs. However, that probably is one of the only criticisms I have for this film. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have definitely learned to act better, and they have become Ron and Hermione, as Radcliffe has become Harry. Puberty is definitely setting in as the emotions for the characters (Harry especially) get more uncontrollable, and they seek more independence as well. Unlike the first or second film, we really get to see how emotionally damaged and traumatized Harry has been by witnessing his parents' death, and suffering a life of abuse and neglect. Some sexual/romantic tensions are also being strongly established between Ron and Hermione. Not to mention, this is the first film with Michael Gambon playing Dumbledore. Richard Harris was a hard act to follow, but Gambon has done a decent job. However, he is a very different Dumbledore—harsher, more serious, less whimsical. But the tone of this film being darker made the change (in both personality and actor) flow well. Gary Oldman and David Thewlis give good performances as well, with their characters filling in a good deal of information on the personal life of Harry's parents. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a great film with one thing for certain, our boy Harry is growing up!