Great, but not my favorite as it is for most

Rating: 9/10 (8 July 2011)

Plot: After blowing up his aunt Marge, Harry returns back to Hogwarts to find that mass murderer Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. Soul sucking beings called dementors are placed all around the school. At first trying to stay away from Sirius as much as possible, Harry soon learns that it was Sirius that sold out his parents location and led to their deaths.
Review: Of all the Harry Potter movies, this one is often considered the favorite among most of the viewers. And while I love it, and say it is a rather good adaptation, I still find this to be one of the weaker films in the series. To me, it relies so much on looking nice.
Now as a film, this could be the best of all of them, the lighting, direction, acting, and overall production value are amazing. But as an adaptation it falls short, such as the fact that it doesn't explain who the marauders are, and it never explained that Harry dad could turn into a Stag, so when Harry said his dad saved him, it didn't make any sense. So overall it's the best adabtaion we would get for a few more movies, but it needed to explain the back story a little more.
This is the first film in the series to get a new director after Columbus, taking over is Alfanso Curon, who definitely knows how to make a film. His style is obvious as the whole way the film looks is definitely darker than the other two. The whole movie is darker as well, with Harry nearly escaping death several times, and finally learning more about how his parents died.
This is also the only film in which Voldemort doesn't appear at all. And the first film in which Micheal Gambon plays Dumbledore, replacing the late Richard Harris. A lot of fans hate Gambon as Dumbledore, saying he is too mean and doesn't look the part, but I think he does a pretty good job, just no where near as good as Richard Harris. Granted his beard looked off, but he definitely acted just as quirky as Dumbledore should have.
Overall, as a film it's absolutely fantastic, and even as an adaption, it's still pretty good, but it isn't my favorite in the series as others say.