Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2005)

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) enters his third year at Hogwarts, amid perceived threats to his life from the man (Gary Oldman) who escaped from wizard prison.
Finally, after two movies they got it right. This chapter catches the spirit of the novels almost perfectly and far better than the previous adaptations. The cast is coming into their characters perfectly, the performances are getting better with each film. The scenes are edited together with much more fluidity than before. This feels like an actual movie and not a screening of scenes from the book. And this film has style; the camera no longer just sits still but moves all over the place. Credit must go to new director, Alfonso Cuaron. Taking over from Chris Columbus, he has succeeded at making a fantasy book look like a fantasy movie and not just a movie with fantasy elements. I hate to see him step down; hopefully he will return for another one. Another welcome addition is Oldman; he is a wonderful actor who plays his few scenes perfectly. My only complaint is the young actor's costumes. It's a bit jarring to see private school students in normal, everyday teen wear. In the years to come, this will probably date the movie more than the other two.