Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2005)

The previous two films were slightly lighter in tone, and this is when it does become much more than a family film, all the following films go up to the 12 certificate, this is obviously the third instalment, from director Alfonso Cuarón (A Little Princess). Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) runs away from home after losing his patience living with the Dursleys, and he gets picked up by the Knight Bus, taking him to friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson). They all hear that supposedly dangerous criminal Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has done the impossible and escaped from Azkaban Prison, and he apparently has links with Lord Voldermort, and there are rumours he wants to kill Harry to avenge the Dark Lord. On the way to Hogwarts the three friends and other passengers on the train are encountered by Dementors, the dark creatures that guard Azkaban, they are looking for Black, but they are not thinking when trying to suck out souls from people. Professor Albus Dumbledore (Sir Michael Gambon, replacing Richard Harris who died shortly after the second film) announces these Dementors around, that Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) is the new Defence of the Dark Arts teacher, he saved Harry's life from a Dementor. Lessons carry on like normal, including tea life reading from Professor Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson), and learning to fly Buckbeak the Hippogriff from Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), he is saddened the creature is sentenced to death after attacking Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Professor Lupin teaches a class where a creature called a Boggart is used, this creature turns into whatever someone can think of in the moment that scares them the most, and the given spell defeats it with laughter, Harry unfortunately think of a Dementor and is saved again. He also gets attacked by one during Quittitch, so The Professor decides he needs to learn to defend himself against them, and he also gets a Marauder's Map as he can't go without parental permission to Hogsmeade. After Harry gains more of a want to kill Sirius Black overhearing a conversation, where there is mention that he is his godfather, he, Ron and Hermoine visit Hagrid sympathising that Buckbeak will be killed, and then they run after Ron's rat Scabbers, also avoiding being caught by Dumbledore and others. Chasing him they find a secret passageway under the Whomping Willow that leads to the Shrieking Shack, and there they find a dog that is actually Sirius Black transformed, and Lupin, Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), and Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), who was Scabbers, also turn up. During the conversation they find out that Black is innocent, it was in fact Pettigrew that committed the crime, but when Lupin sees the full moon and transforms unintentionally into a werewolf he is allowed to escape. Harry and Black are almost finished off again by Dementors, but before fainting Harry thinks he saw his father James defeat them with the Patronus spell, he wakes and is advised by Dumbledore that he and Hermoine should use time to save a life or two. Hermoine reveals she has a time-turner, which explains why she is never late and appears in her lessons, and they have to save Buckbeak, retracing all their steps so as not to be spotted by their past selves, and not change too much. So Buckbeak is saved, the Executioner did not actually kill him, and they wait for the events in the Shrieking Shack to pass, make Lupin the werewolf come their direction to save their past selves, and it isn't Harry's father that saved him, but Harry himself, and they return to the present fine. In the end Sirius decides that it is best that he stays in hiding as he has not been proved innocent of the crime, and the final scene sees that he sent Harry a new Firebolt broomstick, the fastest in the world. Also starring Dame Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley, Adrian Rawlins as James Potter, Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter, Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon, Pam Ferris as Aunt Marge, Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia, David Bradley as Argus Filch, Dawn French as Fat Lady in Painting, Julie Christie as Madame Rosmerta, Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge, Paul Whitehouse as Sir Cadogan (scene cut out), Lenny Henry as Shrunken Head, Warwick Davis as Wizard, James Phelps as Fred Weasley, Oliver Phelps as George Weasley, Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley and Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom. The young actors grew up very fast and become much more mature, the other actors in the cast do great too, the story is easy to follow, it may be a little odd without Lord Voldermort but it doesn't matter, and of course the scene stealing special effects and action sequences are fantastic, a great fantasy adventure. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Written Music for John Williams and Best Visual Effects, and it won the BAFTA Audience Award and the Children's Award for Best Feature Film, and it was nominated BAFTAs for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, Best Special Visual Effects, Best Make Up/Hair and Best Production Design. Harry Potter was number 45 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, but he was also number 35 on The 100 Worst Britons (the only fictional person, why?). Very good!