This was NOT an enjoyable movie.

Rating: 6/10 (13 June 2004)

I'm not sure what movie others were viewing but the Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban I saw was a badly disjointed cinematic effort which left my date totally confused. Those who have not read the books or at least seen the previous two movies had no chance to follow the storyline, if indeed there was a storyline. The seemingly endless movie was more of a series of out-of-context skits strung together for over two hours. The misery ended for me and I sincerely hope other Harry Potter fans avoid this one as a true stinker.
Defects included a failure to fully introduce two central characters, Herminone and Ron; failed to introduce other key characters like the Weasley twins and Mr. & Mrs. Weasly and why these characters are important to Harry. Professor McGonagal, a key figure in ALL of the Potter novels, is almost left out of the movie and the animosity and its back story between Malfoy and Harry is never explained. The new broom from Sirius was given midway through in the book and included a delightful side story but it was a toss away scene at the end of the movie. The director didn't even bother to explain the cloak of invincibility that was used in large parts of the movie, what it was and who it first belonged to and how Harry came into possession of it. The endless failure of the director to clue in newcomers to the Potter saga makes me wonder if he ever read the book himself.
If you must see this movie, Please, read the books first.