Just as magical as the first two

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2017)

These days Alfonso Cuaron has proved himself to be one of the finest film directors of his generation thanks to him making great films like "Children of Men" (2006) and "Gravity' (2013) along with adding this movie to his resume of memorable films back in 2004. "Prisoner of Azkaban" is the third of 8 films in the entire Harry Potter franchise and it is a really good movie even though it isn't really as original as the first two movies in the series, even though Cuaron is very engaged with his storytelling here. Like the first two films the main characters along with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) who still continues his adventures at Hogwarts with his two good friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ronald Weasley (Rupert Grint), but the threat against Harry is much more serious against him this time. The threat to Potter and his friends is realized after he returns to Hogwarts and is told by Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) that a convicted murderer by the name of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) from the prison of Azkaban who is supposedly out to kill Potter. After the other professors find out about this threat Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) tells all Hogwarts students that they have set creatures that look like the Grim Reaper called Dementors at every single entrance on the grounds of the Hogwarts campus. Black was convicted in Voldemort's plot to kill Harry Potter's parents but towards the end of the movie Black becomes a changed man, for reasons that I will not spoil. The visuals are still breathtaking as ever, and the supporting characters along with Black and Lupin, as well as the likes of Dumbledore, Snape (Alan Rickman), McGonagall (Maggie Smith), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), Trelawney (Emma Thompson) are expertly written. There are also other great components of this movie including the script by Steve Kloves who also wrote the screenplays for the first two films, as well as mind-blowing editing, excellent cinematography, brilliant performances, and the haunting score by the legendary John Williams are what make this movie work on a full scale. Though I have no problems with this movie, I do have a problem with Warner Bros. for not honoring the replacement request from Richard Harris who originally played Professor Dumbledore, of which Harris wanted his good friend Peter O'Toole to replace him after his death. Though Michael Gambon was excellent as Dumbledore I do happen to think that O'Toole could have done him one better. Despite that I still think that this is one of the finest films of 2004.