Magical

Rating: 10/10 (17 August 2014)

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is easily my favourite of the three Harry Potter films so far. The real magic of this film is that, simply put, it is the first in the series to really make optimal use of the medium of film to look at some different aspects of the world of Harry Potter.
In the movie, we see things that were not in the book, but could have been. From a simple and quick scene of the boys in Gryffindor trying candies that make them sound like different animals, to the very vocal shrunken heads that show up on the Knight Bus and in the town of Hogsmeade, and to the subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes made to Hogwarts itself, we get little glimpses into this world that we haven't seen before, even if we've read all of the books cover to cover and back again.
With that in mind, "Azkaban" is remarkably faithful to the book. The core of the story is there, and the characters really come to life. Some of the details are glossed over, and one of our family's favourite minor characters, Sir Cadogan, is given short shrift (take heart, he does show up in the deleted scenes). Nevertheless, the humour of the book and the essential nature of the characters and the story are captured in this film almost perfectly.
Running heavily throughout this film is the theme of time. Anyone who's read the book already knows why this is, but from the moment the students get to Hogwarts one can't help but notice the gigantic pendulum swinging back and forth in the entrance hall, or the massive gears of a clock, always moving, in the big window at the front of the school. The change of seasons is also handled in a very clever visual motif. In the last 20 minutes or so of the film time is an even stronger presence, as even the music takes on a steady rhythm, like the ticking of the clock. Time, its passage and its usage, is a very important theme to this story, and the film makes good use of it.
In terms of the technical aspects, "Azkaban" also makes a standout impression. The visual effects really do the story justice, and are seamless rather than a distraction. Even more than that, the design of the film really captures both the wonders and the horrors of Harry Potter's world. The changes made to the look of Hogwarts work to its benefit, and the design of Trelawney's classroom fits her personality perfectly. The design of the Dementors, on the other hand, is absolutely blood-chilling -- even more frightening than I had imagined them. The acting, particularly that of the kids, has undergone vast improvements, and the addition of talents like Emma Thompson as Professor Trelawney and Gary Oldman as Sirius Black certainly didn't hurt. Perhaps the biggest and most pleasant surprise was David Thewlis, who portrayed Professor Lupin perfectly.
I've been pretty harshly critical about John Williams' music for the previous two Potter films, as I felt that his work for them was bland and unremarkable, and the series deserved better. Finally, for the third film, we got it. Williams' music for "Azkaban" is rich and adds depth to the story. At times he adopts a classical, almost baroque style in the music, while at others he allows it to be more whimsically modern. The music for the last twenty minutes or so, with the aforementioned theme of time worked into it, is one of the best pieces I've heard from Williams in a long time. My hat is off to John Williams for finally giving Harry Potter the music he deserves.
Alfonso Cuaron, who takes the directing helm for "Azkaban," has really done something amazing. Throughout the film he walks the fine line between the scary aspects of the story (very scary indeed) and the humorous ones (very funny indeed), so that neither seems out of place, even when they're happening in the same scene. His attention to detail is outstanding, and the result is that we see in "Azkaban" many complex scenes with multiple events happening at once. The main characters may be having a discussion, while in the same room we see ghosts chasing one another in the Headless Hunt, or chairs putting themselves on a table, and remarkably it never gets confusing or overwhelming. These things add to the effect I mentioned earlier, of exploring the world of Harry Potter more fully while still telling the story. For the first time in this film one really gets a feeling for the richness and breadth of that world, as we have already seen in the books.
My family and I enjoyed the first two Harry Potter films immensely, but for me, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is the first movie in the series that I felt truly lived up to the book, not only because it stayed true to the essentials of the story, but also because it felt free to explore new aspects of the world of Harry Potter. Part of the magic of the books is that they give us new wonders to enjoy, and finally we have a film that weaves the very same spell.