Sat on the Fence

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2004)

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR HP AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
Overall I think that fans of the series will enjoy this film - it has all the key ingredients that make both the books and films enjoyable and the use of exterior scenery in this film is particularly impressive. One of the best features of the film is the way the time frame of the film is directed by the changes in the exterior.
However, as a big fan of this book in the series I think that the film glosses over a lot of the enjoyable parts. I realize that the book carries more complicated themes than can be shown in the film, but on the whole I found the film disjointed. It tries to cover the main parts of the story very quickly - and admittedly there is a lot to cover - it appears almost as though a short hand version of the story has been completed. I would agree with other people who have commented about the lack of development in some of the key characters i.e. Sirius. I do also have to say that I wasn't keen on the Dementors being able to fly as opposed to 'glide' across the floor - it made them seem a bit too ghostly for me. And I was a little disappointed with Harry's major Patronus that it did not take it's Stag form and actually charge the Dementors down and then return to him. But that's just be being picky - the patronus does it's job after all.
On the whole the film is enjoyable and has more visual impact than the first two, particularly in the Quidditch matches and exterior scenes. However, I just feel a little disappointed in the lack of depth throughout the film in the story, characters and explanation of events. I think the characters have been well cast (esp. Trelawny, Black and the Fat Lady) and given a little more material would have been more convincing. Fans who particularly enjoy the coverage of the school environment, such as the lessons and the magical experience may be a little disappointed as there is little of this in favour of covering the main material of the plot in such as short film. I also wonder how much young fans of the series will get from this installment as it is darker and is moving towards the more complicated stories in the series.
I hope that with Goblet of Fire that they do not exchange the depth of the story and the whole Harry Potter/Hogwarts environment in favor of fitting the film into a shorter time limit.
This is why I'm sat on the fence - I'm not sure yet whether I enjoyed The Prisoner of Azkaban - there is plenty to like but the speed of it all leaves you feeling unsure.