Amazing, trimmed a touch too much.

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2004)

Spoilers Below (especially if you haven't read the books)
I finished watching this movie about half an hour ago and I'm still in awe. Cuaron did such an amazing job of adapting Azkaban, easily interweaving teen angst with the dramatic Rowling plot which captivated me besides the screaming brats in the cinema with me. As the end drew nearer I couldn't believe how beautiful the film was the light from the Patronus charm blinding me as much as the Dementors.
Having made my overall comment, I will now go to specifics.
The Dementors, you cannot go past commenting on what was the most hyped feature of the film the teasers with the hand on the door drove me and others mad. They were superbly done, well done to the POA Special effects Crew. They were scary, dark disgusting creatures and after the scene by the lake at the end I will never look at a flock of birds' overhead the same way. The Quidditch scene was amazing and scary and phwoar. It was a far cry from the lush green fields and obvious CGI of the 2 previous Quidditch scenes in the series.
Gary Oldman was a magnificent Sirius Black, although in the shrieking shack he seemed quite insane at first but came around. Bravo for being the perfect Sirius, to me at least. Peter Pettigrew was not as I would have imagined, I always saw him as a grown up Neville Longbottom type person (their similarities always made me feel that Neville's future is not so bright) but the actor did the sucking up and desperate attempts at mercy to perfection, I must say.
While still on characters, Michael Gambon (who I had only ever seen in Ali G) did such a good job of being Dumbledore I nearly forgot Richard Harris (RIP Albus) wasn't playing him anymore. It was amazing.
Having listed all of the things I thought were Excellent about the film, I feel it pertinent to say what could have been better. I understand that anything longer would have seemed grandiose but he cut so much!!! Little things like the origin of the Stallion (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs) which were very important were missing. There were other things, but not worth mentioning as the film was amazing and captivating.
One last comment. There has been a lot of speculation over the three of them playing the roles throughout the series, due to their age. Has everyone forgotten that the three of them are actually the same age as the characters within a year and that they look the age? If they want to keep going, I think they should because lets face it Daniel Radcliffe IS Harry Potter and no other kid could step into the role because Danny is forever in our minds as what Harry looks like.
9 stars out of 10, a ripper of a film.