Emotionally rich & visually stunning

Rating: 8/10 (24 June 2018)

The sheer emotion and the fantastic visuals of this entry into the Harry Potter series alone is enough for me to consider The Prisoner of Azkaban as the best in the series. It has a stroke of genius in its immersion that cannot be matched by any other one of the films in the series.
Admittedly Alfonso Cuaron changed a lot of things when compared to the first two films by Chris Columnbus. Cuaron wanted to create an extremely dark atmospheric experience that can strike the fear in the hearts of the audience by use of its visuals alone, and he succeeded. The film is much, much darker than the previous two, and while it still has its joyous moments due to the fact that this is only the mere transitioning of the series into more mature territory, it is mostly a very serious film. Like the previous two, the narrative is once again outstanding, its non linear storytelling and use of time travel makes me also consider this film as my personal favorite narrative in the series, and the time travel sequence is quite possibly the greatest sequence in the series too. The introduction of the characters Lupin ( David Thewles ) & Sirius Black ( Gary Oldman ) also proves that like in the previous film, the Chamber of Secrets, the series manages to add new characters that are once again extremely interesting.
This truly is the transcending film in terms of the three leads Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint & Emma Watson, as they have evolved into great actors by this film ( Except maybe Radcliffe, who was still lacking emotional intensity in certain scenes, such as the one where he breaks down after eavesdropping on McGonogall and the minister. ). Unfortunately Richard Harris passed away before being able to take part in this third entry and thus was replaced as Dumbledore by Michael Gambon, who is admittedly not as good as Richard Harris, whose soothing presence had no equal. Gambon is not a weak link however, and plays Dumbledore to the best of his ability. David Thewles as Lupin is an extremely likeable but as later discovered also quite a troubled character, but the friendly & kind nature of the way his character is played is simply brilliant. It is ofcourse always a great idea to cast Gary Oldman in a film, as he is one of the most versatile and talented actors to ever grace the screen, and his performance in this film is once again nothing short of spectacular, since the desperation and will for justice basically drips from his face.
The cinematography was great in the first two films, but is even better in the third, as it focuses a lot more on outdoor shots and on connectivity of its world than its predecessors. Cuaron wanted to show the audience how the world is connected, with various shots of the bridge making clear that Hagrid's hut is beneath it, and the courtyard before it. It is the most immersive of the series because it makes you memorize the layout with its beautiful connecting cinematography. There are also a lot more shots of beautiful gorgeous scottish-esque natural backdrops of the green plains and mountains, a bit in Braveheart's style, resulting in a visually very pleasing film. The previous two films seemed to be filmed on flat pieces of land which focused more on the sets itself instead of its gorgeous backgrounds.
John Williams's score is very different from the previous two films too, since he seems more focused on creating a couple of simple melodies instead of the gigantic orchestral scores in the first two films ( Such as the beautiful score when Lupin and Harry talk about his parents on the bridge ). Buckbeak's flight is also quite possibly the greatest scene in the series due to Williams's incredible score and the gorgeous grassy cinematography, being in stark contrast to Harry's previous life as a neglected cousin of the Dursley's, wheras now he can truly taste the freedom, and it results in a truly beautiful scene.
Harry's interactions with Oldman & Thewles's characters are simply dripping of emotion due to its fantastic humane dialogue ( Result of a great screenplay ) and genuine character bonding, and it is truly wonderful how the series make you care about its characters, although The Prisoner of Azkaban is definitely the greatest entry of the series in this aspect.