If you insult a hippogriff, it will kick you

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2005)

Gone is Chris Columbus and so enters Alfonso Cuaron. Strike up the band, paint a banner, and the parade will be here in a few minutes.
I have nothing against Columbus (haha thats where i live), but from the way chamber of secrets was going, it looked like the franchise was going to get a little stale. So gone are the bright colors and blockbuster soundtrack and cheap special effects of the first two movies and in comes the new artsy, darker look of Prizoner of Azkaban.
Cuaron wasted no time in changing things to suit his needs however. Gone are the gentle rolling hills surrounding Hogwarts and in place of them are more extreme mountains. Hagrid's hut is down a hill that was nonexistent in the other movies, and the castle now includes a courtyard, a giant clock, and a large elevated walkway that leads to seemingly no where. These changes aren't necessarily bad, but they hurt the continuity of the series. Also, the entire tone of the movie is different, as the kids grow older and more mature.
At first viewing, I didn't really like this movie as much as the other ones, mostly Sorceror's Stone. But when I thought about it, and as I read the 6th book, I realized that Harry's world isn't always a bright and colorful world with a blockbuster soundtrack and cheap special effects. So in a way, this movie provides a nice transition between the first books of the series and the later more darker ones, at least for the movies.
Personally, I loved the new sound of the soundtrack. John Williams remains as fresh as ever and the medieval styled music is very good and appropriate, combined with the old themes.
Some things are sorely missed though. One thing in particular, is Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Michael Gambon is by no means a bad actor, but him as Dumbledore wearing a beanie just doesn't work. Richard Harris' dumbledore had that warmth and authority that perfectly caught the essence of the character portrayed in the books. There's nothing they can do about it, but I think Ian McKellen would have been a better choice, or maybe even Patrick Stewart.
The only thing that makes this movie a little subordinate to the Sorceror's Stone is the end, which i thought lacked a little substance and could have been better given how the book ended. There were just a few little things that it could have added to make it that much more powerful, but they decided to make the movie that much shorter. Still, this is a very good movie and I eagerly anticipate the next movie. Mischief managed.