"Look" is Cool, But Story Hopelessly Truncated

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2004)

It may seem strange to say this about a film that already runs over two hours and twenty minutes, but "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" needs to be longer by fifteen minutes at the very least. The story is a complex one, by Potter standards, and way too many vital plot points race by up on the screen before they can really sink in. A person who had not read the book will likely not be able to tell what the hell is going on (but then that raises the question, do people who haven't read the books actually go to these movies?).

Also, it is painfully ironic that while previous Potter helmer Chris Columbus' visual style was flat, obvious, and unspectacular in comparison to the moody, highly textured visions created by new guy Cuaron, his old fashioned simplicity did get the message across. You never had to ask why something happened or what a character's motivations was, there was always some blatant bit of expository dialog to spell it out for you. It may be unfashionable to say, but that's not a bad thing for this kind of flick in my book. "Azkaban" could have done with a few more explanations from knowitall Hermione, for example: "Don't you see, Harry, he has to fight the werewolf because" Many, many plot points that are absolutely necessary for the audience to understand are either explained with a single line of dialog, or often not explained at all.
But it is probably true that there at one time existed a longer, more coherent cut of the film, one which was then cut down to size to allow for kiddie attention spans and more showings per day for the multiplex owners.

It makes you wonder how the producers of the Potter films are going to adapt the later, and much, much longer novels in the series. Will "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" be released in two parts, a la Tarantino's "Kill Bill" (or Richard Lester's "Three Musketeers")?
Well, if Hollywood says that 3-hour family movies are a no-no, then "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Volume One" might be the only way to go.