Darker, deeper and better. The best 'Potter' so far.

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2008)

My Take: The best of the novels come to the screen as the best of the blockbusters.
Even as an avid fan of J.K. Rowling's bestselling enterprise that took the teenage generation by storm, I wasn't able to read the first two books in the series before having seen the movies, which were instant blockbuster attractions at their best. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN was the only book in the series I have read so far, and the film adaptation, directed by acclaimed director Alfonso Cauron (1995's THE LITTLE PRINCESS), is the best and most entertaining of the series so far (even with the inclusion of later chapters GOBLET OF FIRE and ORDER OF THE PHOENIX). All from the brilliant characters, exuberant special effects and elaborate plot twists, PRISONER OF AZKABAN offers it all in yet another involving and intriguing fantasy adventure.
It's Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) third year in Hogwarts, and its gloomier this time around (and not just because Cauron gave Hogwarts a gloomier makeover). Harry, along with his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are thrown in to a gloomier adventure shrouded with peril and mystery when a convicted murderer named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from the "inescapable" Azkaban prison with rumors all pointing to his vengeance on Harry and his family. See, Black is supposed to be the evil Voldemort's (aka "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named") shady accomplice who led him to killing Harry's parents, but I bet you all know that. Harry wants to avenge his parents death of course, but the plot grows thicker than that and they (and you) are thrown into a bigger, more exciting adventure than you expected.
The characters are as attractive as ever and the special effects are more seamless, but what makes AZKABAN superior to the previous films (which are both still grand in fashion) is the darker, more efficient directorial approach by Cauron. Filling in from his predecessor Chris Colombus, Cauron does everything Colombus has offered us in the previous films with the addition of a whole lot more. Although I feel that comparing this both Cauron and his predecessor Colombus give their own style to their own adaptations, I agree with other critics saying the film as the one that definitely doesn't feel like reading the books in style (not that I felt both previous movies, which I loved, felt like on-screen book-reading). Cauron isn't afraid to risk a little from the fans by altering some elements from the book, making the film much more than an impressive adaptation but a perfect stand-alone effort that would be more pleasant and fitful to the series' non-fans. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN is the kind of movie the words "movie magic" is meant for.
Rating: ***** out of 5.