Harry Potter in Review: The Prisoner of Azkaban
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Cast: Standard line-up with Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis and Timothy Spall
Plot: With a mass murderer on the loose and hunting for Harry, Hogwarts sits under a dark cloud for their third year at the school. With the menacing Dementors roaming the grounds to a werewolf on staff, thinks could take a turn for the worse.
Review: Whilst Chris Columbus was instrumental in bringing the Harry Potter to the big screen and securing the excellent cast, it is a relief to see someone more artistically minded take the director chair. Alfonso Cuaron brings a wonderfully gothic design the series without letting it get overbearing (like a Tim Burton film), which invokes and references the classics of German expressionism. From the rich, Earthy tones that make up the colour scheme to the wipes which transition between the scenes give the third entry in the series a greater sense of magic than the previous two.
The directors attitude towards how magic is used in the film also helps create a more complete, lived in world for the characters to inhabit. It was always a distraction that whenever magic was used in the first two films the characters would always stop to gawp at it. It seems unrealistic that Ron would be amazed by a self-stirring pot in his own kitchen. Prisoner of Azkaban sees the magic being used in a every-day way, which background characters using simple, subtle magic to clean tables, etc, without the other characters taking heed, making it seem more like a real place.
The young performers continue to improve with each major role, which is good as this is the first film to demand a greater range of emotions from them. The threats are greater and the emotions are more raw. Sometimes their inexperience shows but Cuaron’s experience working with young actors in coming of age stories comes across in the improved development of the characters in this story. As sad as the passing of Richard Harris was, there’s no denying that Gambon adds that twinkle to Dumbledore’s eye that seemed missing before.
Whilst the time-travel concept that comes up later in the story means that the narrative gets padded out with the repetition of the previously scenes, it’s filled with enough quirks and visual cues to keep things interesting. The movie is better paced with everything feeling as though it is part of a larger story and no random Quidditch action scenes simply for the sake of having one.
Ultimately this is the best in the series. Whilst earlier films were happy to paint by numbers and later films relied on the emotional impact of murdering half the supporting cast this entry stands out as being the most artistically creative and the most refined. This the closest a Harry Potter movie comes to being a magical experience.
Score: NINE outta TEN
I have to admit this was my least favourite movie. Yes, it was well-done, visually. But it did not follow the actual story line, and that always bugs me about book-to-movie adaptions. Especially in a series like Harry Potter, if you’re not going to follow the story, why bother?
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I understand why this is an important aspect for many people, but I always mentally separate the movie from the book. This film shifts the focus onto the characters, which works better in cinema.
I’ve of the belief that if the adaptation can’t stand up on it’s own feet then why adapt it?
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I was always a little disappointed with the adaptations of the Harry Potter films. They never seemed to be as funny or as scary as the books are. Especially the scary parts. (I secretly wanted Christopher Nolan to direct one of the later films.)
That being said, the third Harry Potter movie was wonderful. It probably came the closest to capturing both the humor and the fright of the books. I especially love Aunt Marge floating in the background. Plus, this movie started my rather bizarre love affair with Sir Michael Gambon. No offense to Richard Harris, but Sir MIchael Gambon was wonderful to watch as Dumbledore!
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The last movie will always be my favorite, but as you said–it’s the emotional aspects that made it so. Snape’s always been my favorite character, hence the bias. It was definitely cool to see the difference in directing in this film.
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This is my absolute favorite of all the Harry Potter adaptations. I love the overall look of it – quite a bit of realism mixed into a fantasy story, and it works.
My favorite moment comes when Harry, Ron, and Hermione witness the execution of Buckbeak. Hermione turns and puts her head on Ron’s shoulder, and Harry puts his hands on Hermione’s back. The first time I saw it, I felt it was appropriate to the moment, and it yet it seemed just a little off, somehow. Then I realized that it I had a vague memory of seeing something very similar to it. Later, I saw the poster for Y Tu Mamá También, and there it was. Clever self-reference there, Sr. Cuarón.
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As a kid i always liked the 3rd Potter movie better then the rest 🙂
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