Directed by:
Alfonso CuarónScreenplay:
Steve KlovesCinematography:
Michael SeresinComposer:
John WilliamsCast:
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Pam Ferris, Emma Thompson, Tom Felton, Geraldine Somerville, Lenny Henry, Matthew Lewis, James Phelps (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry. Harry and his friends spend their third year learning how to handle a half-horse half-eagle Hippogriff, repel shape-shifting Boggarts and master the art of Divination. They also visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack, which is considered the most haunted building in Britain. In addition to these new experiences, Harry must overcome the threats of the soul-sucking Dementors, outsmart a dangerous werewolf and finally deal with the truth about Sirius Black and his relationship to Harry and his parents. With his best friends, Harry masters advanced magic, crosses the barriers of time and changes the course of more than one life. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
I read in many comments that only now, thanks to the change in director, Harry Potter has got the true Potter atmosphere, that it has finally gone dark, and so on. Well, I think those are pretty misleading statements. After all, how could the previous two films have the atmosphere of Prisoner of Azkaban when they (like their predecessors) had basically nothing going in them that would require it? So in terms of atmosphere, I wouldn't say it's that much to Alfonso Cuarón's credit - he was just lucky to get this part. What is already to his merit, of course, is the film's thrilling pace, the omnipresent playfulness (the scene with the boogeyman, when the camera flies back and forth through the mirror, for example), the suspenseful, even horror scenes with the dementors, and the sensitive direction of the actors, whose heroes start to get beaten up by adolescence, but we don't stop liking them even for a moment. And then, of course, there are the new characters. Both Gary Oldman and David Thewlis are a joy to watch, and when they are joined by Alan Rickman in the Shrieking Shack, the film's best scene is taken care of. Finally, I'd like to mention John Williams' score - Prisoner of Azkaban is the last installment of the series for which he composed it, and he did an absolutely wonderful job.
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That is how things end up when fantasy material gets into the hands of a playful director with fantasy and his own vision. A crying shame that these movies weren’t like this from the very beginning. The change of environment and costumes improved the result. In the same way that part three was a turning point on its journey away from kids’ books to “more", this picture was crucial for the movie adaptations. It is a blessing that Chris Columbus’ boring and uninventive directing is a thing of the past. The only two downsides are the rendition of the werewolf and a certain absence of any link with past episodes. If somebody really liked the first ones, they might not get over the fundamental change in style and rendition. Even though it was a change for the better from all points of view. Thank god. P.S.: Every time we watched this again (lots), we were convinced again and again that SUCH GOOD, inventive and unique family movies come into being once in a blue moon. Proof of this is that now, more than a decade after the premiere I have still not come across any competition in the field of family movies. And by the way, this is the movie with the best and most tightly knotted time travel I have ever seen.
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In the third Harry Potter film, Alfonso Cuarón shed the fairytale guise and served us a pretty grim and audiovisually perfect piece of filmmaking, which proudly stands at the top of the entire wizarding series. Compared to the previous two instalments, The Prisoner of Azkaban has seen a number of innovations (the look of Hogwarts and the grounds, the entrance to Gryffindor, etc), none of which have harmed the film in any significant way. The fencing match was handled wonderfully, the dementors were truly terrifying, and the appearance of the werewolf was the icing on the cake for me. The final third of the film is as good as it could have been, and the best (and least logical) scene was the one with the willow beater. The music, cinematography and visual effects were once again good. Three is a lucky number, and that is also true for Harry Potter.
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I won't damn Chris Columbus or make a god out of Alfonso Cuarón here anymore because the first half seems like a thematically precise continuation of the poetry of the first two installments, and a few camera tricks or zooms on a freezing flower (though formally perfect) don't change the atmosphere much. They may be beneficial for an unbiased viewer, but for me, as a staunch fan of the book, they are just minimal decoration. The turning point comes when Harry and Hermione reach the Whomping Willow and an incredible massacre ensues, where the fascinating acting etude of the trio of David Thewlis-Gary Oldman-Alan Rickman is the least of it. And of course, the climax is in a long-lasting finale incorporating time-play and all the creatures that can only scare the viewer. My only criticism is aimed at a a significant gap in the screenplay: an explanation of who Scabbers was would probably have helped. Nevertheless, I've seen the third installment probably the most out of all of them and perhaps I understand its position as the favorite. Still, I prefer the ones by David Yates by a hair.
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The third Harry Potter didn't charm me either... But it was close. From a filmmaking point of view, it is definitely the best contribution to the trilogy so far – Cuarón works very well with the characters, has less cheesy color compositions and is more attached to the suggestiveness and impressiveness of the environment. From my point of view, however, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is brought down by an overly sparse and flimsy plot that somewhat dissolves in a number of episodes and bon mots. From this point of view, I considered The Chamber of Secrets a much more impressive piece. On the other hand, it is necessary to praise the excellent and variable music of John Williams, the acting of everyone except Michael Gabon (Dumbledore) and to highlight the fact that Harry Potter has ceased to be a shaggy child apprentice and is becoming quite a solid and interesting character. The literal and pandering children's film is turning into something quite impressive and dark... Cuarón did excellent job, but for me, The Prisoner of Azkaban is just a "solid" fantasy film that I would give 70%.
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