Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Reviews

The best Potter film! Period!! Master filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron knew how to innovatively tell this story with a great deal of density, and a beautiful transition from the first two similarly-styled films to something completely gritty, bizarre, and intelligent. Amazing soundtrack, great visuals (especially the Dementors), and lovely characters.

After two entertaining and likable films starring the students of Hogwarts, we have the first truly great Harry Potter film. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban takes everything that made the first two films great, and expands upon them, making this easily the best Potter film so far.

Harry Potter and friends are once again studying at Hogwarts, though the escape of an insane murderer named Sirius Black threatens the lives of everyone at Hogwarts, namely Harry.

The characters are as lovable as ever, music is great, acting is (mostly) solid, etc. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban avoids many of the pitfalls of the first two films, and manages to bring a whole lot of new magic to the series.

The story, while seemingly simple at first, becomes more and more complex as the story unwinds. The plots for the original was relatively simple, and while the sequel's plot was a large improvement, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban takes things a step further.

The visual effects are significantly better in this film than the previous two. Magical spells and creatures come to life in a more real and convincing way than the previous two films ever managed.

Despite a nearly 2 and a half hour length, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is entertaining from start to finish, with few moments of exception. There are loads of memorable scenes packed into this film, from suspenseful action scenes, amusing spell and magic displays, and some very polished use of time travel at the end.

The acting is good, but as is expected of child actors, some more emotional scenes are performed quite poorly (and dare I say it; laughably). I'm specifically referring to Daniel Radcliffe, who's acting as Harry Potter is good, but he simply cannot convey the emotional complexity his character is demanding. The other actors are good (including Michael Gambon who replaces Richard Harris as Dumbledore), though Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney steals every scene she's in (though admittedly, she's not in many).

The score, composed by John Williams, features a diversity that's not evident in the previous two scores. Moments of fun and intense action are scored pitch perfect by the master composer. This is the last Potter film that Williams scored for, but it seems that Williams really brought his A-game for his last outing at Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is funnier, smarter, and more exciting than anything witnessed in the previous two films. Massively entertaining, and certainly magical, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a superb fantasy film.

For a good while, at least until the Deathly Hallows was released, it used to be the most popular Harry Potter installment. The funny thing is that it is the one movie which turned out to be the least successful at the box-office (still, since it is, when I'm writing this review, the 39th highest grossing movie of all time so it should still be considered as a box-office success). Up to that point, this franchise seemed to be a rather family friendly affair but, quite suddenly, it became darker and I'm pretty sure many parents brought their (very) young kids and they must have been rather distressed by what they saw. Anyway, it was indeed better than the first two installments. You could see that the young trio (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson) were getting the hang of it and their performance was a little bit more convincing. Above all, the best thing they did was to choose Alfonso Cuarón to direct this blockbuster and, visually, it was definitely an improvement. It's too bad they didn't really follow this road and picked up some other more creative directors. Still, even though this movie was a massive improvement, I can't say I was completely blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, the story was not bad at all and quite entertaining but I was still missing something and the way they wrapped up the whole story at the end with some time travel shenanigans was rather disappointing. To conclude, I think it deserves its reputation, even if  I don't think it is a masterpiece, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I saw some of these movies, but not all of them. It's actually kinda difficult to remember which ones are which.

Actually, one of the main drawbacks of the HP stuff is that there's just too damn much of it. There are too many books, and they're too long. The movies are a little easier, but...there are too many of them too.

I think I did see this one though...I think it was one of the better ones.

If I recall correctly, it's kinda fun, kinda easy, and it sorta works.

And, you know, it's easy to let yourself get sucked in, out of all proportion to the actual value of the thing...and I sorta did get sucked in...for awhile...just not, *for each and every one, one after another*.

They really should have cut the series-length in half for quality control, and maybe about three-quarters of the heroics, the-school-is-in-danger, only-you-can-save-us stuff. (How many times did you save your high school from imminent danger?) But, obviously they didn't do any of those things.

But, at least, this time around, it sorta worked.

In the end, it is what it is.

.....

P.S. although, I am cruel enough to remember, that the phrase, "Harry Potter Fan Club", appears in Book 2. A certain Gilderoy Lockhart, no?

(8/10)

This and the Goblet of Fire are unique in the saga. Both were directed by directors who didn't make any other drive then. What made them both very different from the others, that here was a great result! The most bucolic of the saga, the best performance of John Williams soundtrack (especially the beautiful Buckbeak's Flight) and the cast far more grown up. A little heavy, this film begins the process of maturation of both the characters and the fans, which may even scare some parents off guard, but the unique beauty of this unique film saga makes it worth taking a chance on him. Cuaron's direction has improved a lot and the course of the series. The director has several moments of great creativity throughout the film. Most infidelity script from the book than the first two films also helped a lot to the improvement of the series, since this was much less tiring than its predecessors. The junior improved performances (Rupert Grint decreases in the faces), but Radcliffe, disappointing especially in the scene where he discovers a secret about Sirius Black and starts crying (pathetic performance in this scene). Technically also represented a major advance. This movie has the best visual effects for the whole saga. The Buckbeak, the Dementors, the Animagi and werewolf are just fantastic. In addition, the trail of John Williams is the better of him in the series (Buckbeak's Flight is wonderful). There is also a beautiful photograph.

Two years after the release of The Chamber Of Secrets, the third instalment in the franchise Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban is here. Even after seeing the trailer back in 2004, there were many thoughts about this film being very different in comparison to the previous two films. Plus, there is a new director so there was going to be at least something a bit different about The Prisoner Of Azkaban. If there is anything that this third film has shown us, it has shown us what the true nature of the series really is, seeing as it is a lot darker than the previous two films, it is more intense and things really begin to get personal from this film onwards.


Unlike the first two films, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban somehow manages to NOT feel slow or drag on at times and it manages to get the majority key moments that were in the book without feeling rushed. There are a few moments in the Harry Potter books that weren't in the films, but I would say that The Prisoner Of Azkaban is perhaps the most accurate to the book out of all 8 films. So, you seriously need to read the books before watching the films! In one's honest opinion, I think only 4 out of the 8 Harry Potter films are classed as dramas (Prisoner Of Azkaban, of course, Order Of The Phoenix, Deathly Hallows: Part I and Deathly Hallows: Part II so this third instalment picks it up.


Approaching his third year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter has had enough of his muggle relatives. He runs away from them (finally) and enters his third term facing trouble from more than one side: for using magic outside the school and from the news that a notorious criminal, serial killer Sirius Black, has escaped the wizard's prison at Azkaban and apparently is headed for Harry. The school calls in supernatural help against Black in the form of Dementors, but unusual things continue to put Harry in peril. He is thrown into a confusing panoply of shifting alliegences and shifting shapes where nobody is who or what they seem. Who is the real criminal? What is the real crime? Who is telling or knows the truth?


After Dan's poor performance in The Philosopher's Stone and a slightly better one in The Chamber Of Secrets, there was only going to be another poor performance along the way! However, despite Dan did fail at acting quite a few times (one scene when he really did where he really needs a slap across the face), he acted in other ways that he could actually really improve playing Harry. I guess, he is just getting used to the character a bit more and knowing how to play such a crucial and important character. So, out of the first three, this is his best performance so far. After reading the book, Dan's appearance as Harry in the film is Harry's exact description in the books. There was a slightly different Ron Weasley in The Prisoner Of Azkaban. Why? Because he was less cowardly and less funny, but a lot more serious so I think Rupert played a more mature Ron in this third instalment. The Prisoner Of Azkaban changed Hermione Granger a lot, just like Ron Weasley, seeing as she is going from a little girl to a young woman. There was, still however, some little girl moments from Emma as Hermione, though. Emma was good once again as Hermione and apparently, her favourite novel out of the Harry Potter books is The Prisoner Of Azkaban so there must have been some dedication to this film. Then again, she did act a bit forced at times so, perhaps acted a bit over the top.


The sad passing of Richard Harris struck the cast and crew deeply and the question was, who could possibly replace Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore and could there be a better one? When Michael Gambon was cast as Dumbledore, it was good news but at the same time, there were some uncertainties. Although, still preferring Richard Harris as Dumbledore, Michael Gambon was perhaps the best choice to replace him. The Dumbledore character wasn't really involved in this one all that much and wasn't really involved with Harry very much at all, but despite that, he was still good. David Thewlis, the new addition to the cast, as Remus Lupin was brilliant as well! Up until then, he became the closest to a father figure to Harry than anyone. Lupin was my favourite new Defense Against The Dark Arts Teacher because he was the most groundbreaking and controversial character.


Alfonso Cauron, a Mexican director, of a pretty much all-British film? They must know what they are doing then! I am really glad that Cauron was selected as director because he bought something new and extraordinary to the series, when it was really needed anyway seeing as this is a very crucial film! The most surprising thing about this one was that it didn't feel a typical colourful and magical Hollywood film. The Prisoner Of Azkaban is perhaps the only one out of all of the films within the series that manages to do that, so at times it felt like a film on its own rather than a third film in a series. It is also the least grossing film in the franchise so that is where it is a rather unique one. So, it is a shame that he didn't direct any of the other Harry Potter films because no, it isn't my personal favourite of the series but it is definitely the best directed (perhaps the best written too).


Overall, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban is another fantastic Harry Potter film that is throughout most of the time, a film on its own. It proves itself to be one of the darkest of the series and it is the breakthrough film in the franchise. So, after such a deep and personal story with twists and turns, business has damn sure picked up!

Other than a couple bad acting parts (it's quite brief), the movie astounds me. It's very enjoyable and keeps me entertained. Gary Oldman..c'mon he's just awesome! I'm just commenting and not reviewing haha Rating 9.1/10

As someone who had no real interest in this series or it's subject matter, it wasn't until this istallment that I finally watched a Harry Potter movie. And being that I never read any of the books, I was quite taken aback at the over-all consistancy of balance between the fantasy element of the wizarding world & that of the perosnal struggles of what goes thru a young person's mind trying to deal with things like death, authority & finding one's place in the life. Compelling drama, a storyline that both successfully continues the series & yet also manages to stand on it's own, well-placed chemistry between the characters, medevil sets that visually stun, Dementors that horrify, old tree willows that whomp & even a werewolf that looks pretty damn bad-ass.
I walked into this film an indifferentiated non-fan & ended up coming out of it a hardcore Pot-head.

This is actually my favorite of the movie series so far. Though that is likely because it is also my favorite of the books. But even saying that, I have to admit--this is where the series began to fail.

Sorcerer's Stone is Harry discovering the world of magic. He's still a boy, and most of the world is Hogwarts. He knows no better.
Chamber of Secrets is Harry learning a bit about the magical world at large. That not everything is good and descent there any more than in the Muggle world.
Prisoner of Azkaban is where he truly begins to learn about his own past. And because of that, there are vital pieces to what is to come in the rest of the series. This movie fails, in several fundimental way, to show some of those pieces. And without those pieces, later pieces get lost, and fall to the wayside. A dangerous thing when you're telling a story as complex as Harry's.

Quick, anyone who has not read the books, but has seen the movie. Cold you tell me where the Map came from? Or why Harry's patronus is a Stag? Or how about what the prank on Snape was?

I loved the difference in tone in this one, but overall, it is slowly but surely leading to the downfall of the series. And that makes me very unhappy.