Prisoner of Azkaban tells of Harry's third year at Hogwarts. Once again he is in great danger, for a traitor to his parents has escaped from Azkaban (the wizard prison). Also, Harry is met with fear in the form of the ghastly dementors, who suck the life and soul out of people. This is a very different sort of Harry Potter film. It also marks a point in the franchise where you would have had to have seen previous Potter films in order to fully enjoy and understand it. The movie is directed by a very talented director: Alfonso Cuaron. But Cuaron brings a very unique style to the Potter films. It is probably the best stylistic Harry Potter film. The way the the palate is darker, the camera is quick and restless, and the older Potter characters themselves makes the movie edgy and mystifying. This Potter movie is also the first to stray away from the books, but having not read the book in several years, the film seemed to get all of the important details in. Some very well done scenes are in the end, where time travel is done logically and cleverly, keeping the pace of the film steady, which is a hard thing to do when time is indefinite. I also must mention that the actor to play Professor Lupin was a damn good choice, he gets just the right tone. As does the always good and perfect Alan Rickman as Snape. There's a scene here that foreshadows the future with Snape, and it's simple, but deep. The Prisoner of Azkaban is a very interesting movie, its not as lively as the earlier films, but it still gets across what a fan would want to see, for no matter how dark the films and books get, the characters are still witty and amiable. It's a worthy entry to the franchise.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: ★★★1/2
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