Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2004) review on movielords.com

Now Reading: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2004)

Today is May 17, 2008

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2004)

"Don't tell me you have never heard of Sirius Black"

When I set out to watch this film, there were two questions in my mind: How am I going to react to the change of director? and Will Michael Gambon be able to replace Richard Harris in the role of Dumbledore? In terms of the director, I noticed that Alfonso Cuaron was able to capture the essence of the direction in which the series is moving. As the story progressed in the novels, we found ourselves reading about darker events and experiencing an ambiance that is filled with danger and dread. In the movie Cuaron starts incorporating elements that suggest this, including the illumination used when shooting the different scenes. As to the second question, Gambon does a good job as Hogwarts' headmaster, but we are going to have to understand that Harris cannot be replaced, and that we settle for the alternative.

It is Harry's third year at Hogwarts and things start out bad when he leaves the house of his uncle after an argument, in a furious state, and ends up in a very special bus in which he learns about the existence of Sirius Black. Sirius is a dangerous criminal that was jailed in Azkaban for aiding Voldemort - excuse me, You-Know-Who - and who has recently escaped. When Harry arrives at the Weasley's house, he finds out that things are even worse than they look, because Sirius is expected to come after Harry in order to kill him, and in that way eliminate the bigger obstacle in Voldemort's path back to power and glory.

As a result of these events, Hogwarts is surrounded by Dementors, which are abominable creatures that act as guards of Azkaban, and whose power resides in the fact that they feed on fear and drive people mad. Some things in the school have not changed though, Hagrid is still there, and he is now teaching one of the classes; Malfoy and his friends are still in the prowl for trouble, and Hermione keeps studying like crazy. There are some new characters though, for example Emma Thompson plays to perfection the role of Professor Sybil Trelawney, the divination instructor, and Gary Oldman, one of my favorite actors, is the chosen one to play Sirius.

The kids playing the roles of Harry and his friends continue to show improvement as the series of movies progresses, delivering more convincing and relaxed performances. The special effects are praiseworthy once again, and I particularly liked the way in which they created Buckbeak, the hippogriff. One of the few aspects that I did not like was the costumes, since the students wore jeans most of the movie, instead of the traditional cloaks in which we are used to seeing them in. Regarding the extras, the DVDs include a myriad of these, from deleted scenes to interviews with the protagonists. I especially liked the fact that the extras include the trailers for all three movies, since it was nice to remember the highlights of the previous ones. In my opinion, Potter fans will not be disappointed with this film, and will certainly be looking forward to the fourth one.

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