Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban – You'll
Be Wild about Harry
by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
Expecto Petrolum! Some might think that's what
President Bush would like to say to the Saudi
Kingdom to address the concern of readily rising
gas prices. Imagine if our Commander-in-Chief
could wave a magic wand, state his wishes that
the US expects petroleum (Expecto Petrolum, get
it?), and then * boom * production increases.
Yes, that would be magical.
However, for those less concerned with global
affairs and more interested in the happenings
within the world of Harry Potter, Expecto
Petrolum is a sign that our favorite young wizard
is starting to better understand his potential.
Indeed, in this third film installment of the
J.K. Rowlings best-selling series, Harry is
starting to mature. He is learning how to
harness his wizardry skills. He is also coping
with the mystery surrounding the death of his
parents. And his two closest friends, Ron
(Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), are
also growing up. Ron still bumbles for humorous
effect. But he isn't quite the effete bundle of
nerves that we've known him to be. Meanwhile,
Hermione continues on track to be valedictorian
of her class.
Impressively, the Harry Pottter world has also
matured. It's darker, edgier, and more menacing.
"The Prisoner of Azkaban" is a faithful
adaptation that's more visually sumptuous and
also more structurally clever than the first two
installments. Atmospherically, it's certainly
the best of the bunch thus far.
The most captivating elements revolve around the
incredibly detailed setting. It is a time and
place that seems like an endless magic show.
Within the Hogwarts School, ****fting staircases
allows access to different parts of the building.
Pictures take on their own lives. The grand
dining room, with its suspended candles and old
world opulence, makes you wish you were a student
there. Meanwhile, you'll also see a bevy of
magical creatures that can only be appreciated by
watching the film rather than by reading this
review.
The prisoner of Azkaban is Sirius Black (Gary
Oldman) who has recently escaped from what was
thought to be an inescapable prison. He was
convicted in a plot to murder Harry's parents.
Now, many fear that he is coming after Harry to
finish the job. He is one of three new colorful
characters that bring an extra dimension of odd
goofines to this world. The other two include a
daffy diviner named Sybil Trelawney (Emma
Thompson) and a friendly teacher named Professor
Lupin (David Thewlis) who teaches Harry a couple
of very powerful tricks.
Perhaps for the first half of the film, though,
there is too much abracadabra. The visuals
occupy too much of the film and the amount of
creativity might actually numb you. It isn't
until the last third of the movie when the story
begins to take shape. The payoff occurs during
this section as a nifty time travel element is
introduced. This allows for some tense moments
as our heroes attempt to take advantage of having
a second chance.
Only the dourest of souls would dislike this
film. It's endlessly imaginative, it's easy to
digest, it's a fun family film, and it's
beautiful to watch. It puts the Potter series in
a whole new light, and as Harry might say,
"luminous maxima."
Grade: B
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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X-RAMR-ID: 37959
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1287489
X-RT-TitleID: 1132921
X-RT-AuthorID: 1370
X-RT-RatingText: B
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