Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
A review by Matt Noller
Well, it's about time the Harry Potter movies came into their own as a
respectable fantasy series. The third entry in the series, Harry Potter
and
the Prisoner of Azkaban, represents a huge step in the right direction for
the young wizard. While the first two installments (The Sorcerer's Stone
and
The Chamber of Secrets) were enjoyable diversions, this darker, more
magical
sequel puts them both to shame.
Certainly the main reason for this is the change of director. Chris
Columbus, the director of the first to films, has stepped aside and handed
the reigns to Alfonso Cuaron, the director of 2002's critically lauded Y
Tu
Mama Tambien. Cuaron proves to be more-than-capable of handling the
material, crafting a motion picture that seems constantly alive. It's the
first time Harry's universe has felt real, rather than like the
craftmanship
of a large group of set designers. This may be because Cuaron actually
moves
the camera, something Columbus refrained from doing for the first two
films.
Actually, "move" may be a little unfair. Cuaron sends the camera soaring
around characters and through Hogwarts. The sheer filmaking skill on
display
here is amazing.
For the first time, Harry's nemesis Voldemort is nowhere to be found.
Instead, the villain here is Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), the wizard who
sold
Harry's parents out to He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Black has gone and
escaped
from Azkaban Prison, the only prisoner to ever do so, and is now out
looking
for Harry, who is starting his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Joining him are pals Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma
Watson), as well as kindly headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). New to
the school are Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Lupin (David
Thewlis),
who may be hiding a dark secret, and eccentric Sybil Trelawney (Emma
Thompson), the divination teacher who predicts dark things in Harry's
future.
One thing that jumps out immediately about Azkaban is how much darker it
is
than the first two films. Columbus's light-hearted fantasy adventure has
been replaced with a sense of palpable dread. Darkness pervades the film,
both in look and theme; this is probably as scary as Harry Potter could
get.
And what of the Dementors, creepy wraiths out on the prowl for Black?
Simple
CGI creations, they are easily more frightening than any huge
computer-generated monster. Adding to the sense of dark reality, the young
protagonists are dressed not in capes and cloaks but jeans and sneakers.
The trio of lead actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson
are
all aging with their characters. They have also all noticably improved.
Radcliffe is still the weakest of the three, but is far more convincing
here
than before. One hopes that all three will stay on through the end of the
series. Michael Gambon replaces the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and
does it so ably that many may not notice the change. All of the new
additions are good. David Thewlis, a talented character actor, does
wonders
with a difficult role, and Emma Thompson makes an impression in just a few
short scenes. The real standout, though, is Gary Oldman, who does terrific
work in a complex part.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is just a great fantasy film.
Through liberal cuts from J.K. Rowling's source novel, Cuaron has crafted
an
involving work steps and bounds above Columbus's far-too-literal
adaptations. If Mike Newell, the director of the next film, continues what
Cuaron has started, we could have a timeless fantasy series on our hands.
See more reviews at www.uhmovies.co.nr and e-mail me with thoughts at
imgiphted@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
38055
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1291194
X-RT-TitleID: 1132921
X-RT-AuthorID: 9896
X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/4
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