Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
by Ryan Ellis
June 17, 2004
If star ratings mean anything, I've given all 3 'Harry Potter' movies the
same grade---***. While I've enjoyed this series about a boy wizard and
get
a kick out of the world J.K. Rowling has created with her books, I still
feel detached from the entire enterprise. Maybe you DO have to read the
novels to really love the flicks. Then again, I haven't read a single
syllable authored by J.R.R. Tolkien either, but the films of his 'LOTR'
threepack are amazing and I'll be enjoying them for years to come. I'm
more
of a 'Star Wars' guy anyway, but I DO love the Hobbits almost as much as
the
Rebels. I guess I'm just not a Potterphile.
In 'Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban', Harry (Daniel Radcliffe, in
his 3rd consecutive outing as the child wiz) and his best buddies (Ron and
Hermione, played as always by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) are entering
their 3rd year at the ol' haven for witchcraft, Hogwarts. Harry is
struggling with adolescence. His fragile emotions are wrung out even more
when he learns that a long-ago acquaintance of his dead parents, Sirious
Black (the scraggly Gary Oldman), has escaped from the Azkaban pokey.
Sirious was sent away for killing the Potterfamilias, so is Harry in
mortal
danger from someone other than Voldemort now? Harry's like Bart Simpson.
He's only a kid, but he's already got 2 arch enemies. And we're off! Most
of
the other beloved characters are back, although Richard Harris' death
opened
up the role of Dumbledore for Michael Gambon (who plays it droll and
mischievous). Everyone seems to be having a ball playing a part in this
universe.
Hollywood doesn't really deserve to be slammed for its lack of imagination
anymore because its become a town that doesn't usually aspire to be
imaginative in the first place. One big round of applause should go to
these
'Potter' films then, for taking the kids' fantasy genre almost to "we're
not
in Kansas anymore" heights. And despite the surprisingly mature themes,
all
family members can appreciate the Potterverse together. Are these movies
strictly for kids? A friend of mine has refused to see any of them because
he says it's just a big marketing campaign. It IS that, but we're supposed
to concentrate on what's on screen---not the display tables at toy
stores---when we're in the theatre. And the on-screen product is good.
It's
exciting. We discover strange new creatures, we renew acquaintances, arch
our backs at the appearance of old rivals, and we get to see first-rate
visual F/X that enhance the story, rather than the other way around.
Although Oldman, Gambon, Emma Thompson, and a few other adult thespians
have
received major press for their rather-limited participation here, they
really are just glorified guest stars. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint own
this
movie and each one is blossoming into a capable actor. For all the talk of
feminist movie characters, Hermione Granger is becoming THE
tough-but-sweet
go-to feminist. Watson is the unsung hero of this cast, just as Herminone
is
the unsung hero at Hogwarts. Perhaps that's all a credit to the female
novelist, but the filmmakers have continually shown a balanced sense of
how
much to push Watson without zooming her right past Radcliffe. The
threesome
work best AS a threesome, though. No matter where books/films 4, 5, 6, up
to
infinity take us, it's satisfying that Ron & Hermione continue to be
original characters who could exist in their own story, not just as
sidekicks to Dirty Harry.
By the time we arrive at the time-travel climax and see all sorts of
angles
of one key development near a crazy limbs-akimbo tree, the 3 main
characters
have bonded further and learned some hard truths about overcoming fear.
There's also a touching message about how some friends always remain
loyal,
even if it seems they've jumped to the ship o' villainy. These themes
carry
over nicely to the big screen. Steven Kloves is the screenwriter once
again
while Alfonso Cuaron takes over the directing ballcap from Chris Columbus
(who stayed on to produce). Cuaron (director of the kid-not-friendly 'Y Tu
Mama Tambien') has a gifted sense of story and movie magic. I think he
tipped his hand with the paradoxical climax (I guessed correctly about who
did what to whom), but he fits a lot of material into the film without
jamming it to the gills. Columbus was accused of being too faithful to the
first two books. Apparently, this one's more original.
You're damned either way (some fans want word-for-word, others want
something different from what's in Rowling's immense novels), but I
applaud
Warner Brothers for allowing one of their cash cows to go in such dark
directions. The harder edge begins early and it doesn't let up very often.
Harry uses magic outside of school, which is a no-no, and puts an arrogant
woman in big, fat danger to boot. Later, a bizarre, goodnatured beast
called
Buckbeak the hippogriff faces execution. Werewolfs of various shapes and
dispositions appear on the scene at inopportune times. And we get several
glimpses of the wicked dementors, the ghostly guards of Azkaban who are
searching for Sirius Black. Death is discussed often in this movie and
Harry
& his friends must encounter many different kinds of grim reapers.
'Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban' will make dumptrucks full of
money and audiences the world over are going to see this one more than
once.
As for me, one viewing of each film has been enough. I get the message and
try to appreciate the metaphors. The F/X are not absolutely seamless, but
fantasy films shouldn't try to pretend everything is real anyway. If you
want verisimilitude, go rent some old Sam Fuller or John Cassevetes
flicks.
Then again, if you want state-of-the-art in modern movie magic, you rent
or
buy Peter Jackson's 'LOTR' tril. Enough comparisons, though. Harry is
growing into a man now and he can stand on his own two feet...with or
without magic. This is a rock-solid entry in the 'Harry Potter' brand. It
didn't change my life, but it's a satisfying movie. I hold out hope
they'll
put something together to win me over completely to the vast world of
young
master Potter.
To work your magic on my Muggle butt, write to flickershows@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
check out my website at http://groups.msn.com/TheMovieFiend.
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