Harry Potter: A Bit Of Magic in a Summer of Sleight of Hand

For some reason, I wasn't as excited about the new Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Prisonder of Azkaban, as I had been about the previous two issues that appeared on movie screens in 2001 and 2002. I'm not sure if it was because this one took longer to get into theatres (18 months or so instead of the 12 in between the first two), or if because the books have lost a bit of their luster as some time has passed (I've yet to re-read any of them, including, unfortunately, this one).

So perhaps it was my lesser amount of enthusiasm and or expectations, or maybe it is because new director Alfonso Cuaron gave the film series scope a bit of a face lift. Whatever it is, I can safely say that this third Potter movie is so far superior to the first two (especially the first film) that it makes the minor flaws of the first two look like giant gaping holes.

One must first praise Cuaron for the lack of Quidditch scenes in this film: there is only one, and it plays into the story. Having not re-read the book for some time, I don't remember if there is much Quidditch or not, but either way, the lack of it is a Godsend. While I'm sure some fans of the first two movies enjoyed the Quidditch scenes for how they were brought to life (in fact, I think I even enjoyed them a bit in the first film, though by the second film I was bored to death by them), the fact is is they were energy sappers.

Cuaron has also brought a bit of a more modern approach to these films; Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his two friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) dress more modernly here, and while some critics have questioned the changes, I applaud them. It has never really been clear exactly when the Potter stories were taking place, as the scenes outside the Hogwarts school seemed to be present day, while Hogwarts itself seemed to be a throwback to a much simpler time, i.e. the 1930s or 40s. Cuaron streamlines this and makes the two settings one.

The plot centers around the escape of one Sirius Black (an excellent performance by Gary Oldman) from Azkaban Prison. It is thought that Sirius betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort, the evil dark lord, and is now looking to kill Harry to please Voldemort and pave the way for his return. The Azkaban prison guards, known as Dementors, are given a creepy and effective treatment by Cuaron. While there is certainly a similarity to the Ring Wraiths from the Lord of the Rings franchise, the Dementors are extremely creepy without being terrifying, a key point since this film is as much for kids as it is for adults.

As usual with these films, the casting is as good as it can possibly get. Besides the return of the kids, there is the return of Alan Rickman as Snape, the teacher with a strong dislike for Harry Potter. Snape has always been one of the more fascinating characters in the book, and he remains so in the movie, thanks to Rickman's ice cold portrayal (I think the best description I've seen is when one writer said of Rickman: "no other actor could make a line like 'turn to page 394' sound like a death threat."

Michael Gambon replaces the late Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore, and though he is utilized little, the scenes he does have lives up nicely to the character and awe that Harris inspired in the character. An unrecognizable Emma Thompson is deliriously enjoyable as Professor Trelawney, a goofy kind of psychic who teaches a class called divination. And lest we forget David Thewlis as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin.

I absolutely love the way this was filmed. Cuaron may have sacrificed some things from the first two, but the changes all work. The film is much more atmospheric, flows more freely, and thankfully, is the shortest of the three films thus far (though at 2 hours 20 minutes, it is no slouch).

Since I'm not sure, I'll repeat that my lowered excitement/expectations for this film could have something to do with how much I liked it. But I've given this a good few days to sit and stew and the more I think about it, the more I truly have grown to love the film since walking out of the theatre. Very few films have that effect on me, but this one did.

In a summer of blockbusters that have yet to capture America's imagination, here's hoping that you make Harry a part of your summer movie season. It is one little bit of magic in a summer of sleight of hand.