14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Harry's growing up (along with all the other wizards!)
Date of Review: Jun 9, 2004
The Bottom Line: If you like movies about wizards & magic, if you love the Harry Potter books, & if you saw the last two movies and liked them, you should see it!
This film was directed by Alfonso Cuaron - the first two were by Chris Columbus. This one is definitely darker, not only because of the storyline but the all around feel and look of the movie. Cuaron helped Harry and his fellow wizards grow up a bit too. This movie is not so much for the little kids anymore, young adults and adults will truly appreciate the change.
The movie revolves around the escape of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), murderous inmate, from Azkaban prison - and he's looking for Harry. To help keep Harry "safe" from Black while at Hogwarts, the prison has sent out Dementors; towering phantasms that will stand guard at the school - these flowing, dark, and soul sucking phantasms have a hard time distinguishing between the ones they hunt and the ones who get in their way (students). There is also a new Professor for the Dark Arts - since the last one tried to kill Harry (last movie) - Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) is extremely helpful to Harry and has a few dark secrets himself. Another Professor has been added to the school. Her name is Professor Trelawney (Emma Thompson) and she is the fortune telling, tea leaf reading, magic ball viewing, hippie type. She does not get much respect from the group until she makes an informative reading to Harry. The closer Black gets, the more Harry wants to solve the mystery of his parents' murders - not fully understanding how Black is involved. With the help of his friends and Professors - the mystery behind Black is pieced together.
All of the familiar faces are here - thankfully! They are a bit older/grown up, but hey, that's what is supposed to happen, right? The only difference in cast is Albus Dumbledore is now played by Michael Gambon, since Richard Harris has past away. Gambon does a fine job as Dumbledore.
I really enjoyed this movie. The new look and style of filming are just the tip - if you've seen the previous two movies, you will notice that the grounds of Hogwarts has changed - for the better, in my opinion. The acting is definitely improving, not to say that the other two didn't have great acting, but the kids are growing up - and that has impacted their work tremendously. The scene changing is rather unusual - it is reminiscent of old black and white movies (fading in and fading out in the center) - I liked it. There are also some great special effects - with magic, would you expect anything less?!
Even if you have not read the book, see it - you'll enjoy it for what it is.
