Rating: 4/5
Personally my least favorite installment in the Harry Potter film franchise, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a well made movie, but a poor adaptation of a beloved book.
In the summer after his second year at Hogwarts, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is being forced to spend his time at the home of his horrific aunt and uncle. Much to Harry's dismay, his Uncle Vernon(Richard Griffiths)'s sister, Marge (Pam Ferris), is coming to the Dursley's house for a visit. When Marge insults Harry's parents, he loses his temper, accidentally turning her into a human balloon.
After the incident, Harry runs away from the Dursley's, and finds himself on the Knight Bus that will take him back to the wizarding world. It is there that he learns of a deranged escaped convict named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who happens to be looking for Harry. Knowing that his year at Hogwarts will be plagued by the search for Black, Harry and his loyal friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) must once again band together and take on a magical adventure.
What has always baffled me, is how the Prisoner of Azkaban is the highest rated Harry Potter film. Yes, the movie does have its' moments where the scenery around the castle are absolutely breathtaking, and the performances by the cast, both young and old, are impressively done, but that still doesn't make it a great adaptation. Of the eight Harry Potter films, this one appears to be the most disjointed from the franchise. To me, it felt as if director Alfonso Cuaron simply disregarded any previously existing films or concepts, and rebelled against them to go a completely separate way. By minimizing the use of the Hogwarts uniforms, adding in unnecessary fabrications, and leaving out crucial details, not only does Cuaron deviate from the book, but he takes away some of the magic as well.
With every new installment into the world of Harry Potter comes new characters. Most notably in the Prisoner of Azkaban, we are introduced to three very different people. Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and is mysterious, but kind. Thewlis emanates the character exactly the way I had imagined while first reading the book, which for me, is one of the highest complements and actor can receive. Joining Lupin, is escaped Azkaban prisoner, Sirius Black. The number of scenes Oldman's actually in are very few, but the moments in which he is on the screen are dominated by his impeccable talent. Oldman's role is a very complex character, and he is able to perfectly portray every facet that is needed to make up Sirius Black. Lastly, we are introduced to Professor Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson), who teaches Divination. Trelawney is an incredibly eccentric character, and Thompson not only makes her oddly believable, but quite humorous as well.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is really where the series begins to get more complicated and dark. The film tries to create the ominous sensation needed for the plot, but doesn't quite hit the mark. The music is almost too perky at times for what is happening throughout the story, and for me, there are too many times where humor is added in where it shouldn't be. Sometimes the comedic moments are taken directly from the book, and that is of course completely fine and fully warranted, but there are times where by the film trying to be "funny", it not only takes the seriousness away from the film, but compromises the true nature of its' characters.
I know what you might be thinking; based on this review, how could this film receive a 4/5 of rating? Well, that's because it is a Harry Potter film, and no matter how I feel about the directing or style choices, the core story will still be excellent. I will say that I recently got a chance to see this film on the big screen again, which I hadn't been able to since its original release, where I would have been too young to really appreciate the filmmaking, and seeing it on such a large scale did give me a bit more insight into why so many people think this is the best film in the franchise, still not my favorite though. When reviewing Harry Potter films, I know I am more critical than I probably should be, but when something is as close to your heart as this, it is practically impossible not to be.