Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Saying that Harry Potter has made a succesful jump from the page to nearly every other entertainment medium should come as no surprise to anyone who has read books. Blockbuster movies, toys, games and even a rumored animated series and comic book are proof enough that J.K. Rowlings’ stories have really captured not only the attention of her intended audience, ages 10-16, but nearly everyone else in Europe, the US and around the world. A lot of expecation comes from everything that comes from franchise and a 3rd movie is no exception.

Since it’s first trailers began rolling during the holiday season of 2003, fans have been clammoring for photos and info on any of the new movies. With 5 books on the presses, there is more than enough story to fill several movies for the next several years, but the ability to keep it’s success may depend on the actors who are quickly growing up, faster than the already tight film schedule would like. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint return to reprise their roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As does nearly all the actors and crew from the previous movies. Newcomers include Gary Oldman, playing the elusive killer, Sirius Black and with Richard Harris‘ untimely passing, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is now played by veteran actor Michael Gambon. A quick word about the new Dumbledore: Mr. Gambon certainly has the look of the character and the same twinkle in his eye, but despite his stronger appearance and deeper voice, it feels as if the character’s presence and charisma has been lost a bit. That’s not to say Gambon doesn’t do excellently as the Dumbledore from the books, but just as Indiana Jones could never be anyone but Harrison Ford, so goes it for Harris’ Dumbledore. All the actors are growing up and it shows in their performaces. A budding romance, only briefly hinted on in the first movies is becoming more obvious and the way in which lines are delivered sounds much less forced than we’ve previously seen.

As for the film, it had excellent pace, an intriguing story line that strayed from the book a bit and special effects that never looked to overshadow the human element. This time around, Harry and company are in their 3rd year at Hogwarts. Harry is now 13 (if not, ahem, a little older) and have accepted the challenges of their third year of wizarding school. Now though, a killer has broken out of Azkaban prison, a wizard’s slammer that until now, no one has ever broken out of. Sirius Black, a supporter of the dreaded Voldemort and apparently the man who led the Dark Lord to Harry’s parents has somehow escaped and it is feared that he is out to finish what he started: break into Hogwarts and finish our hero off.

Fans of the books will immediately notice a few missing plot points, however movie-only patrons won’t be phased in the least. That being said, coming into this movie without seeing the first two will leave viewers lost. That can be expected of franchises, especially in later sequels. The tone this time around is considerably darker and children might find it frightening at times. We are introduced to Dementors, the happiness-sucking, soulless guards of the Azkaban prison. The creatures float like spectres shrouded by black, torn robes that whisp around their bodies like smoke. Their silent but certainly foreboding presence might be a little overwhelming for the younger crowd. This does present audiences with a much more interesting and threatening evil, despite the fact that they are guarding the school from Sirius Black.

Finally, the special effects are magnificent without being overwhelming. Of note are a brief Quidditch match, a soccer like-game wizards play on brooksticks high in the air. Compared to previous films, this match is rather short, but retains it’s edge-of-your-seat feeling due to severe weather that includes heavy rain and lightning. Also, the impressive Buckbeak, a creature known as a hippogriff: part horse, part eagle is given a sizeable role and is an excellent example of how computer graphics should be used in order to progress the story with emotion, rather than just spectacle.

In short, if you’ve seen the first two, this is the natural and enjoyable continuacion that, though missing much of the original page-written story, still promises to be a good day at the theatre and more than satisfies fans of both book and film until Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes out in 2005.