Movie Reviews

A very early shot in the new Harry Potter film signaled to me just how different it was going to be compared to the first two (my short Chamber of Secrets review is here). It's inside Uncle Dursely's place, and they're standing at the front door as Aunt Marge enters. Unlike any shot in the first two films, this otherwise benign bit of the film was lit somewhat harshly; the film stock appeared a little grainy, and believe it or not, there was actually some hand-held camerawork. I knew then that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was going to be a much darker, more 'naturalistic' film than the rather sterile and overly-composed first two films in the series.

Chalk that up to director Alfonso Cuaron, a Mexican filmmaker whose previous work was the semi-erotic and dramatic road-trip film Y Tu Mama Tambien. He brings a lot of welcome 'dirt' to this new production, making the whole thing feel a little more foreboding than before, and making Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry look like a centuries-old gothic castle, rather than a Disney-esque postcard building.

The characters themselves are a little more interesting this time out too, as their pre-teen angst starts to show through. Especially Harry. He learns that his parents were betrayed long ago by a ruthless wizard named Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman), who was something of a henchman to Harry's 'arch-enemy', the very evil Lord Voldemort. Black was arrested long ago for murder, and locked up in Azkaban Prison, a wizard-jail guarded by sinister beings called Dementors who have the ability to suck out all of one's happiness and livelihood, leaving you devoid of anything but an acute sense of fear towards them. Sirius Black is the first wizard to have ever escaped from Azkaban, and everyone at Hogwarts feels certain that his purpose for doing so was to come after Harry and kill him. Enraged upon learning about the betrayal of his parents, however, Harry's anger towards Black overcomes any sense of fear, and Harry is determined to kill Black should he show his face anywhere near Hogwarts.

This is only the main part of the story, however, as there are many other subplots and side-stories throughout. My favourite involves a teacher new to Hogwarts, a strange and reclusive man named Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), with whom Harry strikes up an immediate friendship. Also entertaining in the "love to hate them" category is the bratty student Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) and the stuck-up professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman). My biggest complaint with the film is similar to what I felt about the first two: there's almost too much stuff going on. That didn't bother me too much in the book, as books are able to take much more time with their subjects. In the movie though, certain things just felt either rushed or extraneous. I give credit to the director for realizing this potential problem and actually cutting out some of the material that was in the book, but I get the sense that this will continue to be an issue with any future Harry Potter movies as well.

The Prisoner of Azkaban is the first of the Harry Potter books I've read before seeing the film adaptation. For what it is, I thought it was very well done and I had absolutely no issues with Cuaron's translation of text to screen. But I get the feeling that the Harry Potter series of books will never translate to great movies.