Rating:  out of five
The Cast
Harry Potter: Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley: Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger: Emma Watson
Professor Lupin: David Thewlis
Rubeus Hagrid: Robbie Coltrane
Albus Dumbledore: Michael Gambon
Professor Snape: Alan Rickman
Sirius Black: Gary Oldman
Professor Trelawney: Emma Thompson
Peter Pettigrew: Timothy Spall
Warner Brothers Pictures presents a film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and written by Steve Kloves. Based on the novel by J.K Rowling. Running time: 142 minutes. Rated PG (for frightening moments, creature violence and mild language).
Written By: Kelvin Hui
Finally, after a year and a half of waiting for the next adventure of Harry Potter to hit the silver screen, it has finally arrived! Instead of making and releasing the films every year, the studio (Warner Brothers of course) decided to take more time to make this particular film and the future ones that are inevitably coming thus they could be better. With the timely release of the fifth novel in the series last summer, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, this was our new source of the boy wizard that filled the void. I read the book at that time and it was fine…not nearly as good as its predecessors although it had some great parts that were quite fun to read. I remember deciding to read the first book several years ago before the release of the original film. Before Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone had even begun its run in theatres, I had read all four that were published at that time. Believe it or not, the third novel is actually my least favourite along with the latest installment in the series. I just didn’t think it was as good as the others although I wasn’t very worried about the movie since it looked great and many individuals were expecting it to be the best yet. I believe that the books are better because they’re just so well written, entertaining and imaginative although the two films have been good fun so far. I thought that The Chamber of Secrets was better than the first movie, does the trend continue in the latest installment? Was all of the time and effort spent on creating this motion picture worth it? Continue reading on to find out!
The film begins when Harry Potter quickly loses his temper with the Dursleys, more specifically Uncle Vernon’s sister who is particularly rude to the young man. Although he isn’t allowed to use magic outside of the school, he unknowingly responds by turning his obnoxious Aunt Marge (Pam Ferris) into a literal airbag, her grotesquely inflated form sent drifting into the night skies. After this unpleasant experience, he runs away from ‘home’ in a fit of anger only to be picked up by The Knight Bus. During the wild and fun ride (for the audience, not so much for Harry) our hero sees a picture of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), the first convict to ever escape from the Prison of Azkaban. The bus quickly brings him to a building where he meets the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy). Instead of being punished as he expects, he’s greeted with relief and sent to a room for the night. The next day, Harry meets his best friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). After speaking to Mr. Weasley (Mark Williams) who tells him that Black is looking for him, Harry learns that he is in danger once again. He quickly tells his friends everything that he knows on the Hogwarts Express, which takes them to their school. The third year begins as they arrive and quickly discover that the Dementors, guards of Azkaban, have been ordered to search for the criminal around the grounds. By this point we all know that Something Wicked This Way Comes…
To answer the questions that were asked in the introduction, I must say that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a great film. I was truly excited about it after watching the excellent teaser and trailers. It’s in line with the other previous installments, definitely better than the original, which admittedly wasn’t the best movie but I’m not sure if it’s greater than the second installment. It was a good cinematic experience though because I watched it with two very good friends, Avni and Ajay, who made it all the more special of an evening. When the film finished, we hung out afterwards for half an hour just outside of the theatre talking on a cool, breezy night, which was quite nice. The film was very well done, it has suspenseful action sequences, one of the best casts to be seen in a film this year, more emotional involvement, very tremendous special effects, and much more to commend it. All three films have now earned mostly positive reviews and made a large amount of money from the box office. The third chapter has already broken the first day record of its franchise with $92.6 million worth of ticket sales in North America. The three-day haul surpasses the $90.3 million bow of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in November 2001, and the $88.4 million launch of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets a year later. That’s not too bad if you ask me!
Firstly, some of the action sequences are very well done; it is just highly exciting and entertaining to watch. For example, the short but sweet Quidditch game where they are playing in the rain for the first time on screen is quite well done. What’s even cooler is when the Dementors show up to torment Harry and put him into mortal danger until the headmaster himself saves him. The climax of the film with the overhead camera angle that shows dozens upon dozens of Dementors is truly awe-inspiring, one of the simply awesome moments in the film that make it great. One of the things that does seem to get better as the films and years pass by is the acting; in particular this applies to the three main stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. I’ve said it before and I will say it again; they continue to improve on their craft from the previous predecessors. Also, some welcome additions to the cast include Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Timothy Spall and, smoothly assuming the role originated by the late Richard Harris, Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore. Thewlis, who plays Professor Lupin, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, is one of the best actors to be in the franchise thus far. His performance blew me away; he was just so good in portraying his mannerisms and in each of his scenes he acted extremely well.
Over the time that the picture was being created, I heard much about the fact that it would be darker and this is somewhat true although it still has many elements of humour that provide the light moments. It is more emotionally involving since you get to watch Harry become very angry and take out all of his frustrations on others which enables us to see a more mature and realistic portrayal of this young man. The three main characters are all teenagers now so you can see the beginning of that turbulent stage of life that most individuals have so much trouble going through. And what’s being an adolescent without the start of hormones and just a smattering of sexuality? This film continues the supposed more-than-a-friend relationship between Ron and Hermione although it is not developed very much. I always wanted Harry to become an item with his best friend (the girl, not the boy you pervert) but I suppose that will not happen since he doesn't like her in that way in the novels although Emma Watson is becoming a beautiful young woman. I just believe that their relationship would be better than what Ron and her would be but we'll see how it all turns out in the book series. The chances of it do appear to be better now especially with the fifth installment and I've always felt that the two seem more attracted to each other in the films so who knows, the individuals who like the idea of Harry and Hermione together might actually get what they want in the end in one of these mediums. Finally, I would simply like to state that this film is one of the most visually arresting that I have seen this year, much like the previous chapters the scenery and landscapes are gorgeous. The special effects are incredible, the Dementors, Hippogriff, and several other scenes are just awesome. I really like the guards of Azkaban; I loved to see that when they came close to something living it would wither or the fact that they would freeze water when they were nearby. I view these creatures as simply an extension of death, they suck your soul and all of the happy memories out of you, it reminds me quite a bit of the grim reaper.
Of course this film is not perfect and there are several small problems that I would like to point out. Firstly, the director decided to make it shorter than its predecessors so what we are watching is more of an adaptation and condensed version of the novel. Needless to say, the audience misses out on some of the smaller things that flesh out the characters and I’m sure that some of the fans will be disappointed that some parts were changed or shortened. Let me just simply say that without a shadow of a doubt, this film has the worst ending of the entire franchise thus far (wait until you see it) and I’m afraid that similar things are going to happen in the coming installments. Each successive book has grown longer while Azkaban, at 142 minutes, is the shortest of the movies. I truly do not think it would hurt the overall film if it were a little bit longer; you can cut out things that aren’t necessary but at least give the audience a satisfactory ending. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was three and a half hours (whoa!) in length but that didn’t stop it from becoming one of the most successful pictures of all time, both critically and at the box office. Also, another negative thing was that I believe our main character must have fainted at least four times in the film and each time it was a slow fade to black to show that he was unconscious. It truly is not that large of a hindrance but after it happens so many times, it becomes repetitive and boring.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban fares very well for the third installment in a franchise that has broken box office records and set the standard for blockbuster films. I didn’t remember too much of the novel going into the theatre which turned out to be a good thing. There were more surprises this way and it made it more interesting to watch the story unfold without knowing what would happen. It’s good to know that after three films in the series already it is still exciting and fun to watch the adventures of the boy wizard. I am indeed looking forward to the fourth chapter although I have no idea how they’re going to go about making it. Director Mike Newell and writer Steve Kloves (who has written all of the screenplays thus far) face an especially formidable task with the next book, the epic Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. With both the novels and films, this character has become a large part of popular culture and it is amazing that we are experiencing it over these past several years. With two more books and four (possibly) additional movies still to come we have much of the boy wizard to look forward to in the near future. I am glad to have read all of the stories and watched all of the episodes; they have all provided me with countless hours of excitement, entertainment, and happiness, which makes them so much more than simply novels or films.
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