261. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban; movie review

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
Cert PG
136 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild scary scenes and language

The older the kids became, the better the movies, in my humble opinion.
During Prisoner Of Azkaban, their acting had improved exponetially, creating fewer distractions and leaving more time to concentrate on the really good stuff.
These include the arresting performances of David Thewlis as the kindly Professor Lupin, Gary Oldman as the escaped Sirius Black and the cameo of Emma Thompson as the wacky Professor Sybil Trelawney.
Of course, the film benefits hugely from the detailed directing of Alfonso Cuaron who went on to win two Oscars for Gravity and Roma.
After the usual comedy between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and the Dursleys, Cuaron builds up the excitement of the escape from jail of the aforementioned Black.
He has been incarcerated for involvement in the death of Harry's parents and there are fears that he is now fixed on killing him.
Therefore, the frightening, ghost-like Dementors are brought in to try to arrest him before he has the opportunity.
Inevitably, Harry's pals, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) are brought into the fight against darkness.
The brilliance of the Harry Potter films is the humour which punctuates the darker scenes.
I know that some might be irritated by Hermione's eye-rolling and Ron's cowardice and transfixed scowl of dismay but I find them endearing.
And I also love the way each of the early films begins with fun at the Dursleys and, in this case, is followed by the crazy bus ride.
However, there are very scary moments too - I can well imagine younger children having nightmares over the dementors.
Anyway, I don't need to say more than the Prisoner Of Azkaban is a classic which still has audiences rapt until its very end.


Reasons to watch: Great storytelling
Reasons to avoid: The kids are still a little bit stilted

Laughs: Three
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 10/10

Did you know? In order to acquaint himself with his three lead actors, director Alfonso Cuarón had each of them write an essay about their characters, from a first-person point of view. Emma Watson, in true Hermione fashion, went a little overboard and wrote a 16-page essay. Daniel Radcliffe wrote a simple one-page summary and Rupert Grint never even turned his in.

The final word. Alfonso Cuaron: "The amazing thing with JK as a collaborator is she doesn't stop you doing anything. The way she approaches it has nothing to do with 'I like' or 'I dislike' it's 'this makes sense' or 'it doesn't make sense in this universe." CBBC Newsround

Share this post