Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban – You'll

Be Wild about Harry

by Homer Yen

(c) 2004

Expecto Petrolum! Some might think that's what

President Bush would like to say to the Saudi

Kingdom to address the concern of readily rising

gas prices. Imagine if our Commander-in-Chief

could wave a magic wand, state his wishes that

the US expects petroleum (Expecto Petrolum, get

it?), and then * boom * production increases.

Yes, that would be magical.

However, for those less concerned with global

affairs and more interested in the happenings

within the world of Harry Potter, Expecto

Petrolum is a sign that our favorite young wizard

is starting to better understand his potential.

Indeed, in this third film installment of the

J.K. Rowlings best-selling series, Harry is

starting to mature. He is learning how to

harness his wizardry skills. He is also coping

with the mystery surrounding the death of his

parents. And his two closest friends, Ron

(Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), are

also growing up. Ron still bumbles for humorous

effect. But he isn't quite the effete bundle of

nerves that we've known him to be. Meanwhile,

Hermione continues on track to be valedictorian

of her class.

Impressively, the Harry Pottter world has also

matured. It's darker, edgier, and more menacing.

"The Prisoner of Azkaban" is a faithful

adaptation that's more visually sumptuous and

also more structurally clever than the first two

installments. Atmospherically, it's certainly

the best of the bunch thus far.

The most captivating elements revolve around the

incredibly detailed setting. It is a time and

place that seems like an endless magic show.

Within the Hogwarts School, shifting staircases

allows access to different parts of the building.

Pictures take on their own lives. The grand

dining room, with its suspended candles and old

world opulence, makes you wish you were a student

there. Meanwhile, you'll also see a bevy of

magical creatures that can only be appreciated by

watching the film rather than by reading this

review.

The prisoner of Azkaban is Sirius Black (Gary

Oldman) who has recently escaped from what was

thought to be an inescapable prison. He was

convicted in a plot to murder Harry's parents.

Now, many fear that he is coming after Harry to

finish the job. He is one of three new colorful

characters that bring an extra dimension of odd

goofines to this world. The other two include a

daffy diviner named Sybil Trelawney (Emma

Thompson) and a friendly teacher named Professor

Lupin (David Thewlis) who teaches Harry a couple

of very powerful tricks.

Perhaps for the first half of the film, though,

there is too much abracadabra. The visuals

occupy too much of the film and the amount of

creativity might actually numb you. It isn't

until the last third of the movie when the story

begins to take shape. The payoff occurs during

this section as a nifty time travel element is

introduced. This allows for some tense moments

as our heroes attempt to take advantage of having

a second chance.  

Only the dourest of souls would dislike this

film. It's endlessly imaginative, it's easy to

digest, it's a fun family film, and it's

beautiful to watch. It puts the Potter series in

a whole new light, and as Harry might say,

"luminous maxima."

Grade:        B

S:        0 out of 3

L:        0 out of 3

V:        1 out of 3

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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1287489
X-RT-TitleID: 1132921
X-RT-AuthorID: 1370
X-RT-RatingText: B