Darker, more mature, incredibly shot and aesthetically pleasing, Prisoner of Azkaban turns out to be the best of the franchise.
After the first two widely successful movies of the series, audiences eagerly anticipated the third adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s internationally famous story about the famous boy with a lightning scar on his forehead. The kids that we saw in the previous two movies were of course growing older, and the studio needed a director who could work well with teenagers. It turns out that they picked the right guy for the job with Alfonso Cuarón, who masterfully crafted a beautiful looking movie with some breathtaking shots.
Cuarón is best known for his signature long takes, and this movie’s no stranger to this. From the first shot, we can already tell this movie’s different. Even the sound design of the spells has improved and sounds more refined and mysterious. The use of the long takes allow the scenes to develop naturally, and it gives the actors time to bring the best out of their performances. There are some shots in this movie that I still have no idea how they were done, and they’re a magic trick in their own right. The entire feel of this movie completely immerses you in this world. For example, there are frequent side characters and moments that don’t serve anything to the story at all. They’re purely there to display the magic of this wizarding world, like the way the chairs at the Leaky Cauldron levitate and fix themselves on the tables, or floating tea kettles pouring tea on wizard’s cups. Or the housekeeping maid who knocks on a door and the door opens by itself, blowing wind in her face and shutting again. And the ghosts of Hogwarts riding on their horses and smashing through the windows, only for the windows to be repaired magically again in this amazing looking illusion. Basically, you get the sense that this is a world entirely different from our own and one that makes you want to visit it.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all clearly have a better understanding of their characters and they look completely comfortable in their roles, especially Radcliffe. He is the boy who lived from the pages we all know and love, and his acting only continues to impress with Azkaban. In this third entry, Harry can’t seem to catch a break as there is a killer on the loose looking for him by the name of Sirius Black who has escaped Azkaban, which is basically the wizard version of Alcatraz. We also have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to fill the cursed Hogwarts job, Professor Lupin, played brilliantly by David Thewlis. He portrays the warmth and kindness of the character from the books and brings the best out of his students, and he quickly becomes Harry’s mentor throughout this story, showing him how to defend himself from the dementors searching for Sirius Black on the Hogwarts grounds. Sirius is played by none other than Gary Oldman, and while he doesn’t have much screen time, he leaves his mark on the scenes he is in and adds so many complexities to the tortured character. We also have a new Dumbledore, since Richard Harris passed before he could finish filming the movies. Michael Gambon fills this role and adds him own take on the character, portraying a more stern and strong Dumbledore, while also having scenes to showcase his comedic charm.
In many ways, Prisoner of Azkaban served as the blueprint for the rest of the series. It was the beginning of the darker turn the rest of the movies would take, and showed that this wasn’t just a kid’s story. I remember being in the theater when I was a kid and being completely blown away by the story and the visuals. There are scenes that fill you with euphoria like Harry riding on Buckbeak, the hippogriff, combined with John William’s iconic score. And of course, the incredible finale that to me is still the best ending of any movie in the franchise. Cuarón, in my opinion, created a masterful film that is still, to this day, my favorite Harry Potter movie and one of my favorite movies of all time.
Keep up the good work Julian!