Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: DVD & Movie Review (2004)

(Originally published 2004)

In "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," the childlike whimsy of the two previous Potters is dead, replaced by an encroaching loss of innocence and a foreboding sense of darkness. The result is a new punch of life for the series.

Bleeding into every corner of this accomplished third installment in J.K. Rowling's popular run of novels is a greater presence of evil. That may make for less jaunty entertainment, but it also makes for greater measures of depth and intrigue.

Unlike its predecessors, this Potter doesn't feel pressed to satisfy audiences with kitschy thrills and wide-eyed wonderment.

As directed by Alfonso Cuaron ("The Little Princess," "Y Tu Mama Tambien"), who takes the reins from Chris Columbus, "Azkaban" makes a clear statement: kiddie time is over, folks. Time to get down to the real meat of the story and deal with the ugliness Harry must face as he and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, are vaulted deeper into Rowling's uneasy mystery.

Based on a screenplay by Steve Kloves, the film opens with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) once again dealing with his vicious relatives, the Dursleys.

After casting a spell that leaves his Aunt Marge (Pam Ferris) flying high like a blimp, Harry is off to Hogwarts. There, he learns that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) - the murderous lout who helped Lord Voldemort kill Harry's parents - has escaped from Azkaban prison and might be out to kill Harry.

Worse for Harry is that Azkaban's prison guards - a menacing crew of soul-sucking ghouls called the Dementors - have taken to the skies in an effort to find Black. This naturally leads them to Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), who must rely on themselves and on each other to survive the impending doom.

Several new characters add zest to the already saucy mix, including Emma Thompson as the bumbling Prof. Sybil Trelawney, David Thewlis as the mysterious Prof. Lupin and Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew, who begins the movie as something a wee bit different than how he ends it.

Also giving the film a lift, quite literally, is the Hippogriff, a grand, mythical cross between a horse and a bird. Harry's first flight with the beast is the movie at its best, an exhilarating high point only matched by a stormy game of Quidditch.

Returning to the fold are Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape and Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, all of whom anchor this grim, grainy-looking film with an air of familiarity. Michael Gambon's dry turn as Prof. Albus Dumbledore gives the movie an unexpected, bittersweet undercurrent.

Gambon took over the role for Richard Harris, who died three weeks before the last film's release. He's just right here, a nice addition to a cast of characters charged with the hell that is their adolescence, with no recourse but a handful of "spellsand" - in this movie, a helpful dose of time travel - to see them through it.

Grade: A-