Rating: 
Summary: best. harry potter movie. ever!
Review: The first Harry Potter movies had charm in the actors and surroundings, but when compared to the third they were weak and to unreal movie. Alfonso Cuaron should be praised for giving the movie a dark edge and helping the script to have more meaning than the book. In conclusion a movie worth at least one Oscar.
Rating: 
Summary: A magical fun-ride
Review: The third Harry Potter book was bound to be more difficult to bring to the screen, simply because there is so much more in it than the first two books. Give Alfonso Cuaron credit for a very good film adaptation. With a few glaring omissions, he's kept almost everything of substance. The film, like the book, starts off with Harry blowing up his obnoxious Aunt Marge and lamming it out of there to hole up in Diagon Alley for the remainder of his summer vacation. This time, instead of a monster in a hidden chamber, Harry has to contend with the Dementors, vicious entities so evil they suck out one's very soul. The Dementors are guarding Hogwarts because a supposed mass murderer named Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison at Azkaban. Just who Sirius turns out to be, everybody and his great grand-uncle knows by this time, but the movies stays pretty faithful to the book.The kids are growing up; they're not children any more, they're teenagers, and pretty cool at that. We can see a relationship growing between Ron and Hermione, and she's a pretty tough little lady for all her goody-goody attitude, not averse to punching Malfoy's lights out when he needs it. Malfoy, in fact, is one of the bigger disappointments in this film; he's a one-note character with a perpetual sneer on his face and nothing else to do. He was much better in the second film. One of the most egregious omissions in this movie is the quidditch final; even if it had added another ten minutes to the film, it should have stayed in. And the ending, with Harry zooming off on his brand-new Firebolt, is something of a cop-out; we know Harry received his new broomstick in the middle of the term, in time to win the quidditch final, so why did Cuaron see fit to change it? But the new faces give an added dimension to the movie. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black and David Thewlis as Professor Lupin are both excellent, and Emma Thompson as the ditzy Divination teacher Sibyl Trelawney is a hoot. A major disappointment for this reviewer was Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, replacing the late Richard Harris; whereas Harris conveyed Dumbledore's wisdom and authority, Gambon plays him as a slightly nutty professor with dirty fingernails. He doesn't make Dumbldore seem nearly as compelling a presence as he was in the first two films. And the werewolf figure that Lupin turns into looked more like a cartoon than anything remotely scary. Paging Steven Spielberg. Of the three films so far, I'd give the second film an A-plus, the first a B-plus, and this one an A-minus. It's very good indeed; it could have been better.
Rating:
Summary: A grownup-oriented review for those who have read the book
Review: The third installment of the Harry Potter films was ready for a new director, and Alfonso Cuaron seemed a likely choice. Chris Columbus was admirable in his fidelity to the plot of the first two books, but as Harry becomes a teenager and faces a more complex life, Columbus's candy-coated style is no longer appropriate. So it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to the "darker" style that Cuaron promised. In some respects I was not disappointed. Cuaron's interpretation of Harry's world is defined by inscrutable shadows and colored in misty greens and greys, rather than red-and-gold tapestry of movies one and two. This new palette is more natural, and in keeping with that, far more of the movie takes place out of doors. Cuaron gives Hogwarts a greater sense of age as well, making a crumbling courtyard and rickety bridge over a gorge central to many scenes. These locations, as well as the huge pendulum in the entry hall and clock face that Harry sits inside at one point, are a nicely subtle way to weave in the movie's (and book's) theme of time and how the past can't ever be completely undone. Cuaron handles some scenes very well, especially brief, telling gestures or moments that provide character definition, such as the bit where Hermione grabs Ron's hand which made it into the trailer, and another where the two of them have an awkward conversation outside the Shrieking Shack. Other highlights include Harry and his dorm-mates up late eating candy that makes them impersonate animals (touchingly shows how very teenage they are); and a moment when Sirius, trying desperately to hold Lupin back from his change to werewolf, places his hand over Lupin's chest and says "You live in this heart!" - which is made all the more poignant because we know he can't stop the transformation. Some plot points have been sacrificed in order to keep the film to a manageable length. Most of the time this works, as when Harry meets with Snape and Lupin in a beautifully lit nighttime corridor, precipitating the handover of the Marauder's Map and Lupin's realization that Peter Pettigrew lives; or when Harry receives the Firebolt from Sirius at a different point in the movie than in the book. There were, however, two changes which seemed inexplicable to me. First, the patronus charm is made into a shield of light rather than an animal which charges down the dementors. This eliminates Harry's discovery of his father within himself through his stag patronus (he does see a stag of light when he rescues himself at the lakeside, but when we see him from the perspective of rescuer there is no stag, and this is never explained). Similarly, even though Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are named on the Marauder's Map, the nicknames and their relationship to Lupin, Pettigrew, Sirius, and James Potter is never explained. It would have taken only a few more minutes to add that explosition, which would have strengthened Harry's cinematic connections to his father tremendously. All in all, I think it's possible that the viewers who enjoy this film the most will be those who haven't read the book. As someone who is very familiar with the Harry Potter book series, I kept finding myself hung up on the changes to the story (and just how much depth was lost) even as I enjoyed the beautiful cinemetography and deft handling of characters' relationships. My hope is that whoever directs film four is able to take some of Cuaron's artistic sensibilities and combine them with Columbus's sense of wonder and attention to plot detail. That would truly do Harry justice.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Yet.
Review: This movie is truly "da bomb." Personally, I saw it three times in theaters and would gladly see it again. It is so astoundingly well-made, it outshines even the previous two Harry Potter films, both of which translated the novels to the screen in a nearly flawless manner; save that the Chamber of Secrets did not have half enough Snape screentime. Alfonso Cauron did an absolutely amazing job making this movie.
Daniel, Emma, and Rupert are noticably improving in their acting skills with age. All the kids look dramatically different in this film, not surprisingly, particularly Draco and Neville Longbottom.
The story flows from one part to the next so seamlessly that one doesn't even notice it is over two and a half hours in length. It is far more moving than the first two, with the Buckbeak execution scene and the Shrieking Shack scene standing out as poignant, suspenseful, and/or sad.
Our new Dumbledore is someone I feel we'll get used to. After all, the cast change couldn't exactly be helped! He struck me as looking very much like the old Albus, but was perhaps a bit too gruff.
Lupin, Sirius, Peter Pettigrew, and other new characters like Madame Rosemarta and Professor Trelawney (ESPECIALLY Professor Trelawney) were very well-cast. As always, Alan Rickman was the greatest aspect of the movie; his daunting, shadowy, compelling portrayal of the irresistible Severus Snape once again steals the entire show. One can only wait for the next time he enters the scene. His amazing voice during the Shreiking Shack scene, hallway scene with the Marauder's Map, and the delicious "How disappointing" and "page 394" really incite shivers and, if you're like me, melting.
But on the whole, "Prisoner of Azkaban" is a sure sign that the Potter movies are, like the books, only going to get better from here on out. This outstanding film is a treasure of moviemaking, with excellent effects and acting.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant!!!!
Review: Using our previous knowledge of the Harry Potter universe to his advantage, Alfonso Cuaron has created the first sophisticated film foray into the world of wizards, witches, werewolves and hippogriffs. Cuaron benefits from the experience his lead actors have in performing these roles in two prior films. Dan Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron have all become these characters before our eyes, and it is wonderful to watch. Michael Gambon does a fine job replacing Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore, and Emma Thompson hams it up as the spaced-out Divination teacher, Professor Trelawny. Gary Oldman is good as escaped-prisoner Sirius Black. He doesn't have much to do, but what he does works well. I look forward to seeing more of him as the series continues. Of all the adult actors, my highest praise must go to David Thewlis as Professor Lupin. Thewlis was assigned the task of bringing to life one of the best-loved characters of the Rowling books, and has done so magnificently. This review wouldn't be complete without mention of the overall tone of the film. This of course is due to the amazing direction of Alfonso Cuaron. Everything about this film is in stark contrast to the first two offerings by Chris Columbus. By no means does this belittle Columbus' two Potter films. I enjoyed them very much. However, I must say that this third chapter was the most satisfying of the three. I believe it's because, as strange as this may sound, everything felt more "real." There wasn't this sense of wonderment that was ever-present during the first two films. In "Azkaban," everything in the wizarding world is just matter-of-fact, and that in itself is magical. Also of note is the fine special effects in the film. Buckbeak, the hippogriff, looked absolutely amazing - like a real animal. Those horrifying guards of Azkaban, the Dementors, were just the right touch of scary. It's tough to keep them from looking like the Black Riders from Lord Of The Rings, but their mouths are all their own and are truly frightening! In all, an absolutely fantastic film, and one that I am sure to see several times over.
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