Movie,Review,amp,#58,Harry,Pot family Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkab

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanreview © 2004 by Donna Schwartz MillsStudio: Warner BrothersMPAA Rating: PG for frightening moments, creature violence and mild languageMom Rating: 5 out of 5Kid Rating: 5 out of 5Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, David ThewlisWriter: Steve KlovesDirector: Alfonso CuarónIt's shaping up to be a wonderful summer for family films.Hot on the heels of "Shrek 2," which is still breaking boxoffice records, we now have the third installment in the"Harry Potter" series. I firmly believe that years from now,our children will be showing these films to ourgrandchildren with the same reverence we now hold for "TheWizard of Oz"... only with Harry, we will ultimately haveseven classic fantasy adventures to enjoy.Many Hollywood types were surprised when young hotshotdirector Alfonso Cuarón accepted this job after the successof his racy hit, "Y Tu Mama Tambien." It was later revealedthat J.K. Rowling herself was such a fan of Cuarón's filmedversion of "A Little Princess" that he was actually *her*first choice to helm Harry's debut. Chris Columbus ended upbringing the first two novels to the screen, and somecritics lamented that Columbus was a little too faithful tothe books. There was much speculation that Cuarón wouldbring a more daring touch to "Azkaban." However, Columbus isstill on hand as a producer, and this film doesn't veer toofar away from the world he already created for the screen.The one big difference between this film and the previousones are that so much of the action takes place outsideHogwarts castle, but that's as much a reflection ofRowling's book as any decisions made by Cuarón."The Prisoner of Azkaban" is a transitional chapter in HarryPotter's story, bridging the wonder and discovery of thefirst two books into the darker, more dangerous tone ofthose that follow. Harry and his friends are now 13 yearsold and fully experiencing the emotional ups and downs ofadolescence. Because of his tragic history and difficultliving situation, Harry's feelings are a little moreintense. Where a normal teenager may have the urge to slama door in anger, the rage of a teen wizard can do someactual harm (which he demonstrates to comic effect). Once again, Harry arrives at Hogwarts under the vague threatof mortal danger. Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), a legendarymurderer, has escaped from Azkaban prison, and we soon findout that the entire wizarding world expects that Harry willbe his next victim. Searching for Black are the prison'screepy guards; ghostly creatures known as Dementors, whodisturbingly take an interest in Harry. In the course of theyear, Harry learns more about his past -- and gets closer tothe understanding the circumstances that led to the death ofhis parents, Lily and James.Much of his new-found knowledge is provided by ProfessorLupin, a new teacher with a dark secret, portrayed by DavidThewlis. It turns out that like the dreaded Professor Snape(Alan Rickman), Lupin was a classmate of Lily and JamesPotter. Unlike Snape, he was their friend -- and he takesHarry under his wing.The "Harry Potter" series seems to be employing the entirepopulation of good British actors. In addition to Thewlisand Oldman (who are both wonderful), this film brings usEmma Thompson as a flakey teacher of prognostication andJulie Christie as a witchy pub owner. Michael Gambonreplaces the late Richard Harris as headmaster AlbusDumbledore. Gambon's is a more robust and mischievousportrayal, and while he's very good, Harris' frailty broughtmore poignance to the role.Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (as Harry,Hermione and Ron) are growing into very attractive youngactors who can really carry the action, and director Cuaróngets the most out of them. This is good, but it's at theexpense of veterans Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane and AlanRickman. Rickman makes the best of his diminished presenceby stealing every scene he is in with drippy malevolence.Like the previous "Harry Potter" films, this one is rated PGfor some frightening moments, so parents should evaluatewhether their younger children can handle it or not. I feltthis one was a lot safer for the little ones because thedangers Harry and his friends face are more psychological:There is no face-off with the evil Voldemort (just waituntil movie #4!) and nothing as graphically scary as thegiant snake and spiders we saw in the last film. What youhave here are the spooky Dementors and a werewolf; if yourkids could handle "Scooby-Doo" without nightmares, theyshould be fine with "The Prisoner of Azkaban."The movie feels a little more disjointed than the previoustwo, which may be due to the need to condense the actioninto 136 minutes (which is pretty long for a film thesedays, especially one targeted to families). Potter fans maymiss some of the details revealed in the novel, and thosewho aren't familiar with the book may have a few momentswhen they have trouble following the story. My eight-year-old daughter, who enjoyed it very much, left with severalquestions about what was motivating Professor Lupin andSirius Black. She wants to see it again... but in themeantime, she is actually reading the book. A movie that isentertaining *and* inspires your kids to read? There'snothing better than that...