Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004 Movie Reviews
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, David Thewlis Review by Emma Hutchings
SYNOPSIS:
It’s Harry Potter’s third year at Hogwarts and it’s promising to be as eventful as ever. A mass-murdering wizard loyal to Voldemort has escaped from prison seemingly determined to finish his master’s work and kill Harry.
OSCAR NOMINEE for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score, Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Another boring summer holiday with his Aunt and Uncle ends with Harry losing control and using magic on his Uncle’s sister. He runs away and is picked up by the Knight Bus, a purple triple-decker, which takes him to the Leaky Cauldron. There he meets the Minister of Magic who tells him he isn’t in trouble for using magic outside of school, strange considering this is usually taken very seriously, but then Harry is soon going to find out he has more important things to worry about.
He learns from Mr Weasley that a wizard by the name of Sirius Black, a notorious mass murderer, has escaped from Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Apparently he was a disciple of Voldemort and blames Harry for his master’s demise. He is now on the hunt for Harry, with the desire to kill him in order to facilitate Voldemort’s return to full power. Mr Weasley tells Harry not to go looking for Black. Why would he go looking for someone who wants to kill him? It seems there is more to Sirius Black than meets the eye...
This is film number three out of eight (the last book is due to be split into two films) and it’s notable as the point where things take a slightly darker turn. It breaks away from the conventions of the first two and tells a more interesting story. The time-travel element is dealt with very well and adds a good twist to the ending. The characters also have a lot more depth, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin in particular. The first two films were very faithful but rather unexciting, the director seemed afraid to attempt to make his own mark on the films. This time around they made the brave decision to choose Alfonso Cuaron, director of Y tu mamá también (the moment when the three main characters hug, after they believe Buckbeak to be dead, pays homage to this film). This decision definitely pays off; he adds an aspect of realism to the film, which may seem strange for a fantasy but it works really well. The look is darker and grainier and there is a naturalistic feel to it that makes all the fantasy elements more believable, and paradoxically, more fantastic. It is a film that works on its own but also won’t disappoint the legions of Potter fans.
The plot of the film is rather murky at times and there are moments when more explanation would have been beneficial to those who haven’t read the book. It fails to fully explain the friendship between Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and Harry’s Dad, James Potter. It also doesn’t enlighten audiences that these four were the creators of the Marauder’s Map: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs or that three of the friends became Animagi (able to turn into animals) in order to look out for Lupin. These small details should have been clarified in order for viewers to get a better idea of certain character’s relationships and motivations.
This film, along with the others in the series, is a real showcase for the cream of British acting talent. There are fine performances from Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon (taking over from Richard Harris as Dumbledore). The three leads have matured and developed and look much more comfortable in their roles. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black is an inspired piece of casting. Famed for playing madmen and bad guys but more recently he has come to portray guardian figures for heroes such as in the new Batman films. Along with David Thewlis as Professor Lupin who also does an excellent job, he delivers a character with shadowy complexity which results in a credible and convincing performance. Both actors, playing characters who are firm fan favourites, excel during moments of serious emotion as well as those of good humour.
Professor Remus Lupin is a complicated and secretive character whom the audience has great sympathy for. There are many clues in the film as to what his deep, dark secret is. Professor Snape provides one when he covers a ‘Defence Against the Dark Arts’ lesson, the subject he chooses to teach them is werewolves. When Lupin returns he looks a bit worse for wear; pale and drawn with scratches on his face. During one lesson, he steps in front of Harry to face the Boggart (which shape shifts into what you fear the most) and it turns into a full moon. His character’s secret isn’t the most difficult mystery to solve, in fact it’s incredibly simple if you just analyse his name: Romulus and Remus were two young boys brought up by wolves and ‘lupus’ is the latin name for wolf. It’s interesting that he was bitten as a child when he’d already been given this name(!) Destiny? Or J.K. Rowling again giving characters names to reflect their nature.
The end of the film is not all happy and jolly like the first two were. Sirius is still a wanted man, Pettigrew escaped and Lupin must leave Hogwarts. It is rather poignant and makes way for the future films, which are going to get even darker, suggesting there isn’t going to be a happy ending for everyone. Sirius flies away on Hagrid’s hippogryph, which ties up the first three films nicely because it is a reversal of the first film’s opening scene where Hagrid arrives on a flying motorbike (the book explains he borrowed this from Sirius). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is one of, if not, the best in the series. It has an interesting story, a skilful director, great characters, engaging actors, emotion, humour, secrets, twists, and even a bit of time-travel thrown in for good measure.
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