Harry and His Friends are Growing up in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Written: Jun 08 '04 (Updated Jul 15 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Cast. Buckbeak.
Cons: Things left out or not explained enough. Some characters not used enough.
The Bottom Line: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the newest movie in the Harry Potter series. Fans of the first two movies should see this one.
dragonfire88's Full Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In 2001, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was released and became a hit movie. It was based on a book by the same name. The book was the first in a series about the life of Harry Potter. The following year, the second movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released and it also became a hit movie. Now, after eighteen months, the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has finally been released.
I will be mentioning a few things that will be spoilers for the first two movies to people who haven’t seen them yet when I discuss this movie. If you haven’t seen the first two movies, or read the books they are based on, read at your own risk.
Harry had to return to the Dursley’s until his third year at Hogwarts begins. Uncle Vernon’s sister Marge arrived for a visit. She said some things about James and Lily that upset Harry and caused him to do magic, which is not allowed outside of school for underage wizards. Harry then packed up his belongings and left. He noticed a large black dog watching him right before the Knight Bus, transportation for wizards, arrived. During the ride, he learned that Sirius Black, a wizard that had killed muggles, had escaped from Azkaban prison. Sirius had been a supporter of Voldemort, the evil wizard that had killed Harry’s parents. Harry went to the Leaky Cauldron, where he spoke with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Harry was surprised that he wasn’t in trouble.
Harry meets up with Hermione and Ron the next day. On the way to Hogwarts, the train stopped unexpectedly. Dementors, the guards from Azkaban prison, were on the train looking for Sirius. Harry had a very strong reaction to a dementor before Professor Lupin, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, drove him off. Once at Hogwarts, Dumbledore, the headmaster, announced that the dementors would be standing guard along the borders of the school grounds. It was believed that Sirius would be going after Harry.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione started some new classes, including divination and care of magical creatures. Professor Trelawney, the divination instructor, predicted bad things for Harry. Hagrid was teaching the care of magical creatures class. For his first lesson, he introduced the class to Buckbeak, a hippogiff. Harry was able to pet and even ride Buckbeak. Draco insulted Buckbeak, and ended up getting scratched, which caused lots of trouble for Hagrid and Buckbeak. Harry continued to have strong reactions to dementors. Professor Lupin started to teach Harry how to fight a dementor. Professor Lupin had known James and Lily Potter, and he talked to Harry about them. Hermione wasn’t telling Harry and Ron something. Professor Snape knew Lupin from before and didn’t like him. Third year students were allowed to travel to the near by magical town, but they had to have signed permission slips from their parents. Harry hadn’t gotten his signed, so he wasn’t allowed to go. Fred and George felt bad for Harry and gave him something called the Marauder’s Map. Using it, Harry was able to sneak to the town. Sirius managed to get into Hogwarts someway.
CAST
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter Richard Griffiths - Uncle Vernon Pam Ferris - Aunt Marge Fiona Shaw - Aunt Petunia Harry Melling - Dudley Dursley Gary Oldman - Sirius Black Robert Hardy - Cornelius Fudge Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley Emma Watson - Hermione Granger Oliver Phelps - George Weasley James Phelps - Fred Weasley Chris Rankin - Percy Weasley Julie Walters - Molly Weasley Bonnie Wright - Ginny Weasley Mark Williams - Arthur Weasley David Thewlis - Professor Lupin Michael Gambon - Albus Dumbledore Alan Rickman - Professor Severus Snape Maggie Smith - Professor Minerva McGonagall Robbie Coltrane - Rebeus Hagrid Matthew Lewis - Neville Longbottom Tom Felton - Draco Malfoy Emma Thompson - Professor Sybil Trelawney
Alfonso Cuaron - Director
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in theaters on June 4, 2004. The movie was 142 minutes long and rated PG. There were a few things that could be a bit scary for younger children. I do think the movie is a bit long for younger children to sit through and stay interested. Kids that read the book should be fine. The movie is based on the book of the same name by J.K. Rowling.
I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. More than what I have mentioned so far went on during the movie. I have read the book more than once, so I did know basically what was going to happen, though I didn’t know exactly what would be changed or left out. I’ll get more into that a bit later. Even though I know what was going to happen for the most part, I wasn’t bored by the movie. It kept my interest. It was fairly fast paced, and it didn’t seem like the movie was over two hours long. I did think the movie was rushed at times, and even seemed a bit choppy. The movie picked up a few months after the second on ended. There was no recap of what happened in the first two movies, so people who haven’t seen those movies first, or read the books, probably would have been lost. I do think that people should see the movies in this series, or read the books, in order. That way, people will be aware of what happened to the characters previously. This movie did have its own main plot, but it builds on things that happened in the first two.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was a dark movie with the dementors and an escaped murderer running around. The dementors were creepy, but I thought they were scarier in the book. Some children could be scared by them though. Personally, I found the giant snake scarier in the second movie, but I am absolutely terrified of snakes. A snake did make an appearance briefly in this movie as well, along with a very large spider. People who are afraid of those animals may want to close or cover their eyes while those things are around. I didn’t think that movie was scary.
There was some action in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The students learned how to fight bogarts, things that take on the shape of whatever the person facing them fears. There was a quidditch game played during a horrible thunder storm at one point. Harry, Hermione and Ron had to deal with many things during the course of the movie, including dealing with the whomping willow. A lot happened during the movie. There was a little bit of violence, including someone getting punched, but the violence wasn’t too bad. There were funny things that happened throughout the movie as well. What Harry did to Marge was hilarious, as was the Knight Bus and Neville’s turn at fighting the bogart.
Special effects were used at different times during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I believe that the dementors and Buckbeak were created through CGI. I thought that both were good, especially Buckbeak. I have been looking forward to seeing Buckbeak ever since I read the book for the first time. The ghosts that wander around Hogwarts turned up a few different times, though Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, was missing. The moving staircases and paintings were shown more. Those things were usually just background, but one painting was a bit more important than the others. The whomping willow turned up again as well in a few scenes. The tree was important to a few scenes, and other times was just shown in the background. I thought that the special effects in the movie were well done.
There were many changes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, both from things established in the first two movies, and from things in the book. This was the first movie in the series not directed by Christopher Columbus. Some people were critical of the fact he stayed so true to the books, especially the first, but that didn’t bother me. Alfonso Cuaron, the director of the third movie, did some things differently. The movie had a different look overall. The colors were more muted. It looked dark and gloomy fairly often during this movie. There were times when the picture was grainy or even blurry a time or two. There were fade outs from some scenes, and a few times when those were used, it seemed like a scene was cut a bit short. Harry and his friends weren’t shown in class very often, or even doing homework. There weren’t a lot of scenes taking place during classes in the first two movies, but there were even less in this one. The students did wear casual clothes more often instead of mainly their robes. That did make it seem more like the students were regular kids, but it seemed like some of the magic from the first two movies was missing.
I am still puzzled by some things that were changed in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The first movie established the look and location of the main settings, including the Dursley’s home and Hogwarts. Some of those things changed in this movie for some reason. I don’t think anything changed at the Dursley’s, but I haven’t watched the previous movies lately. There were several things different at Hogwarts. Hagrid’s home looked the same, but was in a completly different location, no where near where it was before. So was the whomping willow. I don’t understand why those things were changed. It looked like they weren’t even on the grounds of Hogwarts anymore. The school could be seen from both locations, but it seemed to be farther off in the distance than it should have been. Hagrid’s home was now on the side of some mountain. There was also a bridge that wasn’t anywhere around before. Several scenes took place on or near it. There were also several scenes in some kind of courtyard that I don’t remember seeing before. Hogwarts just looked different. I understand that a different director would want to do some things differently, but I don’t think the location and even look of some settings should be changed like that. I don’t like that those things were changed for no reason. Now I’m wondering what is going to be moved in the next movie.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the shortest of the three Harry Potter movies that have been made so far, but the book it is based on is the longest of the three. I knew there would be things left out, or changed since that always happens when movies are based on books. I do think that a bit too much was cut from this movie. There were some important explanations in the book that were left completly out of the movie. Harry did receive the marauder’s map in both, though there was more information about it in the book. There were some names that were linked to the map, though it wasn’t explained exactly who they were. That needed to be in the movie. A few things happened at a different time in the movie than they did in the book. Certain things happened in the book that were left out all together. Harry learned some more about his father in the book. A few things about James Potter were mentioned in the movie, but one very important thing was left out. Some things related to Sirius were left out as well. The things I have mentioned that were left out really needed to be in the movie to explain things better for people who haven’t read the book. There were some other things that were left out, but they weren’t as important to what was going on. It wouldn’t have taken that long for those few things to have been mentioned or explained, and it would have helped the movie. A movie version of the fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has started filming. I do want to see that movie once it is released, but I am worrying about how much will be cut from it since that book is even longer than the third book. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my favorite of the books so far. I’m just hoping that it doesn’t get chopped up too much.
The same group of main characters has been in all three of the Harry Potter movies. Harry, of course, has been in all the movies, along with his muggle relatives the Dursleys, and students and faculty at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have been the main characters in all the movies. They have grown and changed over the course of the movies. Ron didn’t really have as much to do in this movie. Neville didn’t seem to be around as much either. There were several new characters in this movie. Marge was only in a few scenes at the beginning of the movie. Professor Trelawney taught a new class that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were taking. She was only around a few times. Professor Lupine, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, was around more than any of the other new characters, so he was a little more developed. Sirius wasn’t around too much, though other characters talked about him throughout the movie. Some of the characters, like Ron’s family and some of the professors, were hardly in the movie at all. I hope that they, especially Fred and George, turn up more in the next movie.
I thought that the acting was good in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson did better with their parts than they have in previous movies. They have become better actors. They continue to look like how I imagined their characters when I read the books. Alan Rickman was once again perfect as Professor Snape. He expresses so much with just a look or a few words. He did get to do a bit more in this movie. Maggie Smith was barely around this time unfortunately. When I first heard who was playing Sirius, I wasn’t too sure if Gary Oldman fit the part. I’ve seen Oldman in other movies, and enjoyed his performances, but he didn’t look like how I pictured Sirius. I didn’t really have any particular actor in mind, but I wasn’t sure about him. Now that I have seen the movie, I think he did great with the part. He was only shown in some wizard wanted posters or in wizard newspapers for most of the movie, but once he did turn up, he was very good. And he did look very close to how I imagined Sirius.
When Professor Lupin first appeared in the book, I imagined him as being older. Then he shared that he had gone to Hogwarts with James and Lily, so he wouldn’t have been as old as I first imagined. I’ve never seen David Thewlis before this movie. I think he was very good as Lupin. Emma Thompson joined the cast as Professor Trelawney. She portrayed the character a little more over the top than I imagined her when I read the book, but it worked for the character. I liked her in this part. Richard Harris played Dumbledore in the first two movies. He died before filming on the third movie began, so the part had to be recast. Michael Gambon played Dumbledore this time. He played Dumbledore differently than Richard Harris did, though I did think he did a good job with the part. I didn’t like him in the part as much as I did Richard Harris though. Robbie Coltrane also returned from the previous movies. He is really good as Hagrid. The other actors had very small parts, but they all did well in them.
CHARACTERS
Harry Potter - Young wizard. His parents were murdered by the evil wizard Voldemort when Harry was only a baby. Harry was raised by relatives who kept the truth about his parents from him. When he was eleven, Harry started attending Hogwarts, a school where young witches and wizards went to learn magic. Harry acted very mature most of the time and didn’t panic in dangerous situations. He did loose his temper a few times. He was a powerful wizard for his age.
Ron Weasley - One of Harry’s best friends. Ron’s entire family was magical, and three of his older brothers also went to Hogwarts. His younger sister also went to Hogwarts. The two oldest Weasley children had already graduated from Hogwarts. Ron’s family didn’t have a lot of money, so he had a lot of hand me downs, including his pet rat Scabbers. Ron had some trouble with spells at times. He was terrified of spiders.
Hermione Granger - Her parents were muggles, but they didn’t have a problem with her attending Hogwarts. She was a very good student, and had a reputation for being a know it all. She was friends with Harry and Ron.
Neville Longbottom - Student at Hogwarts. He was in Gryffindor. He lived with his grandmother. He was forgetful at times and had trouble with spells. He was picked on by the school bullies at different times.
Draco Malfoy - Student at Hogwarts in Slytherin. He can be very nasty. He hates Harry and does everything he can to cause trouble.
Albus Dumbledore - He was the headmaster of Hogwarts and a very powerful wizard. He was kind and seemed to take a special interest in Harry.
Rebeus Hagrid - He had worked at Hogwarts for several years. He was now teaching a class on the care of magical creatures. He loved magical creatures. He was very kind. He was friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.
Professor McGonagall - She was in charge of Gryffindor house at Hogwarts and one of the instructors. She could be tough on students at times.
Professor Snape - He taught the potions class. He seemed to favor the students from Slytherin house and treat the students from Gryffindor harsher. Snape did not like Harry for some reason.
Professor Lupin - He was the new defense against the dark arts teacher. He had been friends with James and Lily Potter while they were all students at Hogwarts. Lupin took an interest in Harry.
Sirius Black - He had known James and Lily when they were in school as well. Sirius had been sent to the wizard prison of Azkaban for killing a wizard and several muggles. He was blamed for Voldemort being able to find James and Lily.
Cornelius Fudge - He was the Minister of Magic.
The Dursleys - Harry’s muggle relatives. Petunia and Lily were sisters. Petunia and her husband Vernon looked down on magic. They took in Harry after his parents were killed, but they intended to keep him from knowing the truth about his parents. They didn’t want him involved with magic. They treated Harry awful and favored their own son Dudley.
Marge - Vernon’s sister. She raised dogs. She came to visit the Dursleys. She was very nasty to Harry.
I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, though I do think that too much was cut. Fans of the books and first two movies should see this movie and enjoy it as well. I do think that people should at least see the first two movies before seeing this one. Reading the books first isn’t absolutely necessary, but I do think it helps with understanding some things.
It s Harry s third year at Hogwarts, but a shadow hangs over Hogwarts s. A dangerous mass murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped the Azkaban Fortress - t...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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