The color has been drained out of Hogwarts and all we are left with is a brilliant palette of purple and black as Alfonso Cuarón takes the helm giving us a much different view of the, now infamous, wizardry school that plays home to the Harry Potter phenomenon.
Harry is now in his third year at Hogwarts and this time the air around the school has cooled down as a killer is on the loose and just may have his eyes set on young Potter.
As the Potter trio of Harry, Ron and Hermoine return to Hogwarts they are not only greeted by a new kind of evil but as well as a new class of teachers and brilliant actors to play the parts. Starting off at the top of the list is Michael Gambon who fills in nicely for the deceased Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore and we are also greeted by Emma Thompson as the looney Divination Professor, Sybil Trelawney and with her Coke bottle glasses and erratic behavior she is a welcome member to the cast.
But the most important new member, at least to the story line, is the latest professor to tackle the job as the Professor of Dark Arts, Professor Lupin played by David Thewlis. Thewlis’ role is integral as have been all the past Dark Arts teachers, and he fits in nicely with a certain amount of charm and intrigue to keep you guessing up until the end, which, if you haven’t already read the book, brings me to a point that must be made.
If you have already read the Prisoner of Azkaban novel by J.K. Rowling don’t expect anymore from this film than you did its two predecessors. Personally I thought Prisoner was the best of the first three books and Cuarón’s approach to the film was a perfect adaptation of the book, helping it surpass the first two films.
The only glitches in the system would have to be the acting as our young Potter trio has mastered the art of happy and mad, but now they are being asked to be sad and the tears just aren’t convincing.
As far as the questions surrounding whether or not the aging young actors can continue to carry out the roles of the witches and wizards in training is really a question that I wish would not be brought up. The fact that the actors age is just as important as was the directorial change creating new life in a series of films that could quickly become stagnant. The beauty of Harry Potter books and films is the fact that the characters do grow older and with that so do the stories grow, and we get to grow along with them. This isn’t the Simpson’s where Bart and Lisa stay the same age, there is a certain amount of realism that is added with the aging of the actors that makes these movies extremely special.
I do believe that Prisoner of Azkaban is easily the best of the three films thus far and will have us all anxiously awaiting the release of Goblet of Fire, which fortunately will once again carry the same cast along with a new director. Warner Bros. seems to be moving in the right direction with these films and I only hope that they can keep the core cast together to finish it out with style.
