Running time: 136 minutes
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Dawn French, Robert Hardy, Tom Felton
Rating 8 out of 10
The magical world of Harry Potter returns to our screens again. But unlike its previous incarnations, this time it has a soul.Harry Potter and his wizard pals are back for a third term at Hogwarts. The school is buzzing with the news that the dangerous and enigmatic wizard Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison and is searching for Harry. Black is believed to be responsible for leading Lord Voldemort to Harry's parents and ultimately to their murder.
The ominous Azkaban guards - the Dementors - are posted at the school to protect the students from Black, but they seem more interested in probing Potter's mind than searching for the escaped prisoner. Harry is taught to conjure a Patronus Charm as protection from his tormentors by the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Lupin. But Lupin hides a dark secret of his own...
A confrontation between Harry and Black is inevitable, but when they finally do the young wizard is shocked by revelations about his parents that cause him to question exactly who his friends really are.
Director Alfonso Cuaron has taken over the helm of the huge Harry Potter empire and chooses to sail in a different direction to his predecessor Chris Columbus. Fittingly, as the children mature the themes become more adult. Gone is the innocence of the previous two years as the trio examine the meaning of relationships. Harry Potter is now an angst-ridden teenager trying to come to terms with what life has dealt him.
Cuaron has given Hogwarts a much more atmospheric feel where fears are hidden among the shadows created by his moody lighting. A genuine sense of dread is created as the Dementors circle their victims, sucking out their souls. That's not to say that the film doesn't have its lighter moments. Hagrid can always be relied on to bring a bit of comic relief but even his relationship with Buckbeak, a half horse, half eagle breed known as a Hippogriff, has hidden messages on loyalty.
The CGI work is all top notch - from the shape shifting Knight Bus and swirling Dementors to the increasingly impressive Hogwarts Castle. Sir Michael Gambon has stepped seamlessly into Dumbledore's shoes but it's the new characters including Emma Thompson as the short-sighted Professor Trelawney and Dawn French as the Fat Lady that bring added interest to this now familiar world.
It will be a sure-fire hit of course, but unlike many of the other blockbusters out there, this one actually deserves to be. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a wonderfully crafted piece of cinema that doesn't dumb itself down for a younger audience and therein lies the secret of its success. The Harry Potter franchise has just grown up.
Rob Andrews
