Harry
Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban marks the third installment in the series
and a major jump with Alfonso Cuaron taking over the reins from Chris Columbus.
Cuaron is another league as a filmmaker and it shows from early on in the film.
The atmosphere is far more palatable than ever before, which is especially
important given the sense of paranoia created by the central plot of an escaped
fugitive as well as due to the ghostly dementors. Take just for example the
first scene where the black dog appears. The sound design, the editing, the
music, everything comes together in creating a real sense of fear. The film
goes beyond anything seen in the previous two just in sheer filmmaking and that
is because of Cuaron. There is a real fascination with the world itself that
Curaon creates, even with the overarching darker tone, as he takes times
for this smaller moments of beauty, that are the signs of a great director at
work. The story is at its most gripping here as Cuaron executes pivotal scenes
so well, particularly the time bending climax that could have been blundered severely
in the wrong hands. Now as excellent as Cuaron's work is for the most part the
film has a few missteps. The work from the kids still leaves a bit to be
desired unfortunately in some pivotal moments such as when Harry finds out what
he believes Sirius Black did. There is also the introduction of Sirius Black,
which despite being played by Gary Oldman, comes off as a bit much in order to
create a fake out. These missteps are few and can be overlooked in favor
of the greater achievements of the film.
4.5/5
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