My, how Harry Potter has grown–not only is he taller and speaking with a deeper voice, but he has spurred a major film franchise, to go along with the successful books.
His latest installment on the large screen, “”Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban””, finds him even dealing with the beginnings of teen angst, leading to his running away from home–or what passes for it–and being downright rebellious—well they do grow up fast. The film is also darker–even more so than the previous film–and probably in no small part due to the direction of Alfonso Cuaron, known best for the very very (and then some) mature “”Y Tu Mama Tambien””.As with the previous films, the story begins with Harry at the home of the Dursleys–his Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths), Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw), and cousin Dudley (Harry Melling)–with the protagonist again biding time quietly amongst muggles (non-magic folk–yep those terms are back) until school starts again. Things come to a head when Vernon’s sister Marge (Pam Ferris) comes to visit, and starts being all snooty, high and mighty–as visiting relatives can be–and Harry, after hearing her insult his parents, turns her into a human balloon and watches her float away. This doesn’t sit too well with Vernon, but the young lad doesn’t care what his uncle thinks at this point and bolts home for…anywhere else.After wandering a bit, Harry is escorted to lodgings at Diagon Alley (seen in the earlier movies–where the magic stores are, among other things) aboard a triple decker Knight Bus. On board the wildly driven transport, he learns about an escaped prisoner from Azkaban Prison named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman)–hence the name of this installment’s title–who had been put away for murder…and has so far been the only one to escape from that locale. Once Harry comes to Diagon Alley, and reunites with pals Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson), he learns more about Black from the former’s father (Mark Williams)–specifically, that the loose convict was involved in the deaths of the Potters and is now after their son.Adding to this situation, along with Harry’s promise not to go after Sirius himself, is a strange encounter the young wizard has on the train to Hogwart’s with a dementor, one of the ominous phantom-like guards of Azkaban now searching for the escapee. The experience leaves Potter both temporarily unconscious and with a strong fear of this creature. Things are not made easier for him upon arrival at his school, where the dementors are to maintain a continual presence as they search for Black.If these matters weren’t enough for Potter–along with the ghostly apparition that takes the form of a dog–there are the classes he must attend in this his third year. These include Divination, (i.e. deals with crystal balls and palm reading…that sort of thing) taught by Professor Trelawney (Emma Thompson), the Care of Magical Creatures, which features groundskeeper-turned-instructor Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), and–of course–Defense Against the Dark Arts with newcomer Prof. Lupin (David Thewlis). This last one, and not surprising given its history (and the high teacher turnover–why anyone would want to cover the class is puzzling), proves the most significant to the story.Other developments this time include the feud between Ron and Hermoine over their respective pets–rat Scabber for the former and cat Crookshanks for the latter, the continued annoyance of Draco Malfoy towards the main characters, and a strange map, called a Marauder’s Map, which shows secret passageways as well as virtually everyone’s location at a given time–given to Harry by Ron’s older brothers (Oliver and James Phelps). This last item is provided so as to sneak off to nearby Hogsmeade, a town where the students go off to have fun (and seemed to get little mention in earlier films…hmmm) and where there is a bar owned by Madame Rosmerta (Julie Christie). Harry also becomes concerned about the fate of Hagrid’s pet/class subject (yes Hagrid has another strange pet in this one) Buckbeak, a Hippogriff–part horse and part bird, and is sentenced to death following an encounter with Malfoy, though the latter provoked him.If there seems to be a lot of plot, well, it is a Harry Potter movie, so there is the requisite twists and turns, as to be expected by those who have seen the earlier movies and read the books. This knowledge is tow, one can figure out what happens, and even without it someone with linguistic skills can figure out one of the character’s secrets. One of the positives of this being the third movie, is that there is less exposition as things dive right into the main story (Black gets mentioned early on, for instance) and keep things, well, somewhat shorter.[pagebreak]This is a darker flick, even more so than the previous one, whether it’s the concern over an escaped murderer, and the ones looking for him–the dementors. The lead character is different this time, not just that he looks older but seems to defy authority. Before one considers the idea of a kid’s movie with the rebellious teen as the focus, there is the whole whimsical-ness, which comes in no small part from the special effects which are mostly well done (save for one of the beasts late in the film). The effects are good, and the story is more interesting this time around, and the acting is also well done. Among the standouts here are Thewlis, as the seemingly helpful, yet mysterious, Lupin, and Thompson as the hippie-ish (crazy hair, clothes, and all) Trelawney whose class might have once been described as ‘far out’. Also returning are Alan Rickman as Prof. Snapes and Maggie Smith as Prof. McGonagall, with Michael Gambon taking over the role of Headmaster Dumbledore.On the flip side, while many of the actors do well, they appear in smaller parts versus the earlier films (Coltrane and Maggie Smith, for instance). Gambon, while an accomplished actor, doesn’t hold up well given his predecessor; Richard Harris ‘was’ Dumbledore–he really got into the role–whereas Gambon seems to be a tad off, maybe due in part to his younger age…it takes more than old wizard make-up to be the Headmaster. Oldman does a decent, and interesting (given his history of roles) job as Black, but doesn’t really appear much until later in the movie. It helps to have seen the earlier films, or read their literary counterparts, to follow “”..Prisoner of Azkaban””, whether it’s the returning characters, the references to Lord Voldemont, or even Ron’s fear of spiders. Still, those whose used to the look and feel of the prequels to this might need to get used to Harry and friends dressed casually, rather than their suits and long robes (the above picture is one of these few moments). Certain characters aren’t the only ones who appear less, as the game of quidditch comes only briefly, and in driving rain at that.Ron, meanwhile, is little too wimpy, even by his standards, with Hermoine bailing him out. It appears also that Harry passes out often in this one, waking up and staring at people—it gets to be a bit much after the first one.As with any franchise such as this, there are lots of phrases and expressions to get caught up on–just as “”Star Trek”” has ‘prime directive’ and ‘Federation’ and “”Star Wars”” has ‘TIE fighter’ and ‘Old Republic’, so too does Harry Potter’s work with ‘muggles’, ‘quidditch’, and ‘boggarts’. Many will be lost if they are not familiar, and many of the terms will sound as gibberish. Still, there is enough here, between the quicker-paced story and the talented cast, to provide basic entertainment.For the folks who are devotees, on the other hand, seeing the characters’ new looks, and attitudes—Hermoine has a take charge outlook in this one–may take some getting used to, but in the end there is enough recognizable here that they will be satisfied.Grade: BEM Reviewby Andrew Haas6/4/04