Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Reviewed by:
Patrick Richardson

Like its central characters, the Harry Potter movies have finally hit puberty thanks to new director Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También), who focuses on the darker themes of adolescence that pervade the third book: death, anger, and raging hormones. But don't get your wizard robes in a wad just yet. Azkaban remains true to the book, and only die-hard Potter fans will notice the absence of a few minor plot points. What everyone else will notice is that, unlike its kid-friendly predecessors, this looks and feels like a real movie. Kids will find Azkaban much scarier, partly due to the soul-sucking Dementors who have arrived at Hogwarts in search of escaped prisoner, and suspected accomplice in the murder of Harry's parents, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). In addition to Black, other mysterious creatures Harry confronts along the way include a werewolf, hippogriff, the Whomping Willow, boggarts, and Hermione's new boobs. Ah, the wonder years.