Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third installment of the gloriously successful Harry Potter franchise. Though the first two films were fun and beautifully appointed this film ventures beyond the imagination on the page and brings to life not just the story but brings the characters beyond imitation of the books to the movie. Not that Chris Columbus did a bad job helming the first two films; it is just that this film adds so much more richness to the world proposed in the books by J K Rowling. That said, anyone trying to get their children to read should give them the book, though it is much darker and more mature than the first two it also moves better and has a more effective narrative. The thirds book also happens to be my personal favorite of the five in the series so far and as with most things; something of the book is lost in the translation to film. In this case the elements are all here, the problem is that there is so much ground to cover that the film seems choppy at times, scenes are touched on and left and the changes at times are difficult to keep up with. . Not that there is anything missing, just that there is so much that many things are touched upon and then the film moves on. It leaves the watcher with and impression of the book but makes the film jump a little more than one would like.

Alfonso Cuar

Related posts:

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe