Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Widescreen)

 

 

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Like most people, I bought all the Harry Potter movies on DVD as they came out. When I heard they were making extended editions of the films, I figured it was worth it to repurchase and upgrade to bluray. Unlike the first two films, this one is NOT an extended version of the film. The bonus features do include the deleted scenes but they are not reincorporated back into the film. I purchased the first 4 of the Ultimate Editions only to discover that, very misleadingly, only the first two had extended versions. If you already own the series, it's not, in my opinion, worth it to upgrade to these ones. The new bonus content is not worth the extra money and it's the same version of the movie you already own.

I put this review off for a long time because I wanted to re-read the book before offering final judgment on the movie. I have to admit that I cannot add my name to the supposed list of people hailing Alfonso Cuar'n as the perfect director for this pivotal film in the Harry Potter series. It is natural that a new director would make changes to redefine the world in his own image, but I think this movie makes far too many changes - I could forgive that, but some of the additions are just, well, silly and wholly unnecessary. J.K. Rowling herself might love the shrunken head on the Knight Bus, but I have no use for it - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is not a comedy, and it does not need the intellectual equivalent of a man doing a pratfall. At Hogwarts, you get ghost horsemen crashing through windows and thumping into the Great Hall. There are a number of similar additions I consider useless at best. Why throw these things in there? It's not like you are starting with a weak story and having to pad the film. Did Cuaron think he needed to add a few silly scenes in order to make the film appeal to children? As if there's a child in Western society who isn't already a rabid Harry Potter fan. And the clothing rubs me the wrong way - rarely do you see the kids in their Hogwarts uniforms in this movie. And speaking of Hogwarts, it looks nothing like it did in the first two films; I kept expecting Julie Andrews to come strolling over one of the hills singing The Sound of Music. All of these needless changes took away from my enjoyment of Rowling's story. The fact that the kids are outgrowing their characters didn't help either - Neville, Malfoy, and, to some degree, Ron hardly resemble themselves from the first two movies. I didn't like the fact that Dumbledore's attire was completely changed (and that little rubber band in the beard thing was - to me - horrible) - in my opinion, all of that added unneeded complications to the transition process from the late Richard Harris to Michael Gambon in this pivotal role.

I'm not saying Cuaron didn't do some things well, though. The guys and gals who designed Buckbeak (in both model and CGI form) went well beyond the call of duty and should be praised. Aunt Marge, Professor Trelawney, Professor Lupin, and Sirius Black were perfect embodiments of their literary selves. Hogsmeade was an unqualified visual success. The Dementors were brought to life very effectively. Definitely, in many ways this was a very impressive film. Notice I haven't mentioned the story yet.

Ah, yes, the plot. Obviously, I think the movie left out more than it should have to make room for a lot of unnecessary fluff. What we do have, though, feels somewhat disjointed to me - just a bunch of scenes thrown together. Obviously, I knew when the seasons changed as Cuaron went to the well too often with the soaring seasonal transitions, but I did not get the sense that a school year at Hogwarts had passed by the end of the film. Speaking of the ending, I will declare that it was well done indeed. It could have been confusing for younger viewers (assuming, of course, there might actually be one young viewer out there who hadn't actually read the book before seeing the film), so I was glad to see Cuaron really take the time to concentrate on bringing it off as seamlessly as possible.

The extras on the bonus DVD are something of a mixed bag. I think I speak for all of us when I thank the studio for not making us go through some kind of infernal maze just to find a deleted scene. The five deleted scenes included here, though, aren't much to talk about. The games and the tours of Honeydukes and Lupin's classroom will appeal to some, but the real meat of the extras comes in the form of the cast interviews (even though they do force us to endure more of that infernal shrunken head), the featurette on the extraordinary animals seen in the film, and the interviews with director Cuaron and author J.K. Rowling.

I know I've been critical of the film, but that doesn't mean I don't love it. I just think it could have been much better than it was. Many of us take our Harry Potter extremely seriously, and I just would have preferred stricter adherence to Rowling's original story (and, of course, less silly fluff).

It has been quite some time since I had read this HP book and I have read all the HP books, and I had not seen the movie before watching the DVD. I thought as a stand alone movie it was excellent. However as the series of books moves along the movies are forced to abbreviate the increasingly complex plots. I would advise all HP movie buffs to also read the books. The stories, films and characters are all maturing and I hope the pattern is able to continue at such a high level. The cinematography in this DVD is out of this world. I missed Richard Harris as Dumbledore though.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific movie!
I bought this simply in order to complete my Potter collection. Of course, I watched it again - and I had forgotten what a great show it is. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Sharon E. Leighton

5.0 out of 5 stars For the serious Harry Potter fan
Exquisite packaging, excellent bonus features and a great price made this a must-buy for me. The extra few minutes in the movie are a nice bonus, but don't really add a whole lot... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Chris Hanks

4.0 out of 5 stars Dementors, Mad Dogs and a Howling Wolf
Based on J. K. Rowling's book, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" covers the boy wizard's third year at Hogwarts and hit the big screen in 2004. Read more

Published on Jan 23 2007 by Craobh Rua

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry grows up and things change
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Harry still has to put up with the Dursley's and with too mangy negative remarks about his parentage he... Read more

Published on July 2 2006 by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the book, but still good
I liked all the Harry Potter movies. They weren't the books but they were good. The best one was probably the second. The only thing that really got me was the scenery. Read more

Published on April 21 2006

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first two
I have absolutely nothing against Chris Columbus' versions of the Harry Potter series. I just much preferred Alfonso Cuaron's interpretations. Read more

Published on Aug 30 2005 by Christine1012

1.0 out of 5 stars this movie should be burned
movies like these should be locked up forever.there are no words to discribe my sadness.i personily hated the 3rd BOOK,so you can just imagine my disapointment at the... Read more

Published on Aug 21 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good--not the book, but good anyway
If you're like me, you're pretty careful what you spend your money one, researching what people have said, what the price is, whether or not you've seen it, read it, or heard... Read more

Published on July 17 2005 by Charles Brunner

1.0 out of 5 stars Not even close to the book
Prisoner of Azcaban is my favorite Harry Poter book yet. Seeing this movie was an incredible disapointment even compared to the other movies that have come out. Read more

Published on Jun 13 2005 by Jeannine Younger

1.0 out of 5 stars A sad attempt
I am greatly dissapointed. The only time I would even consider recommending this movie to any one would be at a garage sale. Read more

Published on Jun 5 2005 by Rebecca

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