UrbanWire

There's been great anticipation all across the globe for upcoming movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the latest instalment of J.K.Rowling's famous series to be brought to the screens), which is pegged to become one of this summer's biggest blockbusters. Being big Harry fans, UrbanWire jumped at the chance to take a sneak peek!

The Knight Bus
The Singapore Gala Premiere of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was held on May 31 at Cathay Cineplex Orchard. Though nowhere near as exciting as the New York and London premieres of the film, which saw the Harry Potter stars out in full force, this premiere was nonetheless interesting, with the appearance of a real Knight Bus!

Magic Galore
There was even complete a magical crew onboard to entertain selected fans, bystanders and premiere guests!

"Welcome to the Knight Bus. Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard!"
Cathay's very realistic version of Stan Shunpike, the famous conductor of the Knight Bus, invited us to board the large purple double-decker bus (masquerading as a triple-decker), parked right outside the cinema's front doors.

"Expecto Patronum!"
On board, we were treated to a short skit by Stan and some Hogwarts students, who informed us that the dangerous escaped convict Sirius Black is on the loose, and taught us a charm to protect us from the evil Dementors of Azkaban, who would kill any wizard that stood in their way!

Lighting Bolt Scars
Next we got to have lightning bolt scars painted onto our foreheads or hands, to make us "look more like Harry".

Truly Wizard Decor
The bus was full of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban posters and banners!

Get your Gryffindor Swords here!
There were cool activities like balloon twisting, and contests galore!

The Verdict
Altogether it was most enjoyable, and when we finally went into the cinema for the screening of the film, imagine my surprise when the entire Knight Bus crew ended up sitting right in front of me! As you can imagine, when the Knight Bus appeared on the screen, there were a lot of cheers from them.

Try it Yourself!
And for a short time, you can go one better than just seeing the Knight Bus in real life. The Knight Bus will be giving free rides around Orchard Rd twice hourly, daily from 11am to 8pm until Jun 9. The bus picks up passengers from The Youth Park, and free tickets can be picked up from Cathay Cineplex Orchard. Shopping at the Great Singapore Sale will never be the same again.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is now in cinemas, playing to sell-out audiences. UrbanWire asked moviegoers what they thought of the new Harry Potter film, and these are some of the reactions we received:

"It was good, but I think they left out some important parts, like when Lupin got the Marauders' Map, he was supposed to tell Harry that he made it, and I thought that was important. There was some other stuff too, but they weren't major."
- Gregory Demitrack, 12.

"I thought that it was excellent, exceeded my expectations, but I didn't like the fact that the origins of the Marauders' Map wasn't explained. I really enjoyed seeing the characters develop and grow, especially Harry. It's way better than the first 2." - Vera Khoo, 25, Marketing Executive.

"Pretty good, [but] I was scared of Professor Lupin at the end when he changed into a werewolf." - Zoe Demitrack, 7.

"I liked the part where Hermione punched Malfoy. [The Prisoner of Azkaban] was better than the first 2 films." - Gregory Teth, 9.

"It was an extremely good movie. Although they left out parts like the 4 marauders and how Snape used the invisibility cloak to get into the Shriecking Shack. Also, the trio could have taken Hermione popping in and out everywhere a bit more seiously." - Sam Khanlari, 13.