UrbanWire

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (PG)
Opens June 3
Running Time: 145 min

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman
Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Well, it's our favourite boy wizard's turn to experience the trials and tribulations of puberty (along with the usual attempt to kill him) in this summer's blockbuster, the screen adaptation of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

In this 3rd and darkest instalment, Harry discovers that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), a psychotic murderer, has escaped from the famous Wizarding prison Azkaban and is out to kill him to avenge Lord Voldemort's defeat. Back at Hogwarts, Harry also has to contend with the dark, lurking presence of the Dementors - grim reaper look-alikes who guard Azkaban and are on the hunt for Black.

Yet more surprises are in store for Harry though, ranging from a ride on the fantastic purple Knight Bus, an encounter with a Hippogriff (a regal half-horse, half-eagle magical creature), and learning more about his parents from the new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor Remus J. Lupin (David Thewlis), who has a dark secret of his own to hide. Also joining the cast are Emma Thompson, who plays the wacky Divination professor Sibyll Trelawney, and Michael Gambon, who takes over from the late Richard Harris as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, with special appearances by French & Saunders' Dawn French as the Fat Lady in a Pink Dress, and Lenny Henry as a nutty Shrunken Head.

In the director's chair this time is Alfonso Cuaron, whose appointment raised quite a few eyebrows when it was announced in late 2002. Many were sceptical about Warner Brothers' choice, as his credentials paled against his predecessor's, the seasoned family-film maker Chris Columbus, whose credits include Home Alone and Bicentennial Man. Cuaron's latest work Y Tu Mamá También, on the other hand, is a raunchy coming-of-age film about 2 teenage boys and an older woman who go on a road trip together.

However, Cuaron is also credited for having directed the enchanting 1995 children's film A little Princess, and it is possible that a combination of both these films influenced Warner Brothers' decision, as the Mexican has demonstrated not only his ability to elicit credible performances from child actors, but also his sensitivity in conveying the delicate issue of puberty into a real, relatable picture. As Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is considered the pivotal turning point of the books, when Harry and his friends turn teenagers, it was no doubt essential that the director of this film be able to not only maintain the magic of Harry's world, but also be able to convey the emotional journey that Harry undergoes.

Portraying Harry's world in honeyed and bright tones, Chris Columbus normally used just 1 camera that was positioned in 1 place, and had the actors stand in front of it and act, earning him a lot of flak for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as critics felt that the camera shots were very wooden, and that they couldn't get a proper feel for the films.

Cuaron's style is completely different. Gone are the warm tones of the first 2 films. Instead The Prisoner of Azkaban is suitably mysterious and foreboding. Cuaron's camera work is fluid, the camera moving constantly, bringing out the highly charged emotions in each scene brilliantly, so that you almost feel as if you were right there. Cuaron also makes excellent use of cinematography, using beautiful nature scenes to set the tone of the film and show transitions in time to great effect.

The young trio's performances have also dramatically improved. Much more at home onscreen, Cuaron has been able to gain stunning performances from all 3, particularly 14-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter. In an interview with Empire magazine, Cuaron revealed that Dan had been very willing to bring more emotion into his performance - at times, almost too much.

"The amount of pain that he put into [some] scenes was almost dangerous. He almost fainted [once], and it was like, 'Hey Dan, let's slow down here a bit.' " He was quoted saying.

Similarly for the plot, The Prisoner of Azkaban is a huge improvement. While it has been said that Cuaron was a lot more liberal with J.K.Rowling's content than Columbus was, this film feels much more faithful to the books than Columbus' adaptations ever were. Columbus had the habit of squeezing in as many scenes from the book into the time he was given as he could, but changing and simplifying the dialogue, sometimes to produce lame cracks for younger kids. This made missing scenes all the more glaring, and J.K.Rowling's exquisitely plotted mysteries were ruined, with utterly no lead-up to help moviegoers solve them, for example, the fact that Ginny Weasley was the one who had opened the Chamber of Secrets in the 2nd film.

Instead of trying to squash in as many scenes as possible, Cuaron simply picked the key ones, and arranged them in order so that important events unfolded almost exactly as they had in the book. If it was not possible for the exact setting to be replicated, Cuaron created a new scene, which kept the original dialogue from the books and strived to achieve the same goal. Therefore, the movie experience is exactly like the book - a thrilling story with unexpected twists and danger at every corner, while underlying serious issues like friendship, loss, betrayal and bullying.

Of course, as this is a movie adaptation, there will be inconsistencies, like the lack of lead-up to the appearance of Snape in the pivotal scene near the end of the film, and the lack of explanation as to why the adults (Lupin and Black) seemed to know exactly how to use Harry's Marauders' Map. Ron (Rupert Grint), Harry's best friend, who in the books is very sarcastic, with lots of humourous retorts and comebacks, has been turned into a scared, cautious boy onscreen, seeming to be the butt of most of the jokes. Although Grint plays his part well, true Ron fans are likely to be disappointed with Ron's lack of witty comebacks.

There is also that unfortunate Hogwarts rule that directors keep breaking - the "no magic to be used by underage wizards outside school" rule. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, although Harry is reprimanded for blowing up his aunt, no one seems to care that just the night before, he was casting a spell to produce enormous jets of light. In Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Columbus also overlooked this rule, having Harry reprimanded for the floating pudding (a spell cast by a House Elf called Dobby), but not minding that Hermione was freely casting spells in Diagon Alley.

On the other hand, CGI effects for this film have definitely improved. The dementors are extremely spooky and realistic gliding in their long black, fluttery ragged cloaks- bringing a chill to all every time they grace the screen.

The new British thespians in the cast also add much colour to the film. Gambon's Dumbledore is whimsical and multi-faceted, much more like the Dumbledore in the books than Richard Harris' Dumbledore. David Thewlis is also perfect in his portrayal of the poignant, caring Professor Lupin, while Gary Oldman wows audiences with his dramatic performance as Sirius Black.

Coupled with John Williams' haunting, bittersweet melodies, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban is a masterpiece to behold, its ensemble cast giving an entertaining, humourous, thrilling and poignant performance that will surely keep you glued to your seat till the very end.