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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban June 5, 2004 |
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“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” is a magical film. It’s a film filled with imagination and spirit, a film of soaring heights and bleak lows, of floating candles, feisty fighting willow trees, giant flying horses, dueling werewolves, ghostly guards, shrunken heads, purple buses, and wonderful wizardry. It takes you on an eye popping journey, a mysterious ride, and when you think you have it figured out, it goes back in time to mess it all up again, leveling expectations with brilliant strokes of storytelling, will power, and darkly funny charms, casting an unmistakable spell of thrill and exaggeration; it is, well, simply magic. The third novel (published in Fall ’99) in author J.K. Rowling’s immensely successful series is the darkest of the original Hogwarts novels, and the film echoes that immeasurable sense of doom throughout. Directed by the talented Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron (“Y Tu Mama Tambien”, “The Little Princess”), “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” brings our popular hero (Daniel Radcliffe), now 13, back to his school of wizardry and witchcraft for his junior year, but all is not well at Hogwarts this time around, though it really never is. There is news within the walls, and in the papers, of an escaped convict, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has scaled the walls of Azkaban prison (the maximum security pokey for criminally negligent wizards), and is said to be out for Potter’s head. As such, Hogwarts is under security level Red, guarded by floating demons called Dementors (Grim Reaper wannabes), who haunt Harry at every turn. Danger lurks in the shadows, with Harry and pals Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), searching for, and ducking the menacing escaped murderer and flying school guards in between classes and Quidditch matches, and indeed, it’s so hectic that the trio hardly has time to catch up on tales of summer vacation and growth spurts before their lives are at risk, from one foe or another. “It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving,” says the wise school master Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), and throughout the film, it is they that give Harry the most trouble, skulking around, just waiting to suck the happy memories from a fresh soul. The plot to this third installment in the popular franchise is part of the overall joy. In the first two films, the plots seemed virtually identical, with Harry fighting his arch nemesis Lord Voldemort (who killed his parents when he was a baby), in an all-out battle, as Ron and Hermione laid in vein, caught up in a contrived hole to free Harry for the solo hero battle. Previous director Chris Columbus (not to be mistaken for the famous explorer) had a steady hand, babying Harry through his initial two years, but the execution felt clunky and overtly un-transitional, with page and screen struggling to blend in a satisfactory manner. But here the story (adapted by Steven Kloves) moves quick and fluidly, never bothering to emulate its predecessors, but providing enough information about the background (namely, the story of Harry’s murdered parents, and their history with Sirius Black) that even the most un-initiated filmgoer will get the gist. By now we expect a safe formula from the Potter films, and ‘Azkaban’ does follow the blueprints laid out in the previous installments, but where it differs, and what makes it so much better, is that it’s confident in its little exposition, plunging us, and Harry (after a humorous prologue involving a rude, fat aunt and his noxious step parents) into a dark and mysterious story of fear, memory, murder, wonder, and innocence lost. By the time Harry finally uncovers the truth about the murder of his parents, and confronts Sirius Black, he is no longer that wide-eyed boy wizard of ‘Sorcerers Stone’, or that slightly older incarnation uncovering the ‘Chamber of Secrets’, but well on his way to maturity, for what better way to move ahead, than by confronting your past nightmares. The secret to a good franchise is in its ability to continue using well-known characters in exciting and interesting ways, while introducing fresh subjects to stave off familiarity. This time around, the regulars (including veterans Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, Alan Rickman as the creepy Severus Snape, and Robbie Coltrane as the lovable oaf Hagrid) are joined by a smattering of memorable characters, both big and small. I liked Emma Thompson as the frizzy haired and kooky divinity teacher, Professor Trelawney, and the animated Whomping Willow Tree, which has a craggy personality all its own, and Julie Christie has an amusing cameo as Madame Rosmerta, but the two best additions are Oldman as the titular prisoner (who doesn’t show up for a good 95 minutes), and the venerable David Thewlis as the new Professor of the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin, who helps Harry against the Dementors, and serves as a father figure to the increasingly confused orphan. These two characters, deceptively ying and yang, counter balance some of the attention paid to the three-some of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, and give depth to the complex storyline, providing moments (usually framed by gorgeous mountain scenery) of introspection to young Harry, who doesn’t really know who to trust, and is getting all the more suspicious of his growing powers, and his troubled background. The filmmaking is respectfully gloomy and exciting, balancing an impressive amount of special effects with tricky camera work and well-placed humor. Cuaron is hip to the fact that the first two films were sunny and somewhat cloying, so he employs plenty of clouds and atmosphere (even the mandatory Quidditch match is played in a downpour), and in general supplies a washed-out color tone, a nice effect to complement the darker themes of the story. If one were to get analytical, you could suggest his favoring of circular patterns (the stairwell of the Screaming Shack, the overhead shot of the raging Dementors, the light from Harry’s wand) as a symbol of life doubling back on itself, like Harry’s past continues to come back to haunt his present, but that kind of ruins the fun of it all; it’s a great looking and intelligent film, for sure, ripe for analytical jargon like that, but it’s also a roller coaster ride of bewitching characters and cliffhangers. From the opening joyride on the Knight Bus (a triple-deck bus that lends emergency transportation to all stranded witches and wizards) to the serenely beautiful final moonlit showdown with the Dementors, the film is a virtual treasure trove of visual ideas. Like Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and his friends hop from danger to danger like ignorant bunnies, barely escaping with their precious lives. And though Harry is more apt to escape on the back of an eagle/stallion hybrid, instead of a Nazi jeep, he and Jones are similarly skilled in escaping sudden death, and solving perplexing mysteries with little clues, and lots of luck. In ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’, we’ve finally reached a satisfying mix of story and adventure, emotion and characterization, fluidity and humor; Harry Potter may be growing up, but his story, and his adventures are as magical as ever. by Adam Suraf “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” is playing at the Movieplex 59.
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