Review of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (2-disc edition)

Introduction

I`ve grown fond of the first two Harry Potter films, and the books are comfortable stand bys when it becomes hard to choose just what to read next. J.K. Rowling`s world of witchcraft and wizardry is quite justifiably one of the most popular phenomenons of recent years, and it seems the whole world waits with bated breath for the next instalment of Harry Potter`s adventures later this summer. Yet on reflection I find that there is something lacking in the first two films. I`ve reread my reviews and I can`t find any fault with my opinions. The Philosopher`s Stone and The Chamber Of Secrets were great children`s films, with lashings of magic, adventure and excitement all told in that rather idiosyncratic British way. Reflecting on the films though, it becomes clear that while they are faithful adaptations of the books, they aren`t striking films. That has something to do with the child cast no doubt; it`s difficult finding 11 and 12 year olds who can deliver a distinctive performance. However I feel a greater limitation was a desire to play it safe, to guarantee a longevity for the film franchise, fewer chances were taken with the films and the stories were told in a straightforward no nonsense way, with little to make them distinctive as films. For the Harry Potter films to make a statement, to outgrow their literary roots, they need to be daring, to take a few chances and most importantly actually use as much of the cinematic canvas as possible to tell the story. Step forward Alfonso Cuarón, director of Y Tu Mama Tambien, and now director of the third Harry Potter film, The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

Harry Potter`s third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry gets off to an inauspicious start before he even gets to school, when in a fit of rage, he inflates his obnoxious Aunt Marge. Running away from home he finds his way onto the Knight Bus, which delivers him promptly to The Leaky Cauldron. Face to face with the Minister for Magic, he expects to be censured for breaking the law against underage wizardry, but is surprised to find that the Minister is inclined to be lenient. All becomes clear when he learns of the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban prison. Black was a fervent supporter of Voldemort in the dark days, and Harry learns that Sirius holds him responsible for the dark lord`s demise. Now that he has escaped, Harry is the logical target for his wrath. What`s worse is that the Dementors of Azkaban have been unleashed to affect his recapture, and have taken up residence around Hogwarts, but also seem to take an uncommon and debilitating interest in Harry. Fortunately there is a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts and Professor Lupin is concerned for Harry`s welfare. Harry keeps attracting trouble though, and in between fending off his nemesis Malfoy and learning to fly a Hippogriff, he learns an uncomfortable truth about Sirius Black. But as long as Harry keeps getting into trouble, his best friends Ron and Hermione won`t be far behind.

Video

According to the blurb on the case, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban gets a 2.40:1 anamorphic transfer. It is, as you would expect, a flawless transfer for such a recent film. There is no print damage, no problem with grain, and the image is clear and colourful throughout. The only flaw I could find seemed to be a leftover from preproduction on one of the special effects shots. At 16 minutes and 54 seconds into the film, underneath one of the animated posters of Sirius Black, the number 302 flashes up for a single frame.

For this instalment of the Harry Potter saga, director Alfonso Cuarón takes the film in a grittier direction, this episode is just ever so slightly grimy, the edges are beginning to peel in Harry Potter`s world, and the film is certainly atmospheric as a result. Hogwarts gets a new look, relocated to the mountains, and the film gains dimension as a result. This film has a more natural feel than the first two, and the sense of scale is impressive. The special effects have come on in leaps and bounds and the star of this film has to be Buckbeak the Hippogriff, a stunningly realised chimera, courtesy of CGI. One of the films more memorable scenes has Harry riding the animal as it flies over the lake, dropping low enough to dip a talon in the water. Also making an impression are the Dementors, who have drawn comparison with the Ringwraiths of another literary adaptation. It doesn`t matter as long as they have the power to chill, and their realisation in the film is certainly effective. The Quidditch match is stunningly realised too.

Audio

This title comes with DD 5.1 soundtracks in French and English. Gone is that EX appellation for those of you hoping for consistency in the series. That said the surround certainly does the job in reproducing the thrills and spills of the film. The dialogue is always clear, and the action fills the soundstage. John Williams` music drives the film along once more, building on the familiar themes and adding new breadth to the score. There are subtitles in English, French and Arabic.

Features

Those of you who were expecting Warners to maintain consistency in the packaging will also be disappointed, gone are the foldout digipacks to be replaced by a rather mundane, if sturdier, two disc Amaray case. The animated menus are back, and if you don`t want to watch the film, you can just watch the intro to the menu on Disc 1 instead, which effectively spoils the film by replaying all the key moments. Once again in that annoying trend of modern releases, on inserting Disc 1, a trailer for The Polar Express autoplays that can`t be skipped (but can be fast forwarded). The menu proper is based on the Knight Bus sequence, complete with imprecations from the Shrunken Head, and aside from the set up and scene options, you`ll find the trailers for the three films as well as a cast list.

Disc 2 contains the extras proper and is presented in a nicely designed menu based on the Marauders` Map. I for one would have like to have seen this menu style adopted for the first disc; it`s visually pleasing and doesn`t give anything away. Once again, the dulcet tones of Jim Dale, the American voice of Harry Potter, present the extras. Subtitles are available in English. Dutch, French and Arabic for selected extras, and the inlay inside the case, as well as listing the chapter headings, acts as a map to navigate through the disc.

If you head to the Divination Class, you`ll find Trelawney`s crystal ball, which unveils five deleted scenes presented in letterbox format. Among the five scenes, you`ll get to meet Paul Whitehouse as Sir Cadogan.

Also here are a couple of featurettes.

Creating The Vision is an 11-minute interview with the crew, although primarily with J.K. Rowling and Alfonso Cuarón. They speak of the difficulties of adapting the book.

Head To Shrunken Head is a series of interviews between Johnny Vaughan, the Shrunken Head and various actors and filmmakers from Prisoner Of Azkaban. You can choose to watch these individually, or you can watch them in one sequence lasting 44 minutes. They are fun, light-hearted interviews, which do shed a little light on the film, but are played more for laughs.

In the Great Hall, you`ll find some fun and games.

Catch Scabbers allows you to chase after the rat in the guise of Crookshanks, using the arrow keys on your remote control to avoid obstacles and pitfalls. In the words of Ron Weasley, it`s bloody hard.

Choir Practice provides a chance for a little karaoke.

The Quest Of Sir Cadogan lets you guide the knight through the paintings of Hogwarts in an attempt to regain his post. Succeed and you`ll be presented a tour of the Hogwarts portrait gallery.

In the Defence Against The Dark Arts section, you`ll find a little comprehension quiz, to see if you`ve paid attention to the film. There`s also a chance to tour Professor Lupin`s classroom in one of those iPIX wanderings. The good professor also shows up to give a little instruction.

In a similar vein, you can tour Honeydukes sweetshop, with the aid of the mischievous Weasley twins.

In the Hogwarts Grounds, you`ll find a couple of featurettes. The Care Of Magical Creatures lasts 5 minutes, and tells of all the animals that appear and had to be trained for the film, including cats, bats, crows, dogs, owls and hippos. Conjuring A Scene is a little more substantial at 15 minutes, and looks at the vision of the story and how it was realised on film. From the look of the characters to the special effects, it also looks at the CGI, the sets and the locations of the film.

There is a preview of the game from Electronic Arts that lasts a minute, and there is a heads up to the DVD ROM material, which includes a Hogwarts timeline and some Magical Trading Cards, as well as links to the official site.

While the previous Harry Potter films were disappointing when it came to DVD extras, The Prisoner of Azkaban goes some way to redressing the balance. Producers have realised that not every child has access to a PC with DVD ROM, so said features are greatly reduced. It also avoids mucking around with that treacherous Interactual software that I never seem to get to work. The games for the children are now conveniently placed on the disc proper, to work in the common garden DVD player. Also of note is the increase in material for `grown ups`. There are well over an hour of interviews and featurettes, which certainly add to the film, though they never really transcend their EPK nature.

Conclusion

It helps that of the Harry Potter novels published thus far, The Prisoner Of Azkaban is my favourite. The story is eminently suited to film, with action, excitement and great characters, and while a simple adaptation of the book in the vein of the first two films would have sufficed, director Alfonso Cuarón manages to make the film his own, imparting a singular vision and style that grounds the film in the emotions of the characters, giving the story a realism despite the fantasy setting. Cuarón achieves this primarily by being absolutely cutthroat with the story. He has gotten to the heart of the book and established the character arcs that need to be followed in the film, and simply discarding the rest. The first film, adaptation as it was, attempted to get as much of the book on screen as possible, creating a rich fantasy world. Still, there were many who declaimed the film and pointed out parts of the book that didn`t make it to the screen. The Prisoner Of Azkaban on the other hand works wonderfully as a film first and foremost. The extraneous has been excised, but the story that remains is so strong, and the narrative so efficient that the you never wonder about what has been left out, and are able to appreciate the film in its own right.

Alfonso Cuarón also makes many changes to the Harry Potter universe that only benefit the film, not least of which is relocating the film to Scotland. The mountainous setting is absolutely perfect for Hogwarts and as they say in one of the extras, `gives the film space`. It certainly makes a wonderful change from the rather artificial settings of the first two films. There is also an attempt to ground the story in the real world, to make it easier to relate to the characters. Gone is the sense of wonder that accompanied every instance of magic. Now, quite understandably, magic is accepted as commonplace, and in an odd way fades into the background to simply become part of the landscape. It allows the emotional heart of the story to take centre stage and dominate the film. Similarly, our heroes are now dressed in casual clothes when not at lessons, again adding a tone of realism to the story.

Visually the film is striking, the picture has a gritty tone that matches the tone of the story. Once again, Hogwarts is painted with a soft golden light, giving it a degree of warmth, but this contrasts strongly with the bleak exteriors, the harshness of the Shrieking Shack and the rundown feel of The Leaky Cauldron. A degree of dirt and imperfection has entered the world of Harry Potter giving the film an uneasiness and edge. There is a clock motif that runs through the film, quite logically given the denouement, but it`s used to tie the film together quite elegantly. Also the Harry Potter stories take place over a school year, and the film usually feature brief vignettes to mark the passage of the seasons. In Azkaban, Cuarón has used the Whomping Willow to humorous effect, but it also maintains the attention. As J.K. Rowling states in the interview on this disc, Alfonso Cuarón understands teenagers well, and in some ways The Prisoner Of Azkaban pre-empts the forthcoming novels, introducing themes of teen alienation, and hinting at first romance. It happens later in the novels, but actually makes sense here and adds further to the film.

The cast goes from strength to strength. Daniel Radcliffe has made the role of Harry Potter his own and gives a strong performance here. Emma Watson who plays Hermione is surely destined for great things, more than capable of stealing a scene or two here. I suppose the weak link in the trio would be Rupert Grint as Ron, who adequately supports the other two, but finds little opportunity to shine here. The big change has to be Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. Richard Harris created a character that was dignified and full of wisdom, just the way that I had envisaged Dumbledore. Gambon`s Dumbledore is livelier and has an impish and childlike quality that certainly works in the context of this film. Whether it will work for the forthcoming films will be seen when Goblet Of Fire is released. David Thewlis as Lupin is a good mentor figure for Harry, and their scenes together work well. Gary Oldman is perfectly cast as Sirius Black, and manages to make a lasting impression despite only appearing in the last act.

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban transcends the novel and is a valid piece of cinema in its own right, and Alfonso Cuarón sets the bar for which the following films must strive. The film avoids the fripperies of special effects and set pieces, and sets out to tell a heartfelt story. The magic is allowed to fill in the gaps, and the film works all the better this way. Warner Brothers have dropped the ball somewhat on this release, failing to keep the packaging and presentation consistent with the earlier films, but having said that, the film looks stupendous, and the sound isn`t to be sniffed at. The extras are improving too. This disc is essential for Harry Potter fans, but parents will probably want to watch it first, just to check it isn`t too scary for younger children. Actually, you`ll probably want to watch it first anyway.