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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Jun. 5th, 2004 12:58 pmThe movie last night was great, and it is always a treat to see feature films on IMAX.
For those who loved the first two movies, be ready for some serious changes in editing, direction, and cinematography. Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets had sort of a "Oz" fantasy feeling to them, while Prisoner of Azkaban has more menace and "realism" to it. The new film's portrayal of the world of Hogwart's is much darker and freaky, probably more fitting with Rowling's imaginings to be honest. The scenes have a 'gritty' feel to them, and the weather is more true to England's climate as we see it raining or overcast almost constantly.
We see many aspects of school life, little details that really make you feel like Hogwart's is a real place. Things like Harry and his friends in their dorm rooms goofing around before light's out, field-trips, furlough to visit the nearby village. The story itself is darker, obviously for those who have read the books, but that sense of threat is translated much more strongly by this new director.
The kids are amazing to watch, and have really gotten into their roles. You can sense the adults their character's will grow into, and early in the movie Harry really starts to show the 'teenage anger' that begins when you turn 13. The relationship between the main characters has definitely matured as well, and the dynamic between them is compelling to watch. Despite the darker nature of this film and its story, the humor in it is more genuine and relies less on slap-stick action.
Many of the favorite supporting characters are in this film, although a few are missing that I kept looking for and couldn't find. There are some new characters introduced, and they all do a phenomenal job. Emma Thompson again proves she is a master of physical comedy and character acting.
All in all, I really liked it. There were some parts of the plot that were hard to follow, and it is too bad they didn't make the film another hour longer to capture more of the book's nuance. This film portrays the world of Harry Potter as a real place, and Hogwart's has a less 'theme-park/Disney castle' feel to it. My only complaint about the film--besides wishing there was even more of it--was that the kids spent a bit too much time dressed in civvies and not in their school uniforms since the majority of the action takes place outside of class hours, but the uniforms seem an iconic part of the setting.
Update: I forgot to mention that the IMAX had decorated a bit for the HP showing. One of the more amusing details was that they had Moaning Murtyle playing on the sound-system in the bathrooms.
For those who loved the first two movies, be ready for some serious changes in editing, direction, and cinematography. Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets had sort of a "Oz" fantasy feeling to them, while Prisoner of Azkaban has more menace and "realism" to it. The new film's portrayal of the world of Hogwart's is much darker and freaky, probably more fitting with Rowling's imaginings to be honest. The scenes have a 'gritty' feel to them, and the weather is more true to England's climate as we see it raining or overcast almost constantly.
We see many aspects of school life, little details that really make you feel like Hogwart's is a real place. Things like Harry and his friends in their dorm rooms goofing around before light's out, field-trips, furlough to visit the nearby village. The story itself is darker, obviously for those who have read the books, but that sense of threat is translated much more strongly by this new director.
The kids are amazing to watch, and have really gotten into their roles. You can sense the adults their character's will grow into, and early in the movie Harry really starts to show the 'teenage anger' that begins when you turn 13. The relationship between the main characters has definitely matured as well, and the dynamic between them is compelling to watch. Despite the darker nature of this film and its story, the humor in it is more genuine and relies less on slap-stick action.
Many of the favorite supporting characters are in this film, although a few are missing that I kept looking for and couldn't find. There are some new characters introduced, and they all do a phenomenal job. Emma Thompson again proves she is a master of physical comedy and character acting.
All in all, I really liked it. There were some parts of the plot that were hard to follow, and it is too bad they didn't make the film another hour longer to capture more of the book's nuance. This film portrays the world of Harry Potter as a real place, and Hogwart's has a less 'theme-park/Disney castle' feel to it. My only complaint about the film--besides wishing there was even more of it--was that the kids spent a bit too much time dressed in civvies and not in their school uniforms since the majority of the action takes place outside of class hours, but the uniforms seem an iconic part of the setting.
Update: I forgot to mention that the IMAX had decorated a bit for the HP showing. One of the more amusing details was that they had Moaning Murtyle playing on the sound-system in the bathrooms.
