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FILM REVIEW

Magic touch

MARGARET STOREY reviews Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (PG)

Is the evil escaped criminal really so bad? Is the kindly, sympathetic teacher wholly good? And when you’re face-to-face with a chilling, soul-destroying monster can you really believe its there to save your life?

At the centre of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is an intricate story about the nature of good and evil, and how one decides between the two. Although I’m usually a huge fan of movies sticking closely to the books that they are based on, in this case by hacking back the story to the core tale – pitting Harry against a demented criminal who betrayed his parents to their death – the creators have made a far better movie than they would have tried to bring all 300+ pages on the big screen.

By thankfully staying away from Chris Columbus' slavish devotion to the text, new director Alfonso Cuarón seems to have given himself more room to play – adding some great little touches, like romping ghosts and occasional attacks by the Whomping Willow, which lighten the movie and provide some unexpected laughs.

The story's main trio - Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Rupert Grint as Ron and Emma Watson as Hermione - have definitely grown into stronger, more assured actors, and the tighter storyline gives all three of them (but particularly Watson) more an opportunity to shine.

Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, the prisoner who escaped from Azkaban is suitably insane without going over-the-top and David Thewlis brings such gentleness and sympathy to the role of defence of the dark arts teacher Remus Lupin, his later ‘transformation’ is all the more dramatic.

The roles of the cast of superb supporting characters - including Dawn French, Jim Tavaré, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, and Michael Gambon (seamlessly replacing Richard Harris) - have been, for the most part, reduced to clever cameos.

The main downside of this ‘trimmed down’ version is that so little time is spent on Harry’s extensive back-story those new to the world of Harry Potter could get a bit lost, while die-hard fans may decry the loss of their favourite screens and characters.

While The Prisoner of Azkaban is darker and more suspenseful than the previous two Harry Potter movies, it is less frightening than the book was. The director focuses more on building suspense than showing us actually scary things on screen. The Dementors especially are more eerie than terrifying and a lot of the potentially scary stuff takes place off-screen or is done subtly (like wildflowers freezing slowly as a Dementor glides past). In that way The Prisoner of Azkaban is more like a classic-horror movie (albeit for children) – as opposed to a modern action movie.

Of course every kid is different and although Azkaban's shadowy werewolf fight and sadistic willow tree may be less likely to cause nightmares than the giant snake, spiders and Voldemort manifestations in the previous movies, I still wouldn't recommend it for kids who are sensitive to this type of material.

As for those wonder if the movie might encourage children to dabble in the occult – the ‘magic’ in The Prisoner of Azkaban is mostly the fantastical, fairy-tale kind with secret entrances, time travel and magical creatures, while actual witchcraft features far, far less than it does in the book or previous movies.

I can appreciate why some Christian parents will feel the movie is not appropriate for their children, and be concerned that such movies could start people down a slippery slope of genuine interest in the occult.

But at the same time, I found The Prisoner of Azkaban less violent, less frightening and less spiritually dark than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and if it had been my first introduction to the world of Harry Potter, I wouldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

Margaret Storey is a reporter/sub-editor with Christian Herald

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		FILM REVIEW Magic touch MARGARET STOREY reviews Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (PG) Is the evil escaped criminal really so bad? Is the kindly, sympathetic teacher wholly good? And when you’re face-to-face with a chilling, soul-destroying monster can you really believe its there to save your life? At the centre of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is an intricate story about the nature of good and evil, and how one decides between the two. Although I’m usually a huge fan of movies sticking closely to the books that they are based on, in this case by hacking back the story to the core tale – pitting Harry against a demented criminal who betrayed his parents to their death – the creators have made a far better movie than they would have tried to bring all 300+ pages on the big screen. By thankfully staying away from Chris Columbus' slavish devotion to the text, new director Alfonso Cuarón seems to have given himself more room to play – adding some great little touches, like romping ghosts and occasional attacks by the Whomping Willow, which lighten the movie and provide some unexpected laughs. The story's main trio - Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Rupert Grint as Ron and Emma Watson as Hermione - have definitely grown into stronger, more assured actors, and the tighter storyline gives all three of them (but particularly Watson) more an opportunity to shine. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, the prisoner who escaped from Azkaban is suitably insane without going over-the-top and David Thewlis brings such gentleness and sympathy to the role of defence of the dark arts teacher Remus Lupin, his later ‘transformation’ is all the more dramatic. The roles of the cast of superb supporting characters - including Dawn French, Jim Tavaré, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, and Michael Gambon (seamlessly replacing Richard Harris) - have been, for the most part, reduced to clever cameos. The main downside of this ‘trimmed down’ version is that so little time is spent on Harry’s extensive back-story those new to the world of Harry Potter could get a bit lost, while die-hard fans may decry the loss of their favourite screens and characters. While The Prisoner of Azkaban is darker and more suspenseful than the previous two Harry Potter movies, it is less frightening than the book was. The director focuses more on building suspense than showing us actually scary things on screen. The Dementors especially are more eerie than terrifying and a lot of the potentially scary stuff takes place off-screen or is done subtly (like wildflowers freezing slowly as a Dementor glides past). In that way The Prisoner of Azkaban is more like a classic-horror movie (albeit for children) – as opposed to a modern action movie. Of course every kid is different and although Azkaban's shadowy werewolf fight and sadistic willow tree may be less likely to cause nightmares than the giant snake, spiders and Voldemort manifestations in the previous movies, I still wouldn't recommend it for kids who are sensitive to this type of material. As for those wonder if the movie might encourage children to dabble in the occult – the ‘magic’ in The Prisoner of Azkaban is mostly the fantastical, fairy-tale kind with secret entrances, time travel and magical creatures, while actual witchcraft features far, far less than it does in the book or previous movies. I can appreciate why some Christian parents will feel the movie is not appropriate for their children, and be concerned that such movies could start people down a slippery slope of genuine interest in the occult. But at the same time, I found The Prisoner of Azkaban less violent, less frightening and less spiritually dark than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and if it had been my first introduction to the world of Harry Potter, I wouldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Margaret Storey is a reporter/sub-editor with Christian Herald © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.