The Darker Side of Harry Potter Posted by: Kim Lance

Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are back again for their third year at Hogwarts, but, with a new director and a much darker feel, don’t expect Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to be the same colorful childhood adventure film as its predecessors.  With an escaped convict from Azkaban prison on the loose, the three pre-teen wizards have to help save Hogwarts while processing all the emotional and physical stresses that come to any ordinary child of their age.

The film begins similarly to the two previous chapters, with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) at home with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, constantly unappreciated in a home life situation that borders on child abuse.  We can see that Harry has grown up a bit over the summer and is coming to terms with the frustration and anger he has, stemming from a childhood without caring parents.  Harry has difficulty handling these new emotions and leaves home early. 

With his friends at Hogwarts, Harry tries to find out about the mysterious disappearance of prisoner Sirius Black (Gary Oldman).  Harry is told that Sirius’ escape is directly tied to himself through Voldemort and his parents.  He must rely on the help of Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), and, newcomer to the series, Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) to find Sirius and find out the story behind his parents relationship with the escaped prisoner. 

Director Alfonso Cuaron has successfully drawn out the multi-dimensions of the little wizards. The three main childhood actors of the film seem to have a better understanding of the depths of their characters in this third installment.  The advancement in their acting abilities is apparent both in their interactions with each other and in their own self reflections and expressions.  Harry is going through a deep inner search for his own heritage and Radcliffe is able to express those complex emotions. 

Cuaron was able to visualize the darker side of Harry through filming techniques unlike those of his predecessor Chris Columbus.  While his take on this chapter in the Potter series is darker than those previous, he still stayed true to the history of Hogwart’s, allowing loyal fans to keep hold on those aspects of the series that are most familiar.

In this third installment, the role of Professor Dumbledore is taken over by Michael Gambon.  While he did a good job of balancing the character originally built by the late Richard Harris with his own take on Dumbledore, his interpretation seemed slightly stale and less lovable than his antecedent.

Overall, I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban more than either of the other films in the series.  The insight into the pain and anger felt by Harry coupled with all of the children’s prepubescent bewildering emotions made for a much richer story than we have seen before in the Potter films.  I am eager to see how both the characters and the actors portraying them develop and grow as they accelerate into adulthood.