Post by QuidditchMaster on Jun 9, 2004 19:21:41 GMT -5
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Rated: 5 stars by: DRandME4evr
*****
I'll start off by saying I enjoyed this film immensely, though it was certainly not without faults I still felt it was by far the best-made film of the series. Having a new director on board was really a much-needed breath of fresh air and elevated this film to the stylistic and magical heights that it truly deserved.
Chris Columbus did a decent job with the first two films but at their core they still felt somewhat empty and generic; he seemed to translate the books to film in pretty much the simplest way possible without trying to add any originality or style. Alfonso Cuaron has however taken the Harry Potter series to a completely different level, he respected the source material but at the same time injected it with his own style and flavor really turning it into something refreshingly different. The school grounds that were once flat and simple are now sprinkled with boulders, hills, and wildlife that were completely absent before; if you pay attention you'll even notice that the geographic layout has been somewhat changed and things like the Whomping Willow and Haggard's Hut seem to be in completely different locations (and this really isn't a bad thing, it all seems much more natural than before). The characters have also been given quite a makeover, each sporting much more realistic costumes and hairstyles. This may seem like a silly thing to be focusing on but it really adds a great deal to the atmosphere that Cuaron creates in the film. The cinematography was great and the special effects were truly amazing, especially considering the abysmal fx from the first two films. The Dementors and Buckbeack (a half horse half eagle creature) really do look stunning and it's not hard to forget that their CGI creations.
The story is much darker than the first two and this is complemented wonderfully by Cuaron's darker and moodier style and direction. Fans of the books may walk out somewhat disappointed by all of the things that were left out of the movie, and to me this really is the film's biggest shortcoming, I found some of the cuts made to be very distracting and the story at times felt extremely rushed but with respect to the filmmakers this is only because there really was so much to fit into just two and a half hours. Because of the time limitations it feels as though development and exposition had to be sacrificed so that the real story could get rolling, which it does from the second the film starts. Overall these things may bother fans a bit but in the end theres really no denying that this is a great fantasy film and if you watch it as just that then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to enjoy yourself.
Rated: 5 stars by: DRandME4evr
*****
I'll start off by saying I enjoyed this film immensely, though it was certainly not without faults I still felt it was by far the best-made film of the series. Having a new director on board was really a much-needed breath of fresh air and elevated this film to the stylistic and magical heights that it truly deserved.
Chris Columbus did a decent job with the first two films but at their core they still felt somewhat empty and generic; he seemed to translate the books to film in pretty much the simplest way possible without trying to add any originality or style. Alfonso Cuaron has however taken the Harry Potter series to a completely different level, he respected the source material but at the same time injected it with his own style and flavor really turning it into something refreshingly different. The school grounds that were once flat and simple are now sprinkled with boulders, hills, and wildlife that were completely absent before; if you pay attention you'll even notice that the geographic layout has been somewhat changed and things like the Whomping Willow and Haggard's Hut seem to be in completely different locations (and this really isn't a bad thing, it all seems much more natural than before). The characters have also been given quite a makeover, each sporting much more realistic costumes and hairstyles. This may seem like a silly thing to be focusing on but it really adds a great deal to the atmosphere that Cuaron creates in the film. The cinematography was great and the special effects were truly amazing, especially considering the abysmal fx from the first two films. The Dementors and Buckbeack (a half horse half eagle creature) really do look stunning and it's not hard to forget that their CGI creations.
The story is much darker than the first two and this is complemented wonderfully by Cuaron's darker and moodier style and direction. Fans of the books may walk out somewhat disappointed by all of the things that were left out of the movie, and to me this really is the film's biggest shortcoming, I found some of the cuts made to be very distracting and the story at times felt extremely rushed but with respect to the filmmakers this is only because there really was so much to fit into just two and a half hours. Because of the time limitations it feels as though development and exposition had to be sacrificed so that the real story could get rolling, which it does from the second the film starts. Overall these things may bother fans a bit but in the end theres really no denying that this is a great fantasy film and if you watch it as just that then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to enjoy yourself.
John Mayer.......The man... The myth... The LEGEND 
