The Harry Potter films are often overlooked when talking about coming of age movies, or even teen movies for that matter. Their ubiquity placed them at the forefront of blockbusters for an entire decade, but I think the main reasons for their success was the audience’s attachment to the main three characters and how a generation grew up with them. It’s totally unique, and it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to look closer at my favourite of them all.
I believe The Prisoner of Azkaban is a great film. It’s a certainly a great Harry Potter movie, even though many fans feel it betrays the book. It’s a great fantasy movie. And most of all, it’s a great coming of age movie.
I remember even as a kid losing faith in the Harry Potter movies after seeing the first two. I was a huge fan of the books and, while being faithful to the events depicted in the novels, the first two movies were missing …something. I knew at the time that the movies had the potential to be better, I just didn’t know how. Then I remember watching The Prisoner of Azkaban, and everything felt just right. The music was better than ever, and the Hogwarts grounds were wild and rocky, the way I imagined it, and the way everything seemed to flow more smoothly created a non-stop feeling of fun, magical fantasy. I went to IMDB and noticed that there was a new director: Alfonso Cuaron. I wondered if the change in tone was due to this new director, or if it could be something else. I was disappointed that he didn’t direct any of the others, and when I watched them I appreciated how influential his visual style was over the rest of the series, even though I don’t think any others quite captured the pure joy of spending time in this world. Prisoner of Azkaban was also the movie that led me down a path that eventually led to the discoveries of many international filmmakers and helped me understand just how important a good director really is.
Now, this was an important film for me, both as a fan of Harry Potter and as a budding fan of movies, but seeing it today reminds me just how fun and magical this movie truly is.
From the very opening scene, there is a newfound fluidity with the camera, and the mischievous sense of humour from the books is reinstalled, as Harry, now a teenager, practices spells with his wand underneath his bed sheets. The magical world feels more tangible than ever with an increased use of practical effects and long takes. I love the ways in which the camera moves around Hogwarts, establishing the castle as the beautiful and mysterious place that it is. The ghosts and portraits are given little moments to shine, but mostly hang around in the background, the minutiae of everyday life. This may also be the most fantastical of them all; with the establishment of werewolves, hippogriffs, dementors, animagi, and boggarts. None of the other movies quite gave this world the attention and love this one does. The young actors are growing into their roles, delivering the best performances they would give in the series. And a handful of world-class actors are added to the cast in supporting roles; including Gary Oldman, David Thewlis (in my favourite performance in the entire series), Timothy Spall, Emma Thompson, and Julie Christie.
The narrative is fragmented and episodic for much of the running time, but Cuaron injects so much energy and visual flourish and music to every scene that it’s always enjoyable to watch. Aunt Marge’s blow-up at the dinner table is turned into a comedic, manic waltz. The flight on Buckbeak is a cathartic moment of freedom. The boggart in the wardrobe becomes a big band swing dance. There are some lovely little moments where Harry and his friends are able to relax and be kids, but it’s always contrasted with looming menace. He also adds a few nice moments involving the Whomping Willow that depict the passing of time, a wonderful touch in a series that is famous for the way it captures the growth of a group of children into adults, with this film as one of the biggest steps along the way.
The time-turner sequence in particular is a triumph of suspense and entertainment, as it enables the film to make fun call-backs to earlier scenes in the film, but to also allow Harry to be in two places at once, and for the audience to see it all from his perspective as he experiences it. We do not even know about time travel until we’re experiencing it along with him. There is some excellent sound design in this scene as well; the ticking of a clock can be heard and John Williams incorporates the gong of the clock tower into his series-best score.
The final third of the movie delivers consistent excitement and I love the way it incorporates and concludes Harry’s character arc. He begins the movie a teenager, perhaps a bit moodier than before, but also more bold and confident. Throughout the movie, as he begins to learn more about the darkness that has consumed his past, he begins to lose his ability to fly (literally and figuratively). He spends the year with the knowledge that an escaped prisoner is hunting him down and eventually learns that his parent’s death is the result of a betrayal by a close friend. His thoughts turn dark and he begins to seek revenge, even going so far as to be willing to kill. On top of this, Buckbeak is grounded and unfairly sentenced to death, and his beloved Nimbus 2000 broomstick is broken after an encounter with the dementors, the embodiment of past trauma.
The climax sees him learn the truth about the man who betrayed his parents. He reveals his true self by sparing the man responsible for his parent’s deaths and overcomes his greatest fear by using powerful magic that requires inner strength. He saves his godfather on the back of a newly free Buckbeak and the final shot has him flying away on a new broomstick, giddy with happiness, his demons conquered and a new father figure in his life. He's regained his ability to fly by overcoming his greatest fears by learning to trust the strength within himself. It’s not only a great conclusion to this coming of age arc, but it’s also visually cinematic.
I think my biggest gripe with the Harry Potter series is that it was made by people who never read the books as children. The reason Prisoner of Azkaban is able to overcome this is because the world is treated with childlike wonder and curiosity by an artist who respects and loves the material and was able to adapt it to their own sensibilities. It’s a serious work by a serious filmmaker and I hope it eventually receives the recognition it deserves.
Plus, Hermione punches Malfoy, that little shit.
TL;DR: Prisoner of Azkaban is awesome because reasons.
Submitted September 04, 2017 at 07:56AM by skbrown98 http://ift.tt/2x5kRem
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