Harry Potter 3 – and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Elevator Pitch: Harry finally loses his temper with his guardians and leaves home, being picked up by the Knight bus and taken to a wizardry enclave. He, Ron and Hermione back in Hogwarts find themselves battling dark spirits known as “dementors”. In addition Harry has to deal with the possible presence of Sirius Black, a wizard allied to Voldemort who has escaped from the wizardry prison of Azkaban. A hippogriff, an odd combination of hawk and horse, figures in the story apparently being executed after pecking a boy. Ron is carried off by a big black dog and his leg broken, but is rescued. Further revelations require Hermione and Harry to go back in time to rescue their former selves.

Content: No sex or nudity, or drinking or smoking or drug taking. The bus is seen careering around the streets of London. Back in Hogwarts there are many exchanges between the tutors and the students  and it is evident that the students are now more skilled in magic. The young people spend a lot of time out on the hillsides surrounding the school often battling with monstrous manifestations. We sort of become familiar with the hippogriff and are distressed when it is killed – or is it.

A View: The plot of this movie is more complex than that of the previous two, and apparently it is a simpler version of that in the book. I did not quite understand everything that was going on but nevertheless was pretty well engaged with it, and found it a better watch than the first two. I ascribed this to the more effective direction, but it also seems that the plot was simplified a bit to give us a better filmic experience. So, worth a watch but pay attention.

Before watching this you might have to watch the first Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, other wizardry movies worth a view The Spiderwick Chronicles and Willow.