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Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis ... see more see more... , Michael Gambon , Alan Rickman , Maggie Smith , Robbie Coltrane , Tom Felton , Emma Thompson , Julie Walters , Timothy Spall , Julie Christie , Warwick Davis , Pam Ferris , Dawn French , Jimmy Gardner , Richard Griffiths , Robert Hardy , Lenny Henry , Matthew Lewis , Adrian Rawlins , Fiona Shaw , Geraldine Somerville , John Cleese , Kathrin Nicholson , David Bradley , Lee Ingleby , Chris Rankin , Harry Melling , Paul Whitehouse , Bonnie Wright , Alfie Enoch , Joshua Herdman , Devon Murray , Jim Tavare , Jamie Waylett , Abby Ford , Oliver Phelps , James Phelps , Sitara Shah , Jennifer Smith , Bronson Webb , Genevieve Gaunt , Kandice Morris , Annalisa Bugliani , Tess Bu Cuaron , Violet Columbus , Ekow Quartey , Rick Sahota , Sharon Sandhu , Danielle Tabor , Freddie Davis , Peter Best , Mark Williams , Tom Felto , Gary Goldman , Richard Harris

After directing the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise, Chris Columbus opted to serve as producer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and passed the baton to Y Tu Mamá También di... read more read more...rector Alfonso Cuarón. Though "immensely popular" is an understatement when it comes to Harry Potter, Azkaban is somewhat of a departure from its predecessors, and particularly beloved among fans for its surprise ending. Prisoner of Azkaban also marks the introduction of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration. Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) -- who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age -- Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school -- the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

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85% liked it

1,064,361 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

232 critics

PG, 2 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón

Release Date: June 4, 2004

Keywords: comic book, dark, fantasy, 3rd, fifth

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DVD Release Date: November 22, 2004

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Stats: 65,465 reviews

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Emma Watson & Emma Thompson Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban David Thewlis in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban Josh Herdman in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban Sirius Black and Harry Potter Add me if you are mad Harry Potter Harry and Hermoine Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Daniel Radcliffe Harry Potter Buckbeak and Harry Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Daniel Radcliffe draco Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter Meeting Buckbeak
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Flixster Reviews (65,465)

  • fb1710827246
    February 10, 2012
    fb1710827246
    Brilliant sense of style, depth and breadth, and the successive transition of Harry Potter to the wrings of teenage angst makes this movie one of the best, if not the best of the series through wizardlike pacing that was lacking from its predecessors.
  • spielberg00
    February 10, 2012
    spielberg00
    Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón takes over as director for HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, the third film in its series.

    I have always appreciated this entry much more than the previous two, because it brings out what it was foreshadowed that Harry Potter would be a... read morell along: dark and grim, yet often light-hearted. Now, instead of a supporter of his parents' murderer, or a self-absorbed celebrity, Harry's new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is more enjoyable. (Though even he has a dark side, too.)

    If there's one thing that disappoints with this ambitious third entry, it's that one of the main cast members is replaced. Now that Richard Harris's life has come to an end, Dumbledore needed to be replaced. And the only similarity is the costume.

    This is the point where Harry Potter had started taking a trip out of family film zone. It's dark, creepy, but still irresistible.
  • jlewis07
    November 2, 2011
    jlewis07
    By far the most artfully realized and beautiful vision of the Potter universe of the entire series (with Half-Blood Prince a close second place). Even if I don't consider it the best movie of the series, it is easily the most appreciated film just because of the directions it too... read morek the series and how it allowed the future directions to build off of. Ironically its the lowest grossing film of the series because it's the least mainstream.
  • scottgreen96
    October 29, 2011
    scottgreen96
    A mater film with a strong potent smell of good action, a strong performance from the magic trio and a brilliant adventure.
  • fb1686480544
    September 5, 2011
    fb1686480544
    At the end of it all, this is the best one. Cuaron's got style. It's probably the best stand alone story of the series, which helps, but it is filmed with some individual style, wit and slickness- staying faithful but not sycophantic like the first two. Yeah, it is darker, but da... read morerker with conviction and purpose, not for the sake of it, or to try and be taken seriously. Fantastic performances from Gary Oldman and David Thewlis top it all off, and Michael Gambon has a remarkably assured and faithful go at Dumbledore- and is a lot better than in the next couple of films. The production design, visual effects and editing work brilliantly together, creating a new, chilly, steampunky world that makes the story both more relevant and cinematic. Well done, everyone.
  • fb100001493964409
    August 27, 2011
    fb100001493964409
    And here it is. The review I've always been afraid to write. I have several friends who absolutely love the books that hate, HATE, this film. Yet, even though I've read the book and know this film deviates quite a bit from the book, I still enjoy this film more than almost any fi... read morelm in the entire series. Why? Because in my opinion, this was the first film in the series to actually try and make a warped world of fantasy. As accurate as Christopher Colombus' versions of the first 2 films were, he never actually managed to make it anything beyond generic fantasy. It's one thing to transcribe every word of dialogue into a screenplay, it's another to capture the spirit of the book while extracting the parts that make it good (ala "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" or the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy). Whenever I read the Potter books, I always imagined a world that was extremely warped, but slightly recognizable. "Prisoner of Azkaban" captures that spirit, but at the price of deviating from the source material, causing it to be one of the most hated films in the franchise. In terms of cinematography, style, and direction, this is arguably the best film in the series. It introduces the characters of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin very well. One thing that this film does mess up is introducing the new actor for Dumbledore. He does a great job, but the director could have done a better job of introducing him subtly instead of scarring fans. The final (and biggest screw up, in my opinion) is Lupin's wolf form. The transformation is more hilarious than scary, and the final form isn't that much better. I always felt that this film was a good segue into the darkness that would emerge very quickly in The Goblet of Fire, so I have always loved it. But now that the saga is complete, I can say with a lot of confidence that the best in the series is easily The Deathly Hallows (both parts combined). Now, let's see how long it takes for Potter fans to murder me.
  • fb729949618
    July 31, 2011
    fb729949618
    Best HP movie up to this point, and easily one of the best out of all 8.
  • FilmFanatik
    July 26, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    ...and now we come to what I feel to be the best entry of the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This time around, backstory is thrown out the window, mystery lag is left mostly in the dirt, character-driven plot & action reign supreme and the pacing has finally be... read moreen nailed down - losing the extraneous details. As I've stated to many people, I'm not a die hard fan of this series, but if I was to recommend one film from the entire run, it would be this one. This not only has some of the series' best acting and filmmaking on display, but it's also a bit more accessible to a wider range of people due to it's moodier atmosphere. This makes it much more adult than the previous entries without overdoing it, which is one of the reasons why I love it. Complaints have been made that it isn't quite as faithful to the book as Chris Columbus' previous efforts, but I believe that's an improvement. It takes more serious chances and comes off a much better film with a stronger narrative as a result.
  • fernandorafael
    July 19, 2011
    fernandorafael
    I may be a little biased, since I'm an Alfonso Cuarón fanboy, but this is probably the best "Harry Potter" film. The editing's improved, as well. Part Three is where the franchise really started to go darker and more mature. The themes and the cinematography reflect that. Emma Th... read moreompson joins the cast as Sybil Trelawney and Gary Oldman does as Sirius Black. Both amazing.
  • blkbomb
    July 19, 2011
    blkbomb
    Professor Snape: Well, well, Lupin. Out for a little walk... in the moonlight, are we?

    "Have You Seen This Wizard?"

    With Prisoner of Azkaban, Alfonso Caurón contributes is only film to the Harry Potter franchise. He got one shot at it, and he didn't miss. Many considered this ... read morethe best film in the franchise(I believe that has changed for most). I still do like two or three movies in the series more than this one.

    There's a lot to like here. Harry, Ron and Hermoine finally lose that innocent feel they had in the first two. They are growing up and as they up the tones of the movies begin to feel darker and darker. My favorite thing about this one is the fact that Gary Oldman is involved. He plays Sirious Black and although he doesn't have any screen time until the last part; he is still very good and has a powerful presence. Sirius Blacks presence overshadows the entire movie though; even though he is not onscreen. Sirius has broken out of Azkaban Prison and is now on the hunt. We learn how Sirius is connected to Harry and his parents. Also, we learn a lot about Ron's pet rat, "Scabbers."
    The way the scenes where Harry and Hermoine go back in time were handled great. It's kind of funny seeing all those things that I thought were just coincidence.

    This movie starts the progression into darkness that will occur in the rest of the movies. That innocence from Sorcerer's Stone is now completely gone. Caurón really deserves great for his excellent contribution to the franchise.

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Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
September 8, 2010
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Like the first two movies, this is loaded with computer-generated imagery, but for the first time there's a sense of dramatic proportion balancing the spectacle and the story line. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
July 21, 2005
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

This is a luminous movie -- luminous, imaginative and affecting. For Harry Potter, at least, the third time is the charm. Full Review

Peter Rainer
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

The most powerfully entrancing children's film in years. Full Review

Richard Roeper
June 7, 2004
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

[E]ven if you're never read a word of the Potter books and you haven't seen the first two films, Azkaban stands alone as a creative triumph. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
June 5, 2004
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

The first true Harry Potter movie -- the first to capture not only the books' sense of longing, but their understanding of the way magic underlies the mundane, instead of just prancing fancifully at a... Full Review

Nicole Arthur
June 4, 2004
Nicole Arthur, Washington Post

The third installment in the Harry Potter series, is everything the first two films were not: complex, frightening, nuanced. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
June 4, 2004
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

This is one long sit, made all the more so by a turgid story, a dour visual palette and uninspiring action. Full Review

Claudia Puig
June 4, 2004
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Thanks to director Alfonso Cuaron, a dazzling storyteller with a keen eye for whimsical detail, the third film in the Potter franchise is a visual delight. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
June 4, 2004
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

While I confess to being almost utterly lost within the narrative within about 20 minutes, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 4, 2004
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A different kind of Harry Potter movie, a better kind. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Cornelius Fudge: [just after Buckbeak's escape] We must search the grounds!
    • Albus Dumbledore: Search the *skies* if you must, Minister, but now I think I'll have a nice cup of tea, or a large brandy. Oh, and executioner, your services are no longer required. Thank you.
    • Harry Potter: This connection between me and Voldemort... what if the reason for it is that I am becoming more like him? I just feel so angry, all the time. What if after everything that I've been through, something's gone wrong inside me? What if I'm becoming bad?
    • Sirius Black: I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person, who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.
    • Ron Weasley: Let me get this straight. Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban- to come after you?
    • Harry Potter: Yeah.
    • Hermione Granger: But they'll catch Black, won't they? I mean- everyone's looking for him...
    • Ron Weasley: Sure... except no one's ever broken out of Azkaban before, and he's a murderous raving lunatic...
    • Harry Potter: Thanks Ron.
    • Remus Lupin: What frightens you most in the world?
    • Neville Longbottom: [mumbling] Pfsr Snpe...
    • Remus Lupin: I'm sorry?
    • Neville Longbottom: Professor Snape.
    • Remus Lupin: [laughing] Ah! Professor Snape - yes he frightens all.
    • Harry Potter: So you mean this map shows-
    • Fred Weasley: Everyone
    • Harry Potter: Everyone?
    • George Weasley: Where they are
    • Fred Weasley: What there doing
    • George Weasley: Every Minute
    • Fred Weasley: Of everyday!
    • Harry Potter: [on his Firebolt] YEEEEAAAH!
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Trivia

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of ... Trivia

  • In which of the Harry Potter movies does Hermione punch Draco Malfoy in the nose?  Answer »
  • In which Harry Potter movie did Harry find out he has a godfather?  Answer »
  • In wnich Harry Potter Movie did Harry meet Sirius Black?  Answer »
  • which was the third harry potter film?  Answer »
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