Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a darker and less child-friendly Harry Potter adaptation than the previous ones, but in this the film is really just following the novel, in which the tone also becomes grimmer and more adult as Harry Potter grows up. He is no longer a little boy but a gangly teenager. Director Alfonso Cuarón has a firm grip on the Harry Potter universe, to which he adds a touch of magical realism. The scares are certainly more tangible than in Hollywood director Chris Columbus's brightly coloured family films.

In his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Harry's life is once again in danger, as the lifer Sirius Black, who betrayed Harry's parents, has escaped from Azkaban prison. Harry is paralysed with terror when he encounters one of the prison's fearsome guards, the Dementors, who are also searching Hogwarts. He gets help in fighting his fear from the new teacher Remus Lupin, whom Harry trusts completely, but who nonetheless is hiding some crucial secrets.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has no real high point, but the film is consistently entertaining with its mixture of suspense, humour and impressive effects.