Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Leave a Comment / By lb-lb / August 15, 2022

Table of Contents

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), All You Want To Know & Watch About A Great Movie

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.

Director
- Alfonso Cuarón
Writers
- J.K. Rowling(novel)
- Steve Kloves(screenplay)
Stars
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Emma Watson
- Rupert Grint

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, based on J. K. Rowling’s 1999 novel of the same name. The film was written by Steve Kloves, and produced by Chris Columbus and David Heyman. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and the third instalment in the Harry Potter film series.

It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry’s best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. The film follows Harry’s third year at Hogwarts and his quest to uncover the truth about his past, including the connection recently-escaped Azkaban prisoner Sirius Black has to Harry and his late parents.

With Prisoner of Azkaban, production of the Harry Potter films switched to an eighteen-month cycle. Cuarón was selected as director from a list that included Callie Khouri and Kenneth Branagh. The cast of previous instalments returned for the film, with the additions of Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, and Emma Thompson, among others.

It was the first appearance of Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore, due to Richard Harris’s death in 2002. Principal photography began in February 2003 at Leavesden Film Studios. It was the first in the series to extensively use real-life locations, with sets built in Scotland and scenes shot in London. Filming concluded in November 2003.

The film was released on 31 May 2004 in the United Kingdom, and on 4 June 2004 in North America. It was the first Harry Potter film using IMAX Technology and released into IMAX theatres. Prisoner of Azkaban grossed a total of $797.5 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2004. The film received praise for Cuarón’s direction and the lead actors’ performances.

It is credited for marking a notable change in the franchise’s tone and directorial style, and is often considered by critics and fans alike to be the best Harry Potter film. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Original Music Score and Best Visual Effects, at the 77th Academy Awards in 2004. It was followed by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Trailer

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Reviews

I’ve just returned from London, where Daniel Radcliffe created a stir by speculating that his famous character, Harry Potter, might have to die at the end of the series. Certainly that seems like more of a possibility in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” the third Potter film, than it did in the first two.It’s not that Harry, Ron and Hermione are faced with any really gruesome dangers (there’s nothing here on the order of the spider that wrapped up Frodo for his dinner in the “Ring” trilogy), but that Harry’s world has grown a little darker and more menacing.

The film centers on the escape of the sinister Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) from Azkaban Prison; Sirius was convicted in Voldemort’s plot to murder Harry’s parents, and now it’s suspected he must finish the job by killing Harry. As Harry returns for his third year at Hogwarts, grim wraiths named Dementors are stationed at every entrance to the school to ward off Sirius, but the Dementors are hardly reassuring, with their trick of sucking away the soul essence of their victims.Harry, too, has developed an edge. We first met him as the poor adopted relative of a suburban family that mistreated him mercilessly; this time, Harry is no longer the long-suffering victim but zaps an unpleasant dinner guest with a magical revenge that would be truly cruel if it were not, well, truly funny. Harry is no longer someone you can mess with.Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) return to a Hogwarts that boasts, as it does every school year, peculiar new faculty members (this school policy promises years of employment for British character actors).

New this year are Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), who tutors Harry in a tricky incantation said to provide protection against the dark magic of Sirius, and Professor Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson), whose tea readings don’t pull punches– not when she gazes into the bottom of Harry’s cup and sees death in the leaves.

To distract Harry from his presumed fate, his friend the gamekeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) introduces the three friends to a wondrous new beast named Buckbeak, which is a hippogriff, half bird, half horse, wholly misunderstood. When a werewolf begins to prowl the grounds, a battle between the two creatures is inevitable. Who could the werewolf be by day? Does no one at Hogwarts find the Latin root of lupus suggestive?

Among the movie’s many special effects, I especially admired the gnarled tree that figures in the third act. The tree is introduced with a wink to the viewer who knows it is CGI: It shakes melting snow from its branches, and some of the snow seems to plop on the camera lens.

Beneath this tree is a warren that shelters unimaginable terrors for Ron, when he is dragged into it as part of a longer climactic sequence that plays tricks with time. First the three heroes witness one version of events, and then, after reversing the flow of time, they try to alter them. The ingenuity of the time-tricks worked for me but may puzzle some of the film’s youngest viewers.

Chris Columbus, who made the first two Potter films, remains as producer but replaces himself as director with Alfonso Cuaron, director of the wonderful “A Little Princess” (1975) and the brilliant “Y Tu Mama Tambien.” Cuaron continues the process, already under way in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” of darkening the palette. The world of the first film, with its postal owls and Quiddich matches, seems innocent now, and although there is indeed a Quiddich match in this film, it’s played in a storm that seems to have blown in from “The Day after Tomorrow.”I like what Cuaron does with the look of the picture, but found the plotting a little murky; just when we should be focusing on exactly who Sirius Black is and why he killed Harry’s parents, there is the sudden appearance of a more interesting if less important character, Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), a real rat who undergoes a change of purpose.The actors playing Harry, Ron and Hermione have outgrown their childhoods in this movie, and by the next film will have to be dealt with as teenagers, or replaced by younger actors. If they continue to grow up, I’m afraid the series may begin to tilt toward less whimsical forms of special effects violence, but on the other hand I like Radcliffe, Grint and Watson, and especially the way Watson’s Hermione has of shouldering herself into the center of scenes and taking charge. Although the series is named for Harry, he’s often an onlooker, and it’s Hermione who delivers a long-delayed uppercut to the jaw of Draco Malfoy.

Unlike American movies such as “Spy Kids,” where the young actors dominate most of their scenes, the Harry Potter movies weave the three heroes into a rich tapestry of character performances. Here I savored David Thewlis as a teacher too clever by half, Emma Thompson as the embodiment of daffy enthusiasm, Alan Rickman as the meticulously snippy Snape, Robbie Coltrane as the increasingly lovable Hagrid, and Michael Gambon, stepping into the robes and beard of the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore.

Is “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” as good as the first two films? Not quite. It doesn’t have that sense of joyously leaping through a clockwork plot, and it needs to explain more than it should. But the world of Harry Potter remains delightful, amusing and sophisticated; the challenge in the films ahead will be to protect its fragile innocence and not descend into the world of conventional teen thrillers.

SCIENCE FICTION

FANTASY

FAMILY

ADVENTURE

BY Roger Ebert – Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Credits

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie poster

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Rated PG for frightening moments, creature violence and mild language

141 minutes

Cast

David Thewlis as Professor Lupin

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Alan Rickman as Professor Snape

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

Gary Oldman as Sirius Black

Directed by

Alfonso Cuaron

Written by

Steven Kloves

Based on the novel by

J. K. Rowlin

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Plot

After his second year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter spends another dissatisfying summer with the Dursleys. On his thirteenth birthday, Vernon’s visiting sister Marge viciously insults Harry and his parents, and an angry Harry causes her to inflate and float away. Expecting to be expelled for using magic outside school, Harry flees with his belongings.

The Knight Bus takes Harry to the Leaky Cauldron, where Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge assures Harry that he will not be punished. Reuniting with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry learns that Sirius Black, a convicted supporter of Lord Voldemort, has escaped Azkaban Prison and intends to kill him. During the journey to Hogwarts, the Hogwarts Express is boarded by Dementors, ghostly prison guards searching for Black.

One enters Harry’s compartment, causing him to faint, but new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin repels it with a Patronus Charm. At Hogwarts, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore announces that Dementors will patrol the school until Black is captured.

Rubeus Hagrid is appointed Care of Magical Creatures teacher, but his first class goes awry when Draco Malfoy provokes a Hippogriff named Buckbeak into attacking him, and his father Lucius has Buckbeak sentenced to death. Returning to Gryffindor Tower, the students find the Fat Lady’s portrait has been attacked, and the terrified Fat Lady warns Dumbledore that Black entered the castle.

During a stormy Quidditch match, Dementors cause Harry to fall off his broomstick, which is destroyed by the Whomping Willow. He is caught trying to visit Hogsmeade by Fred and George, who give him The Marauder’s Map.

Using the map, Harry sneaks into Hogsmeade and learns that Black is his godfather, but divulged the Potters’ whereabouts to Voldemort and murdered their mutual friend Peter Pettigrew. Determined to ward off the Dementors, Harry convinces Lupin to teach him the Patronus Charm.

After Divination class, he witnesses Professor Trelawney enter a trance and prophesise that the Dark Lord will return. Watching Buckbeak’s execution, Ron’s pet rat Scabbers bites him and escapes, but a large black dog drags them both into a hole at the base of the Whomping Willow. This leads the trio through an underground passage into the Shrieking Shack, where the dog is revealed to be Black, an Animagus who can transform into an animal.

Lupin appears, embracing Black as an old friend before revealing himself to be a werewolf. Snape arrives to apprehend Black, but is knocked out by Harry’s Disarming spell. Lupin and Black reveal that Scabbers is actually the Animagus form of Pettigrew, who faked his death and framed Black for his own crimes.

Turning Pettigrew back into human form, the group heads back to the castle, but the full moon causes Lupin to transform and Pettigrew escapes. As Black fights off Lupin in their animal forms, Dementors attack Black and Harry, but an unseen figure casts a powerful Patronus. Harry falls unconscious, awakening in the infirmary with Dumbledore and Hermione.

Learning that Black has been captured and sentenced to the Dementor’s Kiss, Harry and Hermione act on Dumbledore’s advice and use Hermione’s Time-Turner, which she was given to attend several classes at once, to go three hours back in time. They see themselves reliving the night’s events, and set Buckbeak free from execution.

Spotting the past Harry and Black being attacked by Dementors, Harry rescues them using a Patronus charm and realizes he was the unseen figure who saved them earlier. He and Hermione free Black, who flies away on Buckbeak, still a fugitive without proof of his innocence. Harry and Hermione return to the infirmary, rejoining their own timeline.

Exposed as a werewolf, Lupin resigns from teaching and returns the Marauder’s Map to Harry. Black sends Harry a Firebolt broomstick, which he happily takes on a ride.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Box office

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban held its New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall on 23 May 2004,^[81] followed by its London premiere at Leicester Square on 30 May 2004.^[82] The film then opened in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2004,^[83] and on 4 June 2004 in the United States.

It was the first film in the series to be released in both conventional and IMAX theatres.^[84] Upon release, the film broke the record for a biggest single day in the United Kingdom’s box office history making £5.3 million on a Monday.

It went on to break records both with and without previews, making £23.9 million including previews^[86] and £9.3 million excluding them.^[87] The Prisoner of Azkaban had the highest-opening weekend at the UK’s box office, until Spectre beat the record in 2015.

It went on to make a total of £45.6 million in the UK.^[88] The film made $93.7 million during its opening weekend in the United States and Canada at 3,855 theatres, achieving, at the time, the third-biggest-opening weekend of all time.^[89] This opening also broke Hulk‘s record ($62.1 million) for the highest-opening weekend for a film released in June.

The Prisoner of Azkaban held this record for five years until Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen topped it in 2009 with $109 million.^[90] Additionally, it surpassed The Matrix Reloaded for having the largest opening weekend for a Warner Bros. film.^[89] The film was also No. 1 at the North American box office for two consecutive weekends.^[91]

The Prisoner of Azkaban made a total of $797.5 million worldwide,^[4] which made it 2004’s second-highest-grossing film worldwide behind Shrek 2.^[92] In the U.S. and Canada, it was only the year’s sixth-highest-grossing film, making $250.1 million.

However, it was the year’s number one film internationally, making $547.4 million compared to Shrek 2‘s $487.5 million.^[94] Despite its successful box office run, The Prisoner of Azkaban is the lowest-grossing Harry Potter film, and the third lowest-grossing film of the Wizarding World series (ahead of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore).

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 90% based on 259 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, “Under the assured direction of Alfonso Cuarón, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban triumphantly strikes a delicate balance between technical wizardry and complex storytelling.”^[98] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”.

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale.^[100]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle lauded the film’s more mature tone and said it was “darker, more complex, rooted in character.”^[101] The Hollywood Reporter called the film “a deeper, darker, visually arresting and more emotionally satisfying adaptation of the J.K. Rowling literary phenomenon,” especially compared to the first two instalments.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars: “Not only is this dazzler by far the best and most thrilling of the three Harry Potter movies to date, it’s a film that can stand on its own even if you never heard of author J.K. Rowling and her young wizard hero.”^[103] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon considered it “one of the greatest fantasy films of all time.”^[104] Nicole Arthur of The Washington Post praised the film as “complex, frightening, [and] nuanced.”^[105] Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, saying that the film was not quite as good as the first two, but still called it “delightful, amusing and sophisticated.”

Claudia Puig from USA Today found the film to be “a visual delight,” and added that “Cuarón is not afraid to make a darker film and tackle painful emotions”;^[107] while Richard Roeper called the film “a creative triumph.”^[108] Sean Smith from Newsweek said: “The Prisoner of Azkaban boasts a brand-new director and a bold new vision,” and called the film “moving,” praising the performances by the three main leads.^[109] Entertainment Weekly praised the film for being more mature than its predecessors.^[110]

The Guardian gave the film 3 stars out of 5, saying, “This new Harry Potter picture will cast a spell on its fanbase. But the broomstick’s losing altitude.”^[111] Film critic Roger Ebert praised the cast, but felt the need for a better plot.^[112] Screen Daily commented, “Cuaron delivers a genuinely spooky and emotionally involving adventure which gives the world of Potter much-needed character and atmosphere”.^[113] The BBC commended the sets and direction, but did not find it “emotionally engrossing”.^[114] Hollywood.com gave a positive review, praising the plot and storyline, despite a deviation from the first two films.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Accolades

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban received two Academy Award nominations: Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score for John Williams.^[116] The film was also nominated for four BAFTA Awards: Best British Film, Best Production Design, Best Makeup & Hair, and Best Visual Effects, and won public-voted Orange Film of the Year award.^[117] It received nine Saturn Awards nominations.

It won two Visual Effects Society Awards and was nominated for three others.^[119] The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated it for Best Family Film, Best Young Actor (for Daniel Radcliffe), and Best Young Actress (for Emma Watson).^[120]

The film ranks at No. 471 in Empire magazine’s 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.^[121] IGN designated Prisoner of Azkaban as the fifth best fantasy film.^[122] Additionally, Moviefone designated the film as the tenth best of the decade.

In 2011, the film was voted Film of the Decade at the First Light Awards by children aged 5–15.^[124] The American Film Institute nominated it for the 2007 revision of AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies,^[125] and for AFI’s 10 Top 10 in the fantasy genre.

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipients	Result
Academy Awards	27 February 2005	Best Original Score	John Williams	Nominated
Academy Awards	27 February 2005	Best Visual Effects	Tim Burke, Roger Guyett, Bill George, John Richardson	Nominated
Amanda Awards	27 August 2004	Best Foreign Feature Film	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
Bogey Awards	2004	Bogey Award in Platinum	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Won
British Academy Film Awards	12 February 2005	Best British Film	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
		Best Production Design	Stuart Craig	Nominated
		Best Makeup & Hair	Amanda Knight, Eithne Fennel, Nick Dudman	Nominated
		Best Visual Effects	Tim Burke, Roger Guyett, Bill George, John Richardson	Nominated
		Orange Film of the Year in 2005	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association	10 January 2005	Best Family Film	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
		Best Young Actor	Daniel Radcliffe	Nominated
		Best Young Actress	Emma Watson	Nominated
Broadcast Music Incorporated Film & TV Awards	18 May 2005	BMI Film Music Award	John Williams	Won
Golden Reel Awards	26 February 2005	Best Sound Editing – Foreign Film	David Evans, Richard Beggs, Derek Trigg, Andy Kennedy, Jon Olive, Bjorn Ole Schroeder, Sam Southwick, Stefan Henrix, Tony Currie, Nick Lowe, Stuart Morton	Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards	25 May 2004	Best Animation/Family	Teaser #2	Won
	25 May 2004	Summer 2004 Blockbuster	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
	26 May 2005	Best Music	“Dark”	Nominated
GoldSpirit Awards	2005	Best Original Song	“Double Trouble”	silver
		Best Terrifying Theme	“Apparition on the Train”	gold
		Best Dramatic Theme	“A Window to the Past”	silver
		Best Action Theme	“Buckbeak’s Flight”	gold
		Best Comedic Theme	“Aunt Marge’s Waltz”	silver
		Best Epic Theme	“Buckbeak’s Flight”	gold
		Best Theme	“Buckbeak’s Flight”	silver
		Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Soundtrack	John Williams	gold
		Best Soundtrack	John Williams	bronze
Grammy Awards	13 February 2005	Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media	John Williams	Nominated
Hollywood Film Awards	18 October 2004	Production Designer of the Year	Stuart Craig	Won
Hugo Awards	4–8 August 2005	Best Dramatic Presentation	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
Kids’ Choice Awards	2 April 2005	Favorite Movie	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
People’s Choice Awards	9 January 2005	Favorite Sequel	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
People’s Choice Awards	9 January 2005	Favorite Film Villain	Gary Oldman	Nominated
Saturn Awards	3 May 2005	Best Fantasy Film	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
		Best Director	Alfonso Cuarón	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Gary Oldman	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Younger Actor	Daniel Radcliffe	Nominated
		Best Writing	Steve Kloves	Nominated
		Best Music	John Williams	Nominated
		Best Costumes Design	Jany Temime	Nominated
		Best Make-Up	Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight	Nominated
		Best Special Effects	Tim Burke, Roger Guyett, Bill George, John Richardson	Nominated
Teen Choice Awards	8 August 2004	Choice Movie: Action	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Won
Teen Choice Awards	8 August 2004	Choice Summer Movie	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Nominated
Visual Effects Society	16 February 2005	Outstanding Visual Effects in an Effects Driven Motion Picture	Roger Guyett, Tim Burke, Theresa Corrao, Emma Norton	Won
		Best Single Visual Effect of the Year	Bill George, David Andrews, Sandra Scott, Dorne Huebler	Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture	Buckbeak – Michael Eames, David Lomax, Felix Balbas, Pablo Grillo	Won
		Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Motion Picture	Jose Granell, Nigel Stone	Nominated
		Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture	Dorne Huebler, Jay Cooper, Patrick Brennan, Anthony Shafer	Nominated
World Soundtrack Awards	9 October 2004	Public Choice Award	John Williams	Won
		Soundtrack Composer of the Year		Nominated
		Best Original Score of the Year		Nominated

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) pictures.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Movie Info

Harry Potter’s (Daniel Radcliffe) third year at Hogwarts starts off badly when he learns deranged killer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison and is bent on murdering the teenage wizard. While Hermione’s (Emma Watson) cat torments Ron’s (Rupert Grint) sickly rat, causing a rift among the trio, a swarm of nasty Dementors is sent to protect the school from Black. A mysterious new teacher helps Harry learn to defend himself, but what is his secret tie to Sirius Black?

Rating:

PG (Frightening Moments|Creature Violence|Mild Language)
Genre:

Kids & Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language:

English
Director:

Alfonso Cuarón
Producer:

Chris Columbus, David Heyman, Mark Radcliffe
Writer:

J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves
Release Date (Theaters):

May 31, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming):

Nov 23, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA):

$249.4M
Runtime:

2h 21m
Distributor:

Warner Bros. Pictures
Sound Mix:

SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio:

Scope (2.35:1)
View the collection:

Harry Potter

First Blood (1982)

Watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

in theaters.43aba51a9d1 Liberty Magazine

peacock.2427388e74b Liberty Magazine

amazon prime video.aea370299cd Liberty Magazine

apple tv.da7a28db8f5 Liberty Magazine

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

beetlejuice 2

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

Leave a ReplyCancel reply