claudemercure

An 11-year-old orphan finds out he is a wizard, and subsequently attends wizarding school, where he learns intriguing facts about his past.

Too many scenes fall flat. From the moment Dumbledore casually walks on-screen, the magical elements are treated in a matter-of-fact manner; director Chris Columbus fails to imbue them with a sense of wonder. There are fake-looking special effects (the backgrounds during the flying scenes), as well as some good ones (the moving staircases). But the worst offender is the generic, intrusively over-active score.

Despite all the flaws, the story carries you along. Columbus tends to encourage overacting, but several of the actors here (especially Maggie Smith) apparently didn't oblige. Alan Rickman is probably the best-cast actor in the movie.

Harry finds out a maniac has escaped the wizard prison Azkaban, bent on killing him.

A darker, fast-moving installment. The reins are finally given to a real director, and the results are a dramatic improvement. Alfonso Cuaron gives the film an appealing visual style, brings the characters down to earth (with the help of the costume department – the clothes now look like they've actually been worn), while making the film's fantastical elements (the Dementors, the Whomping Willow) feel at once more real and truly magical.

It also helps that the young actors have matured to a level where they've actually begun acting. The only real flaw is that by accentuating the sense of fun, the film ends up feeling a bit slight.