Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Blu-ray Movie Review

"Ultimate" is an overstatement, but the latest 'Harry Potter' Ultimate Edition is still a solid release...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown October 22, 2010

The greatest magic trick Harry Potter ever pulled? Growing up with his fanbase. Over the course of the last thirteen years, both J.K. Rowling's novels and their big-screen adaptations have dared to age along with their readers and viewers, addressing increasingly complex issues and dramatically darker themes as the saga's young devotees and equally young protagonists approached adulthood. It's a particularly impressive feat considering the popular author or the wildly successful films could have followed an easier path. Rowling could have simply retained the tone and tenor of earlier entries, creating a colorful but toothless epic destined to fade from memory the moment her wide-eyed readers got their licenses and applied to college. Likewise, the bottom-line wizards at Warner could have stuck with family-friendly director Chris Columbus, recast roles as their fledgling actors neared their twenties or simply slapped a coat of rose-petal paint on Rowling's ever-darkening tale. But visionaries stood firm, organic storytelling prevailed and audiences have reaped the rewards. Harry Potter and his wondrous world have become an international phenomenon -- in print and on screen -- and untold billions have been earned all because an unwavering author and a shrew studio allowed a little boy and his fans to grow up.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban marks the saga's first real step down a very winding, very frightening road. The lights dim deeper and the creatures snarl louder. The threats are unspeakable, forbidden magic hints at dangers unknown and the costs are higher than they've ever been. It's more than that though. The series' young actors come into their own, the story itself claws its way beneath the skin and Azkaban's darkly dreaming director, Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también and Children of Men), delivers something more substantial than a strong Potter sequel... he delivers a great fantasy film.

Class is in session...

Murder is in the air, dear readers, and Azkaban Prison escapee Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) is its name. The vile madman's intended target? Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe, in his first wholly realized performance), set to return for his third year of study at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Of course, as other disciples of Lord Voldemort have learned, Potter isn't the easiest student to kill. With the help of faithful friends and fellow students Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), Harry is forced to contend with his impending fate, as well as a number of menaces that descend on Hogwarts. Vicious, wraith-like Dementors are on the prowl for Black, but take interest in the teenage wizard; thorn-in-Harry's-side Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) becomes more aggressive and more insidious than ever; fresh teachers, chief among them Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), rouse the young trio's suspicions; and Voldemort's influence seems to lurk around every shadowy corner. But as always, nothing is as it seems. Left to discern friend from foe, hero from villain, Harry takes his fate into his own hands, disregarding sage advice, discovering secrets beyond his comprehension, traveling through time and uncovering a truth far more terrifying than anything he bargained for.

While I suppose The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets were each delightful bits of fan service in their own right, The Prisoner of Azkaban is the first Harry Potter film in which all of the franchise's various elements come together in one fulfilling whole. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson connect with their angsty teen incarnations far more than they ever did with their rosy cheeked tots, and their performances, whether by way of maturation or Cuarón's watchful gaze, are more nuanced in every conceivable way. Radcliffe finally shoulders the crushing weight Rowling bestowed on the Potter clan, standing firm in spite of the blows that inch him toward the ground, and Watson finds the soul within her actress eyes, investing her all into Hermione's whispers and cries. (Grint doesn't hit his stride until Goblet of Fire, but he still shows signs of some much-needed effortlessness in Azkaban.) Radcliffe's elders rise to the young upstarts' challenge as well. Veteran actor Michael Gambon's Dumbledore is a sprier, steelier, sharper wizard than the late Richard Harris' headmaster; Thewlis is a fantastic addition to the cast who captures Lupin's duality and kindhearted resolve wonderfully; Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith, though both tackling smaller roles this time around, lend punch and presence to their scenes; and Emma Thompson is a breath of fresh comic relief. As an ensemble, the cast members embrace Cuarón's tone and direction more than they ever did with Columbus, and everything from Michael Seresin's stark cinematography to John Williams' blackening score to Nick Dudman's effective CG and practical effects follow suit.

Steve Kloves' screenplay also strips Rowling's Azkaban of anything that doesn't directly contribute to the thrust of the narrative, making for a leaner, smarter, more spellbinding adaptation than his previous Potter scripts achieved. I'm sure readers will miss such secondary subplots, but the resulting film slithers along at a perfect pace and the snaking story never becomes ungainly. For all the sleight-of-hand, double crosses, shocking reveals and new characters that grace the gloomy tale, Cuarón and Kloves maintain a tight ship, weaving subplots, payoffs and gut-punches with confidence and calculating precision. (Even when a parallel timeline exponentially complicates their efforts.) Better still, with older protagonists comes more meaningful dialogue. Conversations aren't just employed as a means of exposition, they're used to dissect every character, major and minor alike, that will come to play a crucial role in the trials ahead. Seeds of future conflicts are planted, evolving themes are nurtured to emotionally powerful ends and Radcliffe and his cohorts are given real opportunities, not just contrived chances, to grow up before our very eyes. By the time Sirius exposes himself, it's impossible to turn away. By the time Harry faces a swarm of Dementors, it's his psychological development, not some thrilling final fight, that warrants attention. By the time Hermione and Harry are racing to change the past, it becomes clear that Cuarón and Kloves know exactly what they're doing. Regardless of how you feel about The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets -- in my mind, they're little more than expendable prequels -- The Prisoner of Azkaban masterfully launches the Harry Potter saga into a bold, blazing future full of potential.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While the latest release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban conjures up the same 1080p/VC-1 transfer that left fans breathless in 2007, Warner's three-year-old encode holds up incredibly well. Michael Seresin's grim vision of Hogwarts is far removed from the colorful school Harry attended in Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. Ghostly golds, chilling blues, ominous primaries, pale skintones and ravenous shadows arrive in force, wiping away the warmth and hope that dominated Chris Columbus' installments of the saga. Not that I'm complaining. Seresin's fittingly bleak photography looks magnificent in high definition and Warner's presentation stays to true to his every dark intention. A few flushed faces and some notable (albeit arguably inherent) crush undercuts the beauty of it all, but color saturation and contrast is nevertheless satisfying and consistent. Detail also earns high marks throughout. Fine textures are well-resolved and revealing, the film's special effects aren't nearly as flat as those in Stone and Secrets, and edge definition, though haunted by a bit of noticeable ringing, is crisp and refined. Notice the weathered threads of Sirius' tattered clothes coming undone, the tiny scratches and specks of dirt on Harry and Hermione's faces, Buckbeak's frilled feathers, Professor Lupin's every dangling hair, individual strands of Dumbledore and Hagrid's beards, the craggly bricks adorning Hogwarts' walls and the faint, almost imperceptible grain that permeates the transfer. Each one a sight to behold. Issues? A handful. Brief flickering is apparent in a number of scenes, minor artifacting and banding creep in (most noticeably in the fog-draped background around the 1:38:30 mark), and blacks are a tad muted in two sequences near the end of the film. Otherwise, the encode is polished and proficient, leaving The Prisoner of Azkaban with little to do but impress videophiles of all ages.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Prisoner of Azkaban's stirring DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is full of sonic wonder, much like Warner's comparable 2007 uncompressed LPCM offering. Dialogue is never overwhelmed by the power of it all, nor does it float above the fray. Instead, voices dive into the Dementor-plagued trenches, take the fight to the film's rousing soundscape and emerge as an organic component of the mix. Prioritization is impeccable -- even the slightest sound effects are present and accounted for -- and dynamics are engaging. Sternum-rattling LFE output makes every roar and implosion an experience all its own, yet never goes so far as to draw unnecessary attention to itself. Likewise, lively rear speaker activity envelops the listener in the majesty of Hogwarts and the dangers of its forests, but never to superficial extremes. The whole of the soundfield is as believable and immersive as it could possibly be (this is, after all, a fantasy film), directionality is altogether convincing and exceedingly transparent pans hurl wizard bolts and screaming spirits from channel to channel without incident. (It doesn't get much better than Chapter 15's stormy Quidditch match.) If I have any complaint it's that John Williams' soaring score is a bit subdued at times. It isn't a debilitating anomaly in the slightest, and may very well trace back to the film's original sound design, but it did catch my attention on more than one occasion. Regardless, The Prisoner of Azkaban sounds fantastic, so much so that it shouldn't disappoint anyone.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Less "ultimate" than the previous Ultimate Edition Harry Potter releases (Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets), the 3-disc Ultimate Edition of Prisoner of Azkaban doesn't feature a Director's Cut or extended version of the film, nor does it offer a Picture-in-Picture experience. The outer box and some of its contents are slightly different as well -- the set is a wee bit taller, jettisons a Digital Copy disc in favor of a code for a downloadable copy of Azkaban, and comes bundled in a two-tier, side-access lenticular slipcover -- but not so much that it doesn't complement Warner's first two UE box sets. Inside though, it looks strikingly similar to its predecessors (pictured here and here). A hefty interior box houses three components: a tri-fold 3-disc digipak, a small envelope containing two collector's cards and a handsome 50-page hardcover book. Unfortunately, the set's special features aren't going to leave anyone cheering. The third installment of "Creating the World of Harry Potter," the saga's engrossing eight-part documentary, is the Ultimate Edition's biggest draw, but even it can't distract from the otherwise dull, disappointing, EPK-riddled supplemental package.

• Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 3: Creatures (HD, 63 minutes): The Ultimate Edition may not feature an extended cut or a PiP track, but it does serve up the next installment of "Creating the World of Harry Potter," a sprawling, incredibly extensive eight-part documentary divided across the eight Potter UEs. The focus of Part 3? The saga's creatures, a motley band of monstrosities and beasties that have filled young eyes with wonder over the last nine years. Teeming with concept art, early designs and renders, practical models and builds, CG tests and countless candid interviews with the filmmakers, cast members and visual effects wizards who brought the creatures to life, this is by far the finest supplement the set has on tap.
• Vintage TV Spots (SD, 66 minutes): Three television specials are available. "The Magic Touch of Harry Potter" (narrated by Jeremy Piven), "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and "The Making of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."
• An Interview with Alfonso Cuaron (SD, 8 minutes): The director discusses his induction into the world of Harry Potter, his approach to the film and more. (Presented in Spanish with English subtitles.)
• Inside the Creature Shop (HD, 8 minutes): Special Makeup Effects Designer Nick Dudman takes viewers on a tour of his Creature Shop.
• Additional Scenes (HD, 5 minutes): Five unfinished deleted scenes are also presented in high definition.
• Theatrical Trailers and Assorted Ads (HD, 10 minutes): Three theatrical trailers, a pop-up book announcement, an iPod app advert and a look at the "Film Wizardry" book coming this November round out the second disc's supplemental package.
• Original DVD Special Features (SD, 70 minutes): A cumbersome, seek-and-find menu awaits those who venture into the maze of standard definition content housed on Disc 3. Specifically? Five unfinished scenes, a worthwhile interview with J.K. Rowling and the filmmakers, forty-four minutes of at-times grating, at-times engaging cast and crew interviews hosted by the Shrunken Head and Johnny Vaughn, an introduction to the film's animal trainers, a look at the creation of Buckbeak and the Dementors, interactive tours of Honeydukes and Professor Lupin's classroom, three activities ("Magic You May Have Missed," "Catch Scabbers" and "The Quest of Sir Cadogan"), DVD-ROM content and a videogame trailer.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you already own the 2007 Blu-ray release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, you're probably wondering if the 2010 Ultimate Edition is worth your hard-earned cash. The answer though depends on what you're looking for. If you already own Warner's first two Harry Potter UE box sets and you're eager to dig into the third installment of "Creating the World of Harry Potter," this release is most certainly for you. However, if you aren't a complete supplemental junkie or despise oversized box sets, stick with the original 2007 Blu-ray release. It offers the same excellent video transfer, a comparable audio mix and all of the special features on Disc Three of the 2010 UE. Not that those who purchase this particular edition will be disappointed. "Creating the World of Harry Potter" is worth the price of an upgrade alone (at least in this humble writer's opinion) and newcomers and longtime saga purists will be thrilled with the AV presentation. Either way, The Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantastic fantasy film and the first truly great chapter in the Harry Potter series.