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intereact!Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Richard Griffiths, Pam Ferris, Fiona Shaw, and Harry Melling
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $19.98
Release Date: 2004-11-23
Theatrical Release Date: 2004-06-04
Studio: Warner Home Video
Run Time: 142 minutes
Format: Array
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Discs: 2
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com
Some movie-loving wizards must have cast a magic spell on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, because it's another grand slam for the Harry Potter franchise. Demonstrating remarkable versatility after the arthouse success of Y Tu Mamá También, director Alfonso Cuarón proves a perfect choice to guide Harry, Hermione, and Ron into treacherous puberty as the now 13-year-old students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry face a new and daunting challenge: Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison, and for reasons yet unknown (unless, of course, you've read J.K. Rowling's book, considered by many to be the best in the series), he's after Harry in a bid for revenge. This dark and dangerous mystery drives the action while Harry (the fast-growing Daniel Radcliffe) and his third-year Hogwarts classmates discover the flying hippogriff Buckbeak (a marvelous CGI creature), the benevolent but enigmatic Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), horrifying black-robed Dementors, sneaky Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), and the wonderful advantage of having a Time-Turner just when you need one. The familiar Hogwarts staff returns in fine form (including the delightful Michael Gambon, replacing the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Emma Thompson as the goggle-eyed Sybil Trelawney), and even Julie Christie joins this prestigious production for a brief but welcome cameo. Technically dazzling, fast-paced, and chock-full of Rowling's boundless imagination (loyally adapted by ace screenwriter Steve Kloves), The Prisoner of Azkaban is a Potter-movie classic. --Jeff Shannon2) Description
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry. Harry and his friends spend their third year learning how to handle a half-horse half-eagle Hippogriff, repel shape-shifting Boggarts and master the art of Divination. They also visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack, which is considered the most haunted building in Britain. In addition to these new experiences, Harry must overcome the threats of the soul-sucking Dementors, outsmart a dangerous werewolf and finally deal with the truth about Sirius Black and his relationship to Harry and his parents. With his best friends, Harry masters advanced magic, crosses the barriers of time and changes the course of more than one life. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and based on J.K. Rowling 's third book, this wondrous spellbinder soars with laughs, and the kind of breathless surprise only found in a Harry Potter adventure. DVD Features:3D Animated MenusChallenges:Three great interactive challenges! Test your memory with "Magic You May Have Missed", help Crookshanks "Catch Scabbers", and go on an unexpected quest with Sir Cadogan.DVD ROM Features:Wizard Trading Cards.Hogwarts Timeline. Deleted Scenes:A selection of mystifying exclusive never-before-seen footageFeaturette:Conjuring a Scene - an in-depth look at the making of key scenes from the filmMeet the animal trainers from the movie in Care of Magical Creatures.Interviews:Raucous interviews with the cast lead by Johnny Vaughan and the Shrunken HeadCreating the Vision - a revealing interview with J.K. Rowling and the filmmakers. Other:Self-guided iPIX tours into Honeydukes and Professor Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Choir Practice - sing-along with the Hogwarts choir.Hogwarts Portrait Gallery - get a closer look at the various portraits lining the walls of Hogwarts castle. Electronic Arts game preview.Theatrical Trailer:Harry Potter 1, Harry Potter 2, Harry Potter 3
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5
1) Cuaron's Potter Rules! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
As the first director change in this series, Alfonso Cuaron had big shoes to fill. Not only did he fill them, but he has delivered a fantastic film that is not only as good as the previous two, but surpasses them.Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets immensely. I just happened to enjoy Prisoner of Azkaban immensely-er. The acting continues to get better and better, as Daniel Radcliffe turns in a very good performance. The movie stays true to the book, without repeating it exactly. It's the same, and fresh at the same time.The SFX team nailed the dementors. They really provided the most terrifying effect they could without actually coming off the screen and sucking happiness out of the audience. And then, the final sequence with the time-turner was executed to perfection. Buckbeak was awesome, Gary Oldman was casted perfectly. Lupin was played well, too. I just can't say enough good things about this film. I don't even think five stars does it justice.2) An adaptation that could actually be better than the book...? [Rating: 5 out of 5]
In the 7 book Harry Potter series, PoA remains my favorite book. I have probably read it more than any of the others in the series. The third movie is not line for line a video copy of the book. There would be no conceivable way to make that a realistic reality. I was quite pleasantly surprised and delighted at this adaptation. The overall ambiance and storyline was preserved. Yes, many details are lacking, if you go line to line from the book. Take this movie as an entity on itself, and you have a solid, incredibly enjoyable movie. This is one of very few movies created from published books that I can say is as good or better than the original work. To date, this remains my favorite HP movie (and yes, I have seen all five released movies).And I must salute Michael Gambon. To have to step into the robes of Albus Dumbledore, after Richard Harris- wow. He is NOT the same, and I do not believe that he ever planned to play Dumbledore as Harris did- thank goodness. He played him his own way, while still keeping the spirit of Dumbledore intact. Kudos to Gambon!3) Not the book [Rating: 3 out of 5]
If you never read the book, I'm sure you would love this movie. It's a great movie for kids & adults. I wish I hadn't read the book first because the movie simply is not the book. It doesn't follow the book at all. A lot of good stuff is left out & nonesense that never happened was added in. I don't understand why they did that. If you haven't read the book, please do. The book is excellent!4) Movie [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Another great movie in the series. This one is my twin daughters favorite so far!5) #3 is a great movie as well as a great book! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Both the movie and the special features are so excellent, so full of creative genius and fun, that we have watched them many times. In fact, my daughter had requested that I rent it so many times that I decided we should own it. The scenery is stunning, the filming is inventive and draws us into the scenes, and the plot retains the best elements of the really excellent book. Cuaron's direction inspires these great actors to be authentic to the beloved characters of the book. Some of the DVD games are a little squirrelly, but that is no surprise, and there are plenty more features to entice us, including a warm interview with the author, JK Rowling, and the director, Alphonso Cuaron(who also directed Y Tu Mama Tambien). Clearly everyone on the set is enamored of Ms. Rowling. Lots of detailed looks at set and scene construction are included...we were truly impressed with the effort and talent that went into this film. Plus it is funny, has a super interesting plot, and the acting/directing is marvelous. Of all of the (5) HP movies out as of this writing, this one is the one I will be happy to watch repeatedly, simply for its cinematic genius.