Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Reviews Counted: 244
Fresh: 221 | Rotten: 23
Under the assured direction of Alfonso Cuaron, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban triumphantly strikes a delicate balance between technical wizardry and complex storytelling.
Average Rating: 7.7/10
Critic Reviews: 49
Fresh: 45 | Rotten: 4
Under the assured direction of Alfonso Cuaron, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban triumphantly strikes a delicate balance between technical wizardry and complex storytelling.
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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 1,155,890
Movie Info
After directing the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise, Chris Columbus opted to serve as producer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and passed the baton to Y Tu Mamá También director Alfonso Cuarón. Though "immensely popular" is an understatement when it comes to Harry Potter, Azkaban is somewhat of a departure from its predecessors, and particularly beloved among fans for its surprise ending. Prisoner of Azkaban also marks the introduction of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman),
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Cast
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Daniel Radcliffe
Harry Potter -
Rupert Grint
Ron Weasley -
Emma Watson
Hermione Granger -
Gary Oldman
Sirius Black -
David Thewlis
Remus Lupin -
Michael Gambon
Albus Dumbledore -
Alan Rickman
Severus Snape -
Maggie Smith
Minerva McGonagall -
Robbie Coltrane
Hagrid -
Tom Felton
Draco Malfoy -
Emma Thompson
Professor Trelawney -
Julie Walters
Mrs. Weasley -
Timothy Spall
Peter Pettigrew -
Julie Christie
Madam Rosmerta -
Warwick Davis
Wizard -
Pam Ferris
Aunt Marge -
Dawn French
The Fat Lady -
Jimmy Gardner
Ernie Prang -
Richard Griffiths
Vernon Dursley -
Robert Hardy
Cornelius Fudge -
Lenny Henry
Shrunken Head -
Matthew Lewis
Neville Longbottom -
Adrian Rawlins
James Potter -
Fiona Shaw
Petunia Dursley -
Geraldine Somerville
Lily Potter -
John Cleese
Nearly Headless Nick -
Kathrin Nicholson
Pansy Parkinson -
David Bradley
Argus Filch -
Lee Ingleby
Stan Updike -
Chris Rankin
Percy Weasley -
Harry Melling
Dudley Dursley -
Paul Whitehouse
Sir Cadogan -
Bonnie Wright
Ginny Weasley -
Alfie Enoch
Dean Thomas -
Joshua Herdman
Gregory Goyle -
Devon Murray
Seamus -
Jim Tavare
Tom the Leaky Cauldr... -
Jamie Waylett
Vincent Crabbe -
Abby Ford
Young Witch Maid -
Oliver Phelps
George Weasley -
James Phelps
Fred Weasley -
Sitara Shah
Parvati Patel -
Jennifer Smith
Lavender Brown -
Bronson Webb
Slytherin Boy -
Genevieve Gaunt
Pansy Parkinson -
Kandice Morris
Girl 1 -
Annalisa Bugliani
Mother in Portrait -
Tess Bu Cuaron
Baby in Portrait -
Violet Columbus
Girl With Flowers -
Ekow Quartey
Boy 1 -
Rick Sahota
Boy 2 -
Sharon Sandhu
Girl 2 -
Danielle Tabor
Angelina Johnson -
Freddie Davis
Old Man in Portrait -
Peter Best
MacNair -
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All Critics (244) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (221) | Rotten (23) | DVD (46)
The right word for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is wondersful -- as in full of wonders, great and small.
Top CriticJust like the books that the films are based on, this franchise gets better with each installment.
Like the first two movies, this is loaded with computer-generated imagery, but for the first time there's a sense of dramatic proportion balancing the spectacle and the story line.
Compared to its predecessors, this is a more wintry, thoughtful and rewarding movie.
This is a luminous movie -- luminous, imaginative and affecting. For Harry Potter, at least, the third time is the charm.
The most powerfully entrancing children's film in years.
It's arguably the most fun Harry Potter film to watch: inventive, quick-moving, playful, beautiful.
What makes Prisoner of Azkaban so successful is that, like the earlier films in the franchise, it actually adapts the book from which it takes its name.
Prisoner of Azkaban lacks the depth that those of us old enough to drive may have enjoyed in the earlier Potter installments.
Cuaron delivers a genuinely spooky and emotionally involving adventure which gives the world of Potter much-needed character and atmosphere.
Alfonso Cuarón brings a darker, edgier, scarier feel to this installment.
Given arguably the best book of the series to work from, new director Alfonso Cuarón has turned out the best film to date, too.
For the first time, the non-converted may actually see what all the fuss is about.
This is easily the best Harry Potter film yet, though a few qualifiers need to be added to that endorsement.
The best of the franchise so far...
Fantastic, but kids are older, themes are darker.
Cuarón filigrees his film with brilliantly outsized projections of Harry's fears and underlying realities. [Blu-ray]
Potter's third year is his most inventive yet.
Ultimately the success of the film lies in the characters, and the emotions that they trigger in us.
Regardless of its cinematic shortcomings, the Harry Potter film series still has a ton of life in it.
Rather than a brand new sense of adventure, there's a sense in this sequel of a rerun, a tendency that even Harry's extreme magic can't seem to overcome.
A menagerie of menacing and morphing computer-generated special effects make the movie worthwhile.
Cuarón has produced the most terrifying and darkly humorous movie adaptation of Rowling's stories to date, giving it a visual flair sorely missing in the previous installments.
Audience Reviews for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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Movies Like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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- Remus Lupin: Everybody, Riddkulus! [class] Riddikulus!
- Draco Malfoy: This class is ridiculous!
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- Harry Potter: Excuse me sir, where's Professor Lupin?
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- Draco Malfoy: Is it true that you fainted?
- Ron Weasley: Shut up Malfoy.
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- Ron Weasley: We thought you were having a fit or something.
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- Harry Potter: Who's he?
- Stan Updike: Who is he? WHO IS HE? He's a murderer!
- Harry Potter: How did he escape?
- Stan Updike: That's the question. How did he escape?
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- Professor Trelawney: You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an old maid's! Your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave.
- Hermione Granger: [Storms out]
- Professor Trelawney: Have I said something?
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Foreign Titles
- Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban (DE)
- Harry Potter et le prisonnier d'Azkaban (FR)
