Cinematic wizardry

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
PG
Starting tomorrow at area theaters
Three reels out of four

One of the main jabs at Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was that it lacked magic. Not the casting of spells, mind you, but that intangible feeling of wonder that was so prevalent in the book.

The second movie in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was a funnier and better film, but still fell short of supplying real movie magic. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También), finally captures the character that seemed to elude the first two.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is in his third year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and, as in the first two years, trouble has a way of finding him. This time, trouble comes in the guise of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), a once-powerful wizard who has been spending time in Azkaban prison for being a supporter of Lord Voldemort.

When Harry heads back to Hogwarts, he receives news that Black has escaped from Azkaban and has only one task on his mind: to kill Harry Potter. The wizard-in-training’s task is to keep Black from achieving his goal and, of course, to pass all his courses. All the while, Harry also must deal with the fearsome Dementors — ghoulish Grim Reaper-like guards from Azkaban — who also want Black recaptured.

As in the first two movies, the special effects are dazzling. Particularly striking is a creature that seems morphed from a gryphon (a monster that is half lion, half eagle) and a centaur. The effects are reminiscent of the best of animator Ray Harryhausen (Mighty Joe Young, Jason and the Argonauts).

The usual ghosts still roam the halls at Hogwarts, appearing as items such as flying brooms. There is even a werewolf. But what is notable this time around is how director Cuarón uses them.

Anybody can pay a lot of money to get the special effects to really sing, but it takes a good director to convey a sense of childlike wonder. For perhaps the first time in the series, it is obvious how much fun Harry Potter and his fellow wizards-to-be have on their adventures. Cuarón, whose Y Tu Mamá También had much to say about friendships and loss, also does a wonderful job showing the camaraderie between Harry and his mates.

But seeing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban also inspires appreciation for the solid workmanship of Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two movies. Columbus might not have let loose quite as much as he should have, but both movies are good examples of storytelling. As good as the latest installment is, it does tend to wander in places.

However, this movie is so magical and entertaining, you don’t mind it wandering because you know it will end up somewhere you’ve never been. And isn’t that what movies are all about? 

Recommended rental

Mystic River
R
Available Tuesday

Watching Mystic River in the theater, you could almost hear "ka-ching!" the moment Sean Penn graced the screen. That’s how obvious it was that he would finally take home the little golden guy for Best Actor. But Clint Eastwood’s masterful, gut-wrenching, modern-day Greek tragedy is much more than a showcase for Penn. Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon fill out the cast as childhood friends in Boston thrown together by a tragedy that might have a connection to their own troubled pasts. Tim Robbins also won a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar.