Disclaimer– I do not in ANY way support the transphobic comments made by J.K. Rowling. If you want to engage with the Harry Potter series, buy the books/films second-hand rather than new. She doesn’t deserve any of our continued support.
However, as a lifelong fan of the Harry Potter series, I can still find enjoyment in re-reading the books and re-watching the films. After seeing the films many times, I have come to the conclusion that The Prisoner of Azkaban is the best Harry Potter film. This, as you will see, is for a myriad of reasons.
The Prisoner of Azkaban has the difficult role of showing the early teenage transition of Harry, Ron and Hermione as characters. They aren’t as close to the baby-faced children of the Sorcerer’s Stone or Chamber of Secrets any longer– they’re now teenagers who are facing the trials and tribulations that come with being 13.
This is shown cleverly in the film with the inherent awkwardness between Ron and Hermione as they begin to recognize each other as potential romantic interests, and Harry comes to terms with the reality of what truly happened to make his parents be found by Voldemort.
These growing pains help to develop our central trio independently as well as deepen their friendship. Furthermore, it teaches Harry the lesson which (arguably) I believe is the most important and profound in the entire series – he is capable of standing on his own and solving problems without assistance from anyone else.
This is highlighted in the scene where he saves himself and Sirius from the Dementors. Earlier in the film, he believes that they were saved by his deceased father. However, as he comes to learn later, he was the one who saved them.
While Harry has saved the day solo before, this is the first instance where there was no assistance given to him by some other source. In the Sorcerer’s Stone, he was able to defeat Professor Quirrell due to the protection given to him by his mother’s sacrificial act of saving him when he was a baby. In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry was able to defeat the Basilisk due to Fawkes bringing him the sword of Gryffindor. The Prisoner of Azkaban has Harry saving the day purely due to his own skill.
Furthermore, the aesthetic of The Prisoner of Azkaban is expertly crafted. The moody filter present on every scene alongside the dreary atmosphere contributes greatly to the series’ shift to a darker narrative tone. The films get progressively darker from this film on, and The Prisoner of Azkaban is a perfect foray into this tonal shift.
If you haven’t seen this film in a while, I highly encourage giving it a re-watch– time has been kind to it, and Alfonso Cuarón should continue to be praised for his masterful directorial work.