Chris Columbus did an excellent job setting up the world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts with two exciting kids movies which adults could also greatly enjoy. Alfonso Cuarón manages to capture the same sense of magic while taking things to the next level in various ways.

The kids are given more individuality in the way they wear their school uniforms and also get to wear more casual clothes. Apparently much of the filming was moved to Scotland and there are lots of gorgeous landscapes, some beautiful views. Overall, more time is spent outdoors, showing things we have yet to see. The cinematography is very creative. There are many impossible shots, including some which pass through mirrors. They make you pause and think, wait, how'd they do that? You can't just say "cgi" because you can see the actors clearly and the camera seems to move smoothly. However it's done, it's impressive, draws you in and makes the movie much more fun.

The story is just as good as the first two movies, giving us some more insight into Harry's parents and what happened leading up to the fateful night he received his scar. One of the new characters is Lupin (David Thewlis) who becomes a kind of paternal figure for Harry, helping him develop useful skills and understand his own emotions. Gary Oldman is excellent as always, in this case a crazed murderer but entwined in a mysterious past which we gradually learn more about. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot. One popular device is made use of, perhaps better than in any other movie. There are a number of nice details which enhance it greatly.

There is a theme of light in the movie. Finding light in the darkness. Finding hope and inner strength at the right time. Lifting yourself up by your bootstraps. This movie is in many ways more personal than the previous two. It is less epic in scope and more focused on betrayal, lies and finding the truth. And also about inner conflicts. It's hard to say much else without giving things away.

This movie touches on themes of sadness and fear more directly than most movies ever do. They're universal emotions that everyone can relate to. Our childhood might not be the same as Harry's, but most of us can relate to distant happy memories which we can't even tell are real. We all yearn for some lost golden age from the past from time to time. Many of us have times when we realise we'd falsely judged someone, not knowing the full truth.

HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban is also full of humourous moments, clever details which are easy to miss in the background, multiple seasons and cool transitions between them, creative ways of filming scenes and moments of true pathos. John Williams' music is great as always with two stand-out parts being when Harry rides Buckbeak and the theme Window to the Past. This is one of the best fantasy movies of all time - I wish Cuarón got to direct more of the HP movies!

This movie is not as good as Chamber of Secrets, but better than The Philosopher's Stone. Everybody says that this is the marking point for when the Harry Potter films get dark. But in my opinion, the fourth one is when it gets darker.

I thought the directing was very nice and the pacing was good. The story was also great, with so many clever twists and turns. I definitely recommend this movie

I'll keep this review short since the movie came out more than a decade ago and it has been universally viewed. 5 movies came after this one in the series and 2 movies came before, yet Prisoner of Azkaban still remains my favorite (and many peoples') Harry Potter movie. This movie is the one of the few in the franchise that tells and completes a story. It deals with Harry uncovering a truth about his past involving his parents' murder, and explores how he adjusts to this truth. Here's what makes that sentence special: was there any mention of Voldemort in that summary? You'd be hard pressed to find any mention of him either in the movie, except in a couple sentences. This movie can be seen as separate from the rest of the Harry Potter movies because it holds up as its own, without having to build up the universe or service the Voldemort storyline at all. It's also the first movie to feature the dark undertones that the first two implied but never fully explored. He must deal with his darkest fears while also dealing with the danger of a murderer seeking to kill him. This is more personal, but this movie ironically deals with time travel better than any sci fi movie I've seen about it because it portrays it in a way that time is immutable, which makes the most sense.

TL;DR: Dark and original, Prisoner of Azkaban stands as its own movie without having to build up a universe, while also entertaining in its own right.