Alfonso Cuarón, however, who has taken the directing reigns from Chris Columbus this time around, has not turned the Potterheads' god into bullshit. Early word on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was that it was the best of the series, and for once early word was correct; this third installment is indeed the best of the bunch, and for the first time in the franchise's existence, a film has achieved the level of art. So much of Prisoner of Azkaban has been beautifully shot and assembled that even Potterheads may be in for a revelation: Compared to this effort, the first two films appear staid and uninspired. Some of this surely has to do with the fact that Columbus, although competent, is also painfully untalented, whereas Cuarón--director of Y Tu Mamá También--is one of the most engaging and thoughtful eyes working today. Columbus excels at wrangling children; Cuarón excels at wrangling those children into something not just decent, but highly imaginative, and the end result is that now, finally, there is real magic in the on-screen Harry Potter universe.
The story retains the now-stock order for the series: As Harry (Daniel Radcliff) is about to embark on another year at Hogwarts, something strange is afoot. That something is an escaped prisoner named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) who wants to pay Harry a brutal visit. Among those searching for Black are shrouded creatures called Dementors that can apparently siphon the soul out of a man--a talent young Harry nearly experiences firsthand on the train ride to school. Luckily, Hogwarts' new teacher, Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), happens to be sharing Harry's cabin, and with a twirl of his wand he sends the Dementors packing.
But who is this Professor Lupin? And why does he know so much about the Dementors? And what all does he know about Sirius Black? These questions begin to press, rather predictably, on Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson), and their ensuing investigation--which will involve time travel, werewolves, and a bird-horse named Buckbeak, among other things--leads them not to just villains, but to new friends who were once thought of as villains, as well as new villains who were once thought of as friends. In other words, things get a little messy, and although you know full well even before the opening credits that things will turn out fine in the end, Cuarón manages to juggle things so well that a surprising amount of tension builds.
It is not just tension that Cuarón brings to the series, however; race and sex make an appearance as well. Up until now, the Harry Potter juggernaut has been embarrassingly pale, but Cuarón inserts a welcome dash of color, populating Hogwarts with a number of non-pasty faces. And the sex? Well, puberty has arrived for the main characters, and surely estrus can't be far behind, especially if the hands of Hermione and Ron keep gravitating toward one another. Will a magical humping soon make its way into the series? Probably not--although with the Olsen twins now officially of age, I wouldn't be surprised if some sicko carried on the Internet countdown, ticking down toward the date when young Watson ripens to legal age.
There are many complaints one can level at the Harry Potter films. Even this third installment, as good as it is, is saddled with the same problem: Each film, despite changes in characters and conflicts, is essentially the same story. But whatever gripes I may have, I still find it strangely comforting whenever a new Harry Potter film arrives. I'm not a fan, really--I've never read the books, and I doubt I will--but with each new film I find Harry, Ron, and Hermione more and more endearing; if the Harry Potter series offers us nothing else--if it fails to stand the pressure of time--then at least it offered us a chance to watch three bright children grow up. J. K. Rowling's creation, and its legions of fanatics, may be easy to mock and slap around, but the appeal of Harry Potter is stubbornly infectious. Thank goodness for that--after all, only god knows when the series will end.
