A View From Mars:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (B+) As a slightly reluctant but always overly satiated viewer of these films, the third in the series was no different. This latest installment came off a little darker than the cheery and jocund previous two. Empire Strikes Back-ish or Temple of Doom, if you will. The story basically centers on Harry Potter and crew's upcoming third year at Hogwarts just in the aftermath of the first prisoner ever to escape from Azkaban prison, which is kind of an Alcatraz for wizards. Needless to say, this prisoner, Syrius Black (Gary Oldman), is after Harry Potter for reasons which were established prior to the first book. The adventures ensue and along the way we meet up with a few familiar faces and a couple of new ones. There's Emma Thompson as a divinity professor, David Thewlis as the new defender of dark arts professor, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon as the new Dumbledore, etc, etc.... A better name for this one probably could have been Harry Potter and the British Character Actors. Also new behind the camera is Alfonso Cuaron, who brought you Y Tu Mama Tambien. You may think of this as an odd choice for director of a kid's series, but he also did A Little Princess, which J.K. Rowling has noted as being one of her favorite family kid movies. Also, one can note that although the primary target for this movie is kids, there are some sub-plot lines and scenes that can be taken as adult-oriented. For me particularly, the extended climatic scene could possibly go over the heads of the younger crowds, but it is because of this that definitely made the movie for me. This was a great summer ride that was judged as movie alone. I have not read any of the Potter books, but was told that this was a fairly accurate adaptation that will please the book fans as well those that have not touched the books. I don't doubt that this movie will make loads of cash and it's definitely worth it to contribute, if not for the movie experience but because you can appreciate it as the kids we once were.