Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [Blu-ray]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [Blu-ray]
by Alfonso Cuarón

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [Blu-ray]

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Pam Ferris, Richard Griffiths, Rupert Grint
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Brand: Harry Potter
Producer: Callum McDougall
Producer: Chris Carreras
Producer: Chris Columbus
Producer: David Heyman
Producer: Lorne Orleans
Writer: J.K. Rowling
Writer: Steve Kloves
Blu-ray: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Catalan (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Danish (Subtitled); Dutch (Subtitled); Finnish (Subtitled); Flemish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Korean (Subtitled); Norwegian (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Swedish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 141 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2007-12-11
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Model: 115697
Studio: Warner Brothers
Product features:

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry.Harry and his friends spend their third year learning how to handle a half-horse half-eagle Hippogriff, repel shape-shifting Boggarts and master the art of Divination. They also

Movie Reviews of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Summary: 5 Stars

Just prior to the release of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, tragedy struck when Richard Harris, the actor who played Albus Dumbledore, died of Hodgkin's Disease. After the mourning period was over, production had to look for another actor to take over the role. Having just come off of Lord of the Rings, Ian McKellan was a fan favorite to portray Dumbledore, but he opted out of the running because, after playing Gandalf and Magneto, he did not want the burden of portraying a third iconic character. Friends and family of Harris lobbied for the part to go to Harris' long- time friend Peter O' Toole, but in the end the role went to award-winning theater actor Michael Gambon.

The role of Dumbledore wasn't the only thing to change between Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban. In the interim Chris Columbus stepped down as director, and in came Alfonso Cuaron. At the time Cuaron seemed a fairly unlikely choice, as his previous effort was the extremely adult Spanish language film Y Tu Mama Tambien. Hired on the strength of A Little Princess, Cuaron breathed cinematic fresh air into the series. His vision makes the wizarding world feel older and more lived-in, as if it truly is the ancient world Rowling portrays in her novels. Magic also feels more like an everyday occurrence in Cuaron's wizarding world, rather than a surprise element as it is in Columbus' films. In this adaptation, Cuaron also adds details to the Harry Potter story that even J.K. Rowling wished she had included in the books (most notably the shrunken heads).

Cuaron also enhances the realism of Harry Potter by portraying the normal everyday aspects of kids living in boarding school. Prisoner of Azkaban includes extra scenes and quick glances of the characters joking around, fighting, and doing other things that kids do; the kind of content that is notably absent in previous installments. Watching Prisoner of Azkaban reminds you that, although Harry, Ron and Hermoine often find themselves in extraordinary situations, they are still kids. Another thing I have to admit I didn't notice until my most recent viewing of these movies is the weather. It's important to note that in the first two films the weather is always pleasant; giving a feeling that this magical world is one that is always perfect, always sunny. The world of Prisoner of Azkaban is a much darker one, with storms and turmoil that fit the mood of the series so much better.

Prisoner of Azkaban continues the tradition of casting great theater and film actors in new roles. David Thewlis (Seven Years in Tibet, Naked) joins the cast as Remus Lupin, the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility, Howard's End) plays Sybil Trelawny, Hogwarts' professor of Divination. One of my personal favorite actors, Gary Oldman (The Professional, Sid and Nancy) also appears in the film, playing the titular prisoner Sirius Black.

For the younger cast members, this film is a huge leap forward in their abilities as actors. As Harry Potter begins to develop more angst and signs of rebellion, Daniel Radcliffe shows off some of his best acting in the series. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint also show amazing growth as actors. A story Cuaron tells shows just how much each of the actors inhabit their characters. When he first took the job as director, Cuaron assigned Daniel, Emma, and Rupert the job of writing a paper about their characters. Rupert, in true Ron fashion, never turned in his paper, while Daniel wrote a one-page summary. Emma, in a move that would make Hermoine proud, chose to write a 16-page essay on her character. Being so in tune with their fictional counterparts really helped these young actors create more convincing portrayals of these well-loved characters.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Prisoner of Azkaban is the most critically acclaimed Harry Potter film. Unfortunately, it is also the lowest grossing Potter film as well. There are some speculators who would argue that the drop in receipts was due to the change from the winter season, when the first two films opened, to a summer release. At this point, however, the series was still doing astounding business; at $795.6 million worldwide, Prisoner of Azkaban was the second-highest grossing film of 2004.

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Summary of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [Blu-ray]

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry.

Product Measures: 0.5 x 5.5 x 7.5

Some movie-loving wizards must have cast a magic spell on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, because it's another grand slam for the Harry Potter franchise. Demonstrating remarkable versatility after the arthouse success of Y Tu Mamá También, director Alfonso Cuarón proves a perfect choice to guide Harry, Hermione, and Ron into treacherous puberty as the now 13-year-old students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry face a new and daunting challenge: Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison, and for reasons yet unknown (unless, of course, you've read J.K. Rowling's book, considered by many to be the best in the series), he's after Harry in a bid for revenge. This dark and dangerous mystery drives the action while Harry (the fast-growing Daniel Radcliffe) and his third-year Hogwarts classmates discover the flying hippogriff Buckbeak (a marvelous CGI creature), the benevolent but enigmatic Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), horrifying black-robed Dementors, sneaky Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), and the wonderful advantage of having a Time-Turner just when you need one. The familiar Hogwarts staff returns in fine form (including the delightful Michael Gambon, replacing the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Emma Thompson as the goggle-eyed Sybil Trelawney), and even Julie Christie joins this prestigious production for a brief but welcome cameo. Technically dazzling, fast-paced, and chock-full of Rowling's boundless imagination (loyally adapted by ace screenwriter Steve Kloves), The Prisoner of Azkaban is a Potter-movie classic. --Jeff Shannon

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