Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

[Alfonso Cuarón] attacked the Potter material with the instincts of an auteur. Everything darkened. Literally.

This Potter is terse, swift, sad -- and welcome.

Cuarón brought to the Potter franchise a quality curiously missing from the two previous films: magic.

OK, so the narrative may be a tad shaky, but what lends Azkaban its edge is the unabashedly creepy tone that Cuaron conjures.

The right word for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is wondersful -- as in full of wonders, great and small.

For the first time, the non-converted may actually see what all the fuss is about.

Prisoner of Azkaban is a standout entry in the Harry Potter franchise – it establishes an effective tone under Alfonso Cuarón’s stellar direction.

This is far more enjoyable than the first two films. I'm still not a fan of Dumbledore.

It's a tad too long but serves as the turning point for the series where filmmakers were actually doing something unique with each new film. The performances of the three leads demonstrate their continued growth as actors, which I appreciated.

With a change in director and the replacement of an integral character actor, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban still manages to be one, if not the most impressive entry in this franchise.