Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

Two Stars
Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson

This film can be summed up in one statement: "It's not much like the book". And there in lies the crux of this review.

The latest incarnation of the Harry Potter movies is replete with outstanding visual effects, a faster paced script and most outstanding performances from the main charecters seen yet. However, this is NOT your 12 year old's Prisoner of Azkaban. Along with these advances in story telling with film come an onslaught of story changes, additions and deletions. These changes left me reeling trying to keep seperate how my memory dictaed the story pregression from the novel and how the story was laid out on the screen.

I think those who have not read the novels will enjoy the film more for not having this hinderance, however that lack of background will leave the unfamiliar with total sense of loss as intricacies are not explained for the layman and the new story lines use the "doctrine and physics" of the novel without explaining them for the average viewing muggle.

Attend this movie with an everest size grain of salt and you'll at least come away without scars.