[edit] # 21:23 (3) comments

Expecto Patronum!

I wasn't quite the first of us to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban but it looks like I'm the first to resurrect FlickNut with it.

I enjoyed this movie immensely, possibly more than the first two. You could definitely tell the change to a new director -- everything was a lot darker and a bit creepier, but I think it was appropriate, since the books change their tone this way a bit as well, as you get to the third book and beyond. There were some wonderful new sets, and a new location for Hogwarts as well, which was absolutely beautiful (though a bit farther off from the description in the books, I think). A lot had to be chopped from the book to fit it into a 2-hour movie, but I think they did a very good job of it this time around. I would have added a few things back in, but on the whole I think it was well edited. Pay attention to the music, too. There was a greater variety than in the previous two, including what sounded like some authentic Medieval or Renaissance music, which was a nice touch that fit well with the castle setting.

The Marauder's Map was always one of my favorite magical artifacts from all of the books, and I loved the one they created for this movie. (Watch the footprints on it during the closing credits, too -- it's fun.) The Whomping Willow was really neat, as well. The dementors and the hippogriff and the grim were all quite good, but the one that was really awesome was the werewolf. I had always imagined werewolves as fairly humanoid, or at least bipedal, whereas Mom had always thought they just turned into regular wolves. Professor Lupin, though, was in between and very different from either one of these possibilities. I didn't think I liked it at first, but it turned out to be far cooler and far scarier than either alternative.

I've gotten very attached to all the kids in the main roles through these three movies. Unfortunately, they really don't look like they're 14 (because most of them aren't). A few years ago they could pass themselves off as 11, but it just isn't working anymore. I think we're probably due for some new kids for the next movie, but it'll be a heck of a job for them to step into.