Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Image
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Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 638 Ratings

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  • Starring: ,
  • Summary: In this third installment of the series, the infamous Sirius Black has escaped from the dreaded fortress of Azkaban and is headed straight to Harry Potter.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Susannah Gora
    100
    Soars gloriously into fluency and magic.
  2. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    91
    Potter 3 is, in its heart of hearts, a teenage angst movie...Cuaron has done a masterful job of bringing off this shift in the Potter paradigm without disrupting any disruption in the established style of the series and without any pandering concessions to the teen-movie genre.
  3. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    Not only is this dazzler by far the best and most thrilling of the three Harry Potter movies to date, it's a film that can stand on its own even if you never heard of author J.K. Rowling and her young wizard hero.
  4. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    80
    Enjoy the savory witches' brew that Cuaron has cooked up in his Harry pot. For on its own terms, this one is truly wizard.
  5. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    80
    In the Harry Potter film series thus far, The Sorcerer's Stone remains the strongest, perhaps because the first look at any rich new world is almost always going to be more groundbreaking than its sequels. But Prisoner of Azkaban is a worthy and stylistically different follow-up, where Chamber of Secrets often felt like an unimaginative retread.
  6. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    Although Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban stands well enough on its own, it has a "middle chapter" feeling. In other words, there's no real beginning or ending. Little is resolved and the film's climax is low-key.
  7. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    40
    Put delicately, this is one long sit, made all the more so by a turgid story, a dour visual palette and uninspiring action.

See all 40 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 233 out of 342
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 342
  3. Negative: 73 out of 342
  1. ChristinaP.
    Jan 5, 2006
    10
    The best movie(and the goblet of fire) i've ever known! i live HARRY POTTER!
  2. MonsieurEames
    Jul 12, 2012
    10
    One of my favorite films ever. Alfonso Cuaron takes the series in a whole different direction, and it is for the better. The first two films were great, but it was time to take on a more adult approach, and that's exactly what they did. Cast continues to charm as well as brilliant sets and effects.… Expand
  3. nboley08
    Aug 16, 2010
    10
    Might be the best of the series. It's certainly the most impressive visually, as Hogwarts, which sometimes felt as thrilling as a funeral home during Columbus' films, comes vividly alive in the third film. Sirius Black is such an intoxicating and great character, he really ties the movie together greatly. This was arguably Rowling's peak in the series.… Expand
  4. RaghuM.
    May 31, 2006
    9
    A great movie.Infact the best of the lot.This movie possesses a certain warmth and security that was absent in the earlier Harry Potter films.The visuals are spectacular, so is the casting and direction.Alfonso Cuaron deserves all the accolade he is getting for putting together a polpular yarn into the big screen without displeasing most fans and critics.I was rather amused to see this film as my expectations were very low after being treated to two dry affairs previously.I would have given the movie a rating of 10, if it had not been for the miscasting of Dumbledore and that screaming Sirius Black poster.Michael Gambon is a decent Dumbledore,but he doesn't meet the poignant expectations created by the late Sir Richard Harris.I still firmly believe that Sir Ian Mckellen would have made an excellent Dumbledore. Overall a great movie recommended for any Harry Potter fan.… Expand
  5. jfrotylpe532
    Dec 21, 2012
    8
    This is were the Harry Potters get great. Gary Oldman surely impressed me with his amazing performance as Sirius Black not to mention David Thewlis excellant acting as Lupin. Plus instead of continuing the playful happy mood like first ones it added mind-blowing foreshadowing and visuality that the first could not come close to having. Not mention they finally learned how to make a scary yet awesome creature(The Werewolf). This film is the reason that the Harry Potter trilogy stayed strong.… Expand
  6. JonL
    Dec 15, 2007
    8
    Too episodic to be great, but visually sumptuous and with an actual director at helm, shows the world with far more creativity and authenticity, rather than a visualization of the novels, which aren't much good in the first place.… Expand
  7. RitaS.
    Sep 22, 2007
    0
    Seriously, it needs to be redone. Professional reviewers, most of whom have no idea what the book is about, give it a good review because of what? The special effects? The "dark"ness? Did they read the book? Did the !@^%$#!&! director even read the book!?!?! Or did someone just give him a 2 minute summary of it and he made the movie out of what he could remember from it? How did JKR agree to this? Did she even? I can only imagine her feelings of horror as she watched her book getting murdered. It seems these questions will go unanswered. Feels like scenes were mixed up and a lot of stuff has been horribly changed and a lot has been left out. Good thing the director didn't stick around for the fourth part. Good riddance.… Expand

See all 342 User Reviews

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