HARRY POTTER 3

We saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban today. We both liked it a lot. I really felt this was the best "film" of the three so far. I really felt like the other two were visualization of the book rather than independent works of art. The first Harry Potter movie was magical and full of whimsy and looked just great. The actors were perfectly cast and the set design was superb. I just felt like it lumbered along, showing us the main points of the book. The third film was a lot darker and richer. There was very little stuff thrown in for fun. This was a much more adult film than the other three, and I don't mean dirty or scary. I just mean it was deeper and more character-driven. What I loathed about the first two films were the endings. I thought they were classic "deus ex machina" endings, with something out of left field swooping to save Harry. This one felt much more organic and natural.

The theater was about half full, and we were the only adults not accompanied by children. There were a few talkers at first, but nothing awful. About a half hour in, some kid sarted asking his dad questions very loudly. He was shushed roundly. A few minutes later, he piped up again and was shushed again, but this time another father told the loud kid's father to make his kid behave or take him outside! A very quick shouting match ensued and an usher came in to quiet things down. The rest of the movie went along without a hitch. During the credits, I overheard the shushing dad bragging to other patrons that yeah, he didn't want to start a scene, but he just had to do what was right...blah blah blah.