Harry Potter finally grows up, and I have to say it's about time. When my parents dragged to see this film, I kept running through my mind that this'll be like the last movie which is more of the same. However, to my surprise, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" turned out to be a pretty damn good film. Even though there are still the same cliches, from the last two, of someone trying to kill Harry, and it's up to Harry and his friends to save the day, it does offer a deeper story than that. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is based off the book of the same name, in which a wizard is falsely accused of murder, so he seeks help from his nephew, Harry Potter. However, Harry doesn't realize that the wizard is his uncle until the end, so he goes on thinking throughout most of the film that the wizard is one of the guys responsible for killing his parents. The special effects for this film were better for this one. Overall, I would say this is the best Harry Potter film I've seen.

The special effects were great. I especially like how they animated the ghosts in this film. Seeing them for the first time gave me the chills. Unfortunately, the werewolf looked too artificial, though. Oh well, it was almost perfect job by the special effects team and thank god they limited Quidditch in this film to only a few minutes. However, the film's story line is what separates this film from the other Harry Potter films.

The storyline, on the surface, does have some of the same cliches as the other two films, but it goes a lot deeper into the character development. For example, in one scene, Harry gets picked on by his saragate grandmother, so he turns her into a balloon out of anger. This scene shows how fed up he is with his saragate family, so he lashes out in anger. This shows a side to Harry that the viewer has never seen before. It shows a side of rebellion that we all feel when we're growing up, so the viewer is able to identify with Harry. Another great scene, when Harry found out about the wizard being his uncle and as it turns out the guy who frames him gets away. This shows how unfair life can be sometimes and how we all are forced to accept it. Unlike the fairy tale ending of the last two films, this one grounds the series into a more darker world.

The director did a great job creating the dark tone to this film while still maintaining the childlike elements that made the first two a hit.

Indeed, Harry is growing up. Before, I couldn't care less about the Harry Potter series but after watching this one, Warner Brothers might turn me into a Harry Potter fan yet. With great special effects and a great story, this film doesn't fail to disappoint. The best film in the Harry Potter series.