Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

It's time for the next instalment in the Harry Potter franchise, based on the novels of J. K. Rowling following the adventures of the young wizard as he continues to make his way through Hogwarts, the wizarding school.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is back at school for his third year of studies, with his two best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

But of course, nothing for Harry is ever easy, and this year, he is a boy in great danger. Notorious criminal Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban, and is believed to be coming after Harry, whom he blames for the death of his old master, Voldemort. (At least that is how the story appears for most of the film).

Of course, as with every other year, there is a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This year, it is Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) who, as it turns out, went to school with Harry's parents. He takes a real shining to Harry, and the two become quite close, especially as Harry seems to be showing great aptitude in this class.

There is another new teacher, or rather, a new class that the students are taking. It is Divination, taught by the incredibly eccentric Professor Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson).

Even Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) is a teacher this year, teaching the Care of Magical Creatures class, a class it seems he was born to teach.

In order to protect the students at the school from any attacks by Sirius Black, the guards of Azkaban prison, strange spectral beings called Dementors, have been posted around the grounds to keep watch. But one wonders who they really answer to when they enter the grounds - against the wishes of headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon).

The screenplay, again written by Steve Kloves, who also adapted the first two films in the series, is a relatively decent adaptation of the book on which it is based. A large number of cuts were made, from what some readers feel were significant moments of plot and/or character, but which still seem to work nonetheless. Of course, one must remember that a book and a film are quite separate entities, and any adaptation from one medium to the other is bound to be fraught with difficulty in some parts.

Under the direction of Alfonso Cuarón, this film feels very different from the previous two films. In fact, it feels very different from every other film in the series, and not necessarily in a good way. Cuarón has the students in normal 'Muggle' clothing rather than their traditional wizarding robes, and there are a lot of personal touches he brings to the film that make it feel very 'un-Potter-like', at least as far as all the other films in the series go.

Adding to this different feel is a new actor playing the role of headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Of course, this was a necessity, as Richard Harris, who played the role in the first two films, had tragically passed away before the second film was released (though obviously after it had been filmed). Gambon does his best to bring the role to life, but sadly, I don't think he does it as well as Harris did. For me, Richard Harris will always be Dumbledore, whereas Gambon will only ever be someone who tried to fill those shoes and sadly fell short.

There are some interesting turns of events in the final third of the film, as a time-travel subplot comes into play. As with any film that deals with the very concept of time travel, there are many interesting points that appear earlier in the film and reappear in a different timeline from a different viewpoint and make sense in a different way. This may seem like a very convoluted sentence that doesn't make a lot of sense, but if you've seen the film, you will know what I mean. And if you haven't seen the film, then hopefully it won't spoil it for you.

Aside from the change of director, the majority of the crew are the same as they have been for the previous two films. So, we get a very similar feel from Stuart Craig's production design, that at least tries to tie this into the series, and place it right between parts two and four seamlessly.

John Williams's score has echoes of his previous work on the two earlier films, yet has enough new themes and motifs to be considered a new project. Naturally, as with anything he writes, his score here is perfect.

But I don't think these things alone are enough to redeem this film. Cuarón may be an incredibly gifted director, but in my opinion, his involvement has actually ruined what could have been a much better film in the hands of another director.

6 out of 10.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

The tale of the boy wizard continues in the second film based on J. K. Rowling's best-selling series of books.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is back at Hogwarts School with best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

But this year, a new threat lies in wait for the trio. It appears someone has opened the fabled Chamber of Secrets, and released a monster on the school, and several students and staff have become petrified (as in frozen, not as in scared).

The worst thing is, as far as most people are concerned, Harry is the prime suspect. He and his friends must not only clear his name, but also find the real culprit and even - if they can - help those who have been petrified return to their normal state.

It really is wonderful to follow Harry and his friends for their second year of wizarding school. The main trio have grown significantly in their abilities, not just their characters’ abilities, but in their own acting abilities.

Screenwriter Steve Kloves again returns, and has done an incredible job of adapting this, the second book in the series, to the screen. The book does lend itself quite well to a film adaptation, nonetheless Kloves has done an amazing job yet again.

The cast as I mentioned are all fantastic, in particular newcomer to the series Kenneth Branagh as new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and egotistical celebrity author Gilderoy Lockhart.

Sadly, this film marked Richard Harris's final performance as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, as he passed away shortly after filming, but before the film's release.

Production designer Stuart Craig returns as well, and again has done a great job bringing Rowling's wizarding world to the screen. Coupled with magnificent visual effects, everything on screen is just perfect, and so reminiscent of the beauty of the books.

Composer John Williams has outdone even himself with the score, expanding on his existing themes from the first film here, and creating something that remains connected to the first film but also stands on its own as a unique entry into the world of cinema.

Chris Columbus, who had also directed the first installment, returns for this one, again bringing a real unity to these first two films, something which wouldn't really happen again in this series until much later. He has a real gift in directing the younger members of the cast, and his love for the source material shines through in every scene.

I really enjoyed watching this again in order to write this review, and will no doubt be watching it again soon.

7 out of 10.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

It’s time to return to the wizarding world created by J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. But this film has nothing to do with the boy wizard or even Hogwarts School; it takes place about 70 years before Harry came along.

Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) has been forced into hiding. Magical authorities around the world are on the lookout for him to bring him to justice, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, a dark and sinister force is terrorizing New York City. It is into this environment that a young magizoologist named Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) enters.

Scamander is writing a book about the care and proper treatment of magical creatures. (Astute Harry Potter fans will recall that Scamander’s book was actually one of the books on the first-year syllabus at Hogwarts. In fact, J. K. Rowling actually later wrote this book too to raise funds for Comic Relief UK). With him, he carries an enchanted briefcase that houses many of these creatures, creatures that MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America, the American equivalent of the Ministry of Magic) have deemed dangerous and illegal.

After an altercation with No-Maj (American English for Muggle) Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Scamander finds himself being pursued by former Auror Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston). Escaping the clutches of MACUSA and Auror Graves (Colin Farrell), Scamander and Jacob take shelter with Tina and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol).

When several of Scamander’s magical creatures escape the briefcase and are let loose on the streets of New York, the group must find them and get them back into the case before MACUSA find them and kill them.

At the same time, a group that call themselves Second Salem, headed by a fanatic named Mary Lou (Samantha Morton), are trying to hunt down and kill witches and wizards. Mary Lou and her many adopted children, including Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) and his young sister Modesty (Faith Wood-Blagrove) hand out leaflets to people on the street, and hold protest rallies in public, calling for an end to the magical population, whom they believe are responsible for all the recent unexplained events terrorizing the city.

I really can’t say any more about the plot, as there are so many twists and turns, it wouldn’t be fair to you for me to continue.

Fans of the Harry Potter films will find much to love about this film, as it has a very similar feel and tone to it. This is mainly due to the sheer number of people who worked on the Potter films who have returned to work on this one.

Director David Yates (who directed several of the later Harry Potter films) returns to the helm, and has made a film that is so close to the Potter films and indeed the wider wizarding world, it just feels right. The screenplay is written by J. K. Rowling herself, rather than being adapted from a book. This is an original screenplay, and as such, means that watching this film for the first time, everything comes as a surprise, as only Rowling knows what’s yet to come (this is said to be the first of five films).

Production designer Stuart Craig also returns, and again, has done a fantastic job. The sets and locations are all incredibly detailed, and it really feels as though we are back in 1920s New York, rather than on a studio lot.

Of course, the hard work of costume designer Colleen Atwood also adds to this overall effect. The costumes are beautiful, while not being over-the-top and ridiculous. Every last detail has been thought of here, and it pays off immensely.

The score (by James Newton Howard) is also perfect for the film. As the film opens, we hear the Potter theme (as composed by John Williams) for only a few seconds, before the music transitions to a new theme, highlighting the fact that we are in the same wizarding world, but we are here for a whole new adventure that has little to do with the earlier films.

Performances by the entire cast are well executed, with Eddie Redmayne and Dan Fogler certainly being the standouts. I for one can’t wait to see where these characters end up in the upcoming installments, at least, the ones who are still with us at the end of the film (not saying too much, no spoilers here!).

Wait … I almost forgot to mention the visual effects. The effects in this film (and naturally, there are an awful lot of them) are absolutely seamless, which of course only serves to ground us even more in this magical universe.

All in all, this is a fantastic film (no pun intended), and I am sure I will be watching it many more times (mainly to ease the wait for the next four films!).

8 1/2 out of 10.