Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The honeymoon glow of the wizarding world has begun to fade as Harry enters his third year of studies at Hogwarts, and Cuarón engineered the aesthetic pivot that would dictate the style guide for the remaining films: a cold-color palette emanating a darkness that must be offset by light from within. The Prisoner of Azkaban also covers crucial narrative ground from the books—Cuarón gets to introduce dementors and hippogriffs, new professors played by Emma Thompson and David Thewlis, and the titular wizard prison escapee Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who might have given up Harry’s parents to Lord Voldemort 12 years earlier. Enhanced by Cuarón’s deft choreography of deep focus action and his dedication to practical effects (many by Paul Kieve, the only professional illusionist ever hired to work on the series), the third Harry Potter film is a feast for the eyes, as well as proof of what a singular filmmaker might be able to apply to a global blockbuster.