Film Review (this review may contain spoilers)
The w/e before last I managed to see HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban and after looking forward to this film for ages I have to say I was a little disappointed. That's not to say it was a bad film, it's not, it's very good I just thought it wasn't as good an adaptation as the other two films. Gary Oldman is, without doubt, one of my favorite actors. it's a shame that until the fifth book, his role is quite small.
I much preferred the darker look, this is in keeping with the more serious nature of the story. The new look of Hogwarts and surroundings is ok, the location of Hagrids hut is more convincing, the special effects are much better and the acting is good.
The main criticisms I have are that some key plot points were left out (they may address this inThe Goblet of Fire), the opening scene, at the Dursley's, felt very rushed, Harry's disappointment at not being able to go to Hogsmeade wasn't really conveyed nor was the suspiciousness of Crookshanks the cat and there was no explanation of who Messrs Moony, wormtail, padfoot and Prongs were or the fact that they became animagus, deliberately, in support of their friend Moony/Lupin. Also the book has a very uplifting ending which was not in the film at all.
Having just finished reading the book again it is very easy for me to make comparisons that I may have been able to make otherwise.
Overall,  I liked Prisoner of Azkaban and I would recommend it to any who has seen the the two previous films although I would say if you have never read Harry Potter you should make this a priority. It's not just for kid's you know!