Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (4¼ Stars)

I've been criticised for calling the first two Harry Potter films silly. First of all, I never called the films themselves silly; I just said they contained random silliness. To take just two examples, I thought the flying keys and the flying car which came and left of its own volition were silly. However, maybe the word "silly" is too strong. Maybe a better word would be "childish", which I don't mean in a negative way. Both the books and the films were intended for children, so childlike elements were appropriate. Children laugh when unexpected random events happen. So I apologize for my use of the word "silly".

Having said that, the third film doesn't contain any such childish elements. I have the feeling that the films, as well as the books they are based on,  are growing up with the characters. If "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was written for 11-year-olds, this is a story for 13-year-olds.

Speaking of the characters themselves, Ron's face is now finally showing signs of maturing. Hermione's figure is showing the first hints of womanhood. But for me the biggest shock is Harry's Slytherin nemesis, Draco Malfoy, played by Tom Felton. He looks so different in this film that I at first doubted he was being played by the same actor.