It’s late summer, shortly before the start of Harry Potter’s (Daniel Radcliffe) third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Apparently bored and ready to get back to his friends and the magic at school, Harry’s teenage angst shows as he clandestinely uses his wizard’s wand, which is forbidden away from Hogwarts.

Fear and loathing, and a bit of family obligation, keep Harry Potter in the confines of the home he lives in with his Uncle Vernon Dursley, Aunt Petunia and bratty cousin Dudley. The Dursleys fear Harry, he loathes them and the feeling is mutual. But when Aunt Marge (Pam Ferris), a guest at the dinner table, continues to insult Harry by saying mean things about his deceased parents, Harry loses his temper. He zaps her with an unauthorized and vengeful use of magic, and then decides to run away rather than make amends with his family.

As he sits on the curb, his trunk beside him, a growling, unseen monster lurks in the dark across the street in a thickly forested park. At that moment the Knight Bus (also a Lego toy you can now buy) comes along just for him, Harry boards the bus and as he makes his getaway, he learns that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from the inescapable Azkaban prison. Sirius is looking for Harry, reportedly to kill him and complete the task of eliminating his family, the crime for which he was incarcerated, murdering Harry’s parents.

The lighter moments in the film come from Harry’s relationship with best buddy Ron (Rupert Grint), and the "truly remarkable for one so young" and smart, Hermione (Emma Watson). Steven Spielberg, who was the initial choice as director for the first Harry Potter film said, "That first story didn’t touch me creatively. Now, the third Harry Potter book…it’s pure genius! Much darker, more esoteric and interesting to me personally…if they’d offered me that, I’d have said yes…."

Harry shares the darker moments on-screen with Sirius Black, uncovering some family secrets, and with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor (David Thewlis), who has more than a nodding acquaintance with things that go bump in the night.

Special effects here go to the dark side, with more than showy CGI and acrobatic non-stop action. Although there’s plenty of action in "Prisoner of Azkaban," beneath it is a strong story with many twists and turns regarding relationships and understanding that things are often not what they appear to be. And there’s the first brush with those hormones that kick in at about age 13.

When Hermione speaks the words "Time Turner," we see a very creative series of events involving short-term time travel. More than one life hinges on being able to turn time.

Ominous Dementors, those shadowy hooded creatures, roam the grounds of Hogwarts as guards. The problem is they have trouble distinguishing those who aim to harm Harry from Harry himself. Under the right circumstances, the Dementors could unknowingly kill Harry rather than Sirius.

Mythical creatures are shape shifters, werewolves and other ethereal anima. Our favorite creature is a magical half-horse, half-eagle (and all attitude) called a "Hippogriff," that is large enough for a human to ride.

This is definitely a hard PG movie…that is it could easily have been PG-13. Be careful with younger kids as it may really frighten them. Obviously a child who has read the book should be able to handle it. Timothy Spall alone is enough to send a chill up your spine. And then there’s that monster with the big teeth under the bed.

Pam’s Take: I appreciated Harry’s discovery of his own strength and talent. It reinforces the truth that you have the ability to save yourself.

The menacing plot of this story makes me like it less than George does. But I realize that if kids started reading the books and seeing the movies at about age 9, this is where they’d be in their development…those difficult, confusing young teen years.

George’s Take: Often when I would chuckle, many in the audience laughed out loud. That’s probably because this story is aimed at children (unlike Shrek 2, which has more of a dual message, one to adults and the other to children). I found the Time Turner scenes truly fascinating.

Perseverance, using your smarts, hard work and a positive attitude are all important here. The quote in the film that sums that up best for us is, "The ones that we love never leave us." This is a heartwarming film in a bone chilling way.