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 Thirteen
year-old Harry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) has reluctantly spent yet
another summer with the Dursleys, his dismal relatives, "behaving
himself" and not practicing any magic. That is, until Uncle
Vernon's bullying sister, Aunt Marge (PAM FERRIS), comes to visit.
Aunt Marge has always been particularly horrible to Harry and this
time pushes him so far that he "accidentally" causes her
to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift away!
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Sirius Black, duality is a key aspect of Hogwarts' newest
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Remus Lupin, played
by David Thewlis (Timeline, Naked, The Big Lebowski). "Lupin
is very avuncular and likeable, but he also has this dark
secret," Thewlis says. "He's one of the last surviving
links between Harry and his parents, along with Sirius Black
and Professor Snape. So Lupin is a great comfort to Harry,
which was part of the appeal of the role. Many of the scenes
I have are with Daniel -- no special effects, just conversation
-- which was very rewarding for both of us."
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Fearing punishment from his Aunt and Uncle (and repercussions from
Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, which strictly forbids students
from using magic in the non-magic world), Harry escapes into the
night. He is promptly picked up by the Knight Bus, a fantastic triple-decker
purple vehicle that whisks him off to the Leaky Cauldron pub. Upon
arrival, Harry is met by the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge,
who inexplicably doesn't punish the teenager for his errant wizardry
and instead insists that he spend the night at the Leaky Cauldron
before heading back to Hogwarts for his third year of study.
It quickly transpires that a dangerous and enigmatic wizard, Sirius
Black (GARY OLDMAN), has escaped Azkaban prison and is believed
to be searching for Harry. Legend has it that Black was responsible
for leading Lord Voldemort to Harry's parents and ultimately to
their subsequent deaths; it is also believed that he is determined
to kill Harry too. To make matters worse, Hogwarts is playing host
to the Dementors, the terrifying Azkaban guards who are stationed
at the school in an attempt to protect the students from Black.
The Dementors  suck
the souls from their victims and, unfortunately for Harry, they
seem to have more of an effect on him than the rest of his classmates.
Their ominous presence chills the young wizard to the bone, rendering
him virtually helpless, until Professor Lupin (DAVID THEWLIS), the
new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, trains Harry in how to
use the Patronus Charm to shield himself from the Dementors' paralyzing
effects.
Along the way, Harry will try to make sense of Hermione's (EMMA
WATSON) puzzling appearances and disappearances, with the help of
Ron (RUPERT GRINT) and the giant Hagrid (ROBBIE COLTRANE), who has
taken on a new position at Hogwarts as the Care of Magical Creatures
teacher. A confrontation between Harry and the menacing Sirius Black
seems inevitable... but what exactly is Professor Lupin's relationship
with Black? What is the dark secret that Professor Snape (ALAN RICKMAN)
is so eager to reveal? And just why is Ron's pet rat Scabbers so
frantic to escape his grasp?
Harry will need all of the courage, magic and support he can muster
to answer these questions and uncover the truth behind Sirius Black
and his ties to the gifted young wizard's mysterious past.
This film has been rated PG by the MPAA
© Warner Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
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