It’s moody, atmospheric, and stylish, but at times I did think it was overdone, distracting from the story. It has only eight discs and does not include special features or the Creating the World of Harry Potter documentaries. Yet when the names are pulled from the Goblet of Fire, against all the rules a fourth champion is revealed, Harry Potter. Also, included is a collectible retrospective photo album made to look like the album Hagrid gives to Harry at the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The Triwizard Tournament is taking place this year, and Hogwarts is competing against Durmstrang and Beauxbatons schools.

But Professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton)'s Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, meaning Harry has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. As myth and magic combine to weave their dark spell, Harry uncovers a few more crucial secrets about his mysterious past. What`s worse is that the Dementors of Azkaban have been unleashed to affect his recapture, and have taken up residence around Hogwarts, but also seem to take an uncommon and debilitating interest in Harry.Of the first three films, it’s easily the best, and given how the subsequent novels become ever more convoluted and plot driven, I wouldn’t be surprised if I found The Prisoner of Azkaban to be the best of all eight Harry Potter films. Harry will finally learn the truth about his tragic childhood, but the truth may come too late to save him. Away from the protection of Dumbledore and Hogwarts, Harry draws ever closer to the moment for which he has been preparing since boyhood: the ultimate showdown with the Dark Lord. You can’t do that with Harry Potter, and the concern is that you wind up with a film like The Philosopher’s Stone, which lack a narrative arc, and instead feel like a series of loosely connected vignettes, a sketch show made into a movie.

It allows for one final burst of energy, a bit of action and comedy as the trio raid Gringotts, before things get really dark and dramatic for the final battle, and leavening the action with a bit of levity, or some other character arc is no longer an option.

Indeed it looks as if they are hell-bent on persecuting him to the full extent of whatever law minister Cornelius Fudge can devise. It’s all to the good, as The Prisoner of Azkaban is the most visual of films to this point, with great composition, effects and direction, with a far more organic and realistic feel to its magical world. I can’t believe that I’m actually saying this, but they’ve been a little too handy with the scissors, and what remains isn’t all that satisfying as a story. You have a predominantly child cast, who you follow over eight movies, seven years of school, ten years of real time filming, and they don’t go the expected route of the child star, initial fame followed by a public crash and burn, and to the lament of many a tabloid, they still haven’t.

All eight Harry Potter films on UHD Blu-ray feature DTS:X audio, which replicates and conveys the fluid movement of sound to create a richer experience than previously possible by moving sound to precisely where the mixer placed it. The Goblet of Fire' (2005) sees Harry board the train to Hogwarts School, where he will attend his fourth year of magical education. Home Entertainment's Tenet topped both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts for the third week in a row. It can be a bleak and cold character drama at times, but it still has its lighter moments, and charming interludes of comedy and brightness, although far fewer than before. Still, it’s an interesting direction for the movie to take, and it remains entertaining enough, until the unsatisfying pause at the midpoint.

Of all the Harry Potter adaptations that I have seen so far, or at least watched with my full attention on the screen, not distracted by pesky adverts, The Prisoner of Azkaban feels the most like a genuine feature film. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.