Why The Prisoner Of Azkaban Is The Best In The Harry Potter Series

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Two questions I get asked all the time are “what is the best Harry Potter book?” and “what is the best Harry Potter movie?”.

I’ve never been able to come up with an answer.

I usually go for the Philosopher’s Stone or the Deathly Hallows because the beginning and ending moments are those that really stick with you.

But recently I’ve been rewatching all the Harry Potter films and I’ve come to the realisation that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is actually notch above the others.

Here’s why Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best in the Harry Potter series (covering why Prisoner Of Azkaban is the best book and why Prisoner of Azkaban is the best movie!).

NB this post is full of spoilers but if you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or seen the film then why are you even reading this blog post GO CHECK THEM OUT NOW.

Why is Prisoner of Azkaban the best book and movie?

There are so many new magical concepts

I feel like in the first and second books, Harry and his friends are still very much coming to grips with all that is magic.

However, from the third instalment onwards, school starts to get a little more serious and they’re no longer newbies to Hogwarts.

This is appropriately marked by the huge difference between the main trio in film 2 and in film 3.

They noticeably grow up between stories 2 and 3, in the books, on screen and in real life. Compare baby Harry from film two here to teenage Harry from film 3 here.

• The Marauder’s Map

The Marauder’s Map plays such a crucial part in this film and, indeed, the rest of the series.

Without this, Harry wouldn’t have been able to sneak out of the castle into Hogsmeade without a permission slip.

More importantly, he wouldn’t have known that Peter Pettigrew was still alive and well (excluding the missing toe), proving Sirius’ innocence.

• Time Travel

We all knew it was going to happen eventually. Hermione would have to find a way to spend even more time studying than we ever thought humanly possible.

Luckily in the Prisoner of Azkaban, she has the help of a time-turner so she never misses a class. In the end, we learn a bit more about just how powerful and dangerous this little tool is and, in exceptional circumstances, how it can be used to right a wrong.

• Dementors

This is the first time we’re confronted by the terrifying creatures that are the dementors. These are probably one of the scariest types of creatures in the entire series and if you disagree then there’s something seriously wrong with you.

I mean, they literally suck happiness from your life until you are left soul-less and empty. Is that not the most terrifying idea?!

• The Knight Bus

The Knight Bus doesn’t appear anywhere as near as much in the series as I would like given how cool it is. It can move at incredible speed and squeeze between all the other cars on the road!

Just imagine, if these beauties actually existed then TFL would be out of business pretty quickly and we would all be thankful for quick & efficient transport.

• Hogsmeade

Hogsmeade is pretty high on my list of future travel destinations (no, I’m not mad, I mean the Hogsmeade at Universal Studios!) and it should be on yours too.

Who wouldn’t want to spend the weekend hanging out with friends at the Three Broomsticks or Honeyduke’s!

There are some of the best moments in the series

These are some of the Prisoner of Azkaban’s best scenes (and some of the best moments in the entire book/movie series!)

• “Turn to page 394.”

You know the scene.

• Hermione punches Draco Malfoy in the face.

Draco on Hermione, 10 years later : “This one time, she punched me in the face. It was AWESOME”.

• Dumbledore chimes in which one of my favourite quotes ever.

“Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”

Here are more of the best Dumbledore quotes.

It was before things got really Sirius 

This is the only instalment in the Harry Potter series that doesn’t really feature Lord Voldemort.

In the first, we have Quirrel; in the second we have Riddle; and, of course, from the fourth instalment onwards we have the Dark Lord himself.

I know a lot of people would disagree, but, because of this, I feel like The Prisoner of Azkaban is actually one of the most light-hearted and funny in the series. Here’s why:

• Marge is blown up into a balloon.

Need I say more.

• Ridikulus

“The spiders! They want me to tap dance! I don’t want to tap dance!”

• Buckbeak tries to kill Draco

“Oh, oohhh! He’s killed me- he’s killed me!”

Once again, Draco stuns us all with his bravery.

• We are introduced to Professor Trelawney and the “noble art” of Divination

Finally, a class that Hermione isn’t good at!

Professor Trelawney: “You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shrivelled as an old maid’s! Your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave.”

Hermione Granger: [Storms out]

Professor Trelawney: “Have I said something?”

Harry Finally Has a Family

Why is the Prisoner of Azkaban so good? In discovering the Marauders gang, Harry also discovered a loving family he never knew he had.

Of course, he is sort of adopted by the Weasleys from the get-go but Harry finally gets to meet people that were incredibly close to his dead parents, which is very touching.

• Harry meets his Godfather, Sirius Black

“I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry. You’re not a bad person. You’re a very good person, who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters. We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”

• Harry finds a friend in Remus Lupin

“The very first time I saw you Harry, I recognised you immediately. Not by your scar, by your eyes. They’re your mother; Lily’s. Yes, I knew her. You mother was there for me at a time when no one else was. Not only was she a singularly gifted witch, she was also an uncommonly kind woman. She had a way of seeing the beauty in others, even, and perhaps most especially, when that person couldn’t see it in themselves. Your father, James, however, had a certain, shall we say, talent for trouble. A talent, rumour has it, he passed onto you. You’re more like them then you know, Harry. In time you’ll come to see just how much.”

Plz. Pass the tissues.

So there are a couple of reasons why The Prisoner Of Azkaban is the best Harry Potter book and movie in the series. Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

Purchase the new, illustrated Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book!
(It’s the best Harry Potter collection!)

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Want more Potter posts? Have a look at these! 
7 Best Albus Dumbledore Quotes
The Best Harry Potter Christmas Scenes
The Best Harry Potter Halloween Scenes
A Guide to Harry Potter in Oxford
Hogwarts in the Snow at WB Tour London
Warners Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour Review 

This article was first published in 2017 and was updated in 2019.

Laura

Founder & Editor of What’s Hot?

Laura is an award-winning travel and book blogger based in the UK. She studied French literature at Oxford University and is now an IP lawyer at a top law firm in London. She was named UK Book Blogger of the Year in 2019 and loves to combine her passion for books and travel with literary travel.