I enjoyed the first two "Potters," mind you, but I thought they were mostly about special effects, the wonders of visual excitement, more than about story or characters. They were, in effect, cute and fun and delightful to look at.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," is much more ominous and much more grown-up, so to speak, than the first two. That said, I wish it had more of a story to it. But that deficiency might be laid at the doorstep of the book's author, J.K. Rowling, as much as on director Cuaron. Rowling had certainly blossomed as a writer by the third "Potter" installment, but she still tended to be rather unfocused in her plot line.

Yet the tone, mood, and atmosphere in number three are so much more imaginatively serious, even Hogwarts and its surroundings looking and feeling different, that it more than makes up for the thin plot. What's more, the three young leads have matured and become better actors, delivering more authoritative and realistic performances.

"The Prisoner of Azkaban" feels like just what it is--a transitional tale, a bridge between the first two introductory books and the next ones to follow. Seen as a link in the progression of stories, "Azkaban" works well enough, but taken on its own, it feels rather unfinished and, ultimately, unfulfilling.

The pacing is certainly one culprit, as the story doesn't really go very quickly in any particular direction; but also I attribute the story's lackadaisical nature to the fact that it has so little to say beyond a few character discoveries. The first two movies, while less developed in style and tone, told self-contained stories. They stood on their own. This latest one feels more like a brief anecdote than a fully evolved narrative; it's like a chapter in a book rather than a complete novel.

I had the feeling as the movie was going on and again when it was over that while a lot of action occurred, nothing much actually happened.

I thoroughly enjoyed the new look. The old castle of Hogwarts is gloomier than ever, no longer the place of childhood fancy but of genuine frights. And Hagrid's hut being farther from the castle and down a steep incline gives the movie a more visually diverse and appealing look.

But no director will dare add much that's new to Ms. Rowling's plots, and I found the written stories of Ms. Rowling becoming more diffuse as they went along.

That's really all there is to the plot. Sirius comes to Hogwarts, and after a few rousing escapades, the conflict is resolved. Then, it's time to wait for the next movie.

As a character study, the movie works well, with Harry having to face his worst fears (Sirius Black); learn who he is (the allusion to his father and the stag); cope with a newfound sexual awareness (hoping his uncle won't catch him playing under the covers with his wand); and deal with people who are "different" (Lupin's outing).

I liked the humor of Harry's blowing up his obnoxious Aunt Marge (Pam Ferris) to gigantic balloon size and floating her out the doorway, a scene reminiscent of the one in "Willy Wonka" where the candy maker turns an obnoxious little girl into a giant blueberry.

I liked the gentle impishness of Michael Gambon, replacing the late Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore. I liked the sad-eyed David Thewlis as Professor Lupin, whose condition makes his stay at Hogwarts difficult. I liked the goofiness of Emma Thompson as the charlatan medium, Professor Trelawney. I liked the always-dependable Timothy Spall as the ratty Peter Pettigrew.

There's the sniveling creep, Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton); the scary, ill-tempered Professor Snape (Alan Rickman); the maternal and sympathetic Professor McGonnagall (Maggie Smith).

At best, "The Prisoner of Azkaban" is a good, atmospheric stepping stone in the "Potter" chronology, with yet something wanting to make it an entirely satisfying movie on its own.

Warner Bros. continue to market their extras with mainly younger audiences in mind. Therefore, you will again not see an audio commentary or a full-length documentary among the bonuses.

This includes "Trelawney's Crystal Ball," five deleted scenes in various stages of completion; "Creating the Vision," eleven minutes of comments by the cast and crew; and "Head to Shrunken Head," individual cast interviews.

The fourth section is "Hogwarts Grounds," which contains "Care of Magical Creatures," a four-minute piece wherein we meet the animal trainers who worked on the film; "Conjuring a Scene," a fifteen-minute behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Buckbeak the hippogriff and the dementors.

Unlike the first two "Potter" releases, which came in foldout cases and slipcovers, this one comes packaged in a regular two-disc slim-line keep case, with an informational insert guide.