To all you naughty Muggles who let their pint-size wizards stay up late Thursday to attend the midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," I've one thing to say:

Well done!

Director Alfonso Cuaron has crafted an epic so imaginative and stirring that he leaves Peter Jackson and his bloody Hobbits choking on his dust. Your kids will always remember you were cool enough to let them be one of the first in the country to view the movie that's destined to be "The Wizard of Oz" of the 21st century.

Cuaron, the same Mexican director responsible for the achingly beautiful but definitely-not-for-kids "Y Tu Mama Tambien," seemed an odd choice to helm the film version of the third of J.K. Rowling's best-sellers about the boy with a lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. But with "Prisoner of Azkaban," Cuaron proves he's one of the best storytellers of his generation, whether that story be a wild yarn of two boys on a road trip with a sexy older woman or a summer blockbuster about one of the most famous fictional characters of all time. Certainly die-hard Potterheads would have been content if Cuaron, as Chris Columbus did with the series' two earlier films, had played it safe sticking to a straightforward dramatization of Rowling's book. Instead, he used the text as a springboard for his own vivid imagination.

The crowd of kids, teen hipsters and literate adults that packed Valley View Grande 16 for the early morning showing went absolutely wild for an opening bit in which Harry manages to turn his evil aunt into a creature who looks a bit like Violet, the girl who turned into a blueberry in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

A few minutes later, though, the film shifts to a grimmer mode, a transformation helped along with dark visuals by Michael Seresin. It seems Harry's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is destined to be a dangerous one. Convicted murderer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped Azkaban prison and may be looking to seriously harm the young wizard.

Delightful performances by Alan Rickman, always a joy as the cranky Professor Snape, and Emma Thompson as the wacky divination teacher add to the fun. But, while Emma Watson as Hermione Granger manages to hold her own, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and star Daniel Radcliffe seem to have about three facial expressions apiece. Luckily, the story moves so quickly it's not especially important that our young stars be master thespians.

Cuaron delivers oodles of awe-inspiring special effects, from a werewolf to those dastardly Dementors. But the film's most suspenseful moments are those we mere mortals can relate to, like the moment when you sense someone behind you but haven't turned to see whether it's friend or foe, or the feeling of urgently needing to be somewhere at a certain time and fearing you won't be able to make it.

While "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" might not help the young members of the audience on their SOLs, it certainly will fuel their imaginations. Watching the groundbreaking flick with a crowd of fellow Potter lovers in the middle of the night had to have been a magical experience they'll never forget.

Five Stars.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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At Carmike 10 at Tanglewood Mall, The Grandin Theatre, Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Grande 16. Rated PG for frightening moments, creature violence and mild language. Two hours, 20 minutes.