Updated 07 June 2004, 10.24

The dementors

The scenes are also not so long as to be too scary and we know that Harry Potter isn't really going to come to any harm.

I hadn't read the books myself however, so the scene in which Professor Lupin changes into a werewolf and then fights with Sirius scared me (just a little!), as did the appearance of the Dementors.

There are always going to be a few children who are more sensitive and get upset by certain things.

But we also have to think about all the other children who will get much enjoyment out of seeing HP 3.

How many times did you have to watch it?

BBFC: Sometimes with big releases like the Harry Potter films, the distributor (the company who owns the film and then sells it to cinemas and shops in the UK) will ask the BBFC to do an 'advice viewing'.

Harry gets angry!

The film might not even be completely ready (the computer generated effects may not have been added).

But one or two senior film examiners will watch it and suggest to the company what category the film will most likely get, based on what they have seen.

Then when the film is finished, maybe a few weeks or even months later, it will come back to the BBFC, to be seen by two film examiners, and the category is confirmed.

We usually watch films and videos in pairs, and it took two days to classify HP 3.

Were there any disagreements over the rating? What happens in this circumstance?

BBFC: There were no disagreements over the rating for HP 3, as all the examiners felt that the 'scary' scenes and mild bad language would be fine at PG.

If the two examiners in the team do disagree, for example if one examiner thought a film should be PG and the other thought it should be 12A, then the film is seen again by a second team of three examiners.

How did rating the 3rd Harry Potter film compare to rating 1 and 2?

BBFC: HP 1 was quite a light and easy film to watch, with less scary moments than HP 2, which I helped to classify.

Harry in Chamber of Secrets

The huge spiders and the fight scene between Harry and the basilisk towards the end of HP 2 were both strong moments and some examiners watching HP 3 thought that the second film was scarier.

The characters are also growing up, along with the Harry Potter fans, and the films are gradually becoming more intense. It was still an enjoyable and exciting film to watch though!

If you would like to learn more about film classification and other films that have been recently classified, click on the CBBFC link on the top right.

More Info

Our guide to age-ratings

Our Potter special section

Review: Prisoner of Azkaban

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Azkaban film quiz

What is the point of age certificates on films?

My new movie ratings system idea

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	Film fans spot errors in Azkaban
	Azkaban breaks box office record
	Azkaban is given a PG certificate

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