Harry Potter et la Chambre des secrets

Nearly 8 years and 6 films later, this was only my very first acquaintance with the Harry Potter franchise. I obnoxiously considered myself not to be a part of the target audience (too old and anti-computer generated effects), even though the copious fantasy & horror ingredients always somewhat triggered my curiosity. I literally waited until this second installment in the series was programmed on national television and I was too lazy to switch the channel. It didn't take too long before I regretted having waited this long, as "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is a vastly entertaining and impressively accomplished blockbuster. Obviously I can't compare it to anything else, as I haven't seen any of the other films and never even held one of J.K. Rowling's books in my hands, but you don't need comparison in order to know this is excellent fun to enjoy with a big pack of popcorn. According to most reviewing people around here, this second film is already a lot darker and more sinister than "The Sorcerer's Stone" and apparently the series gradually grew more mature. Me, I was already quite astounded with the amount and types of morbidity featuring in this. "The Chamber of Secrets" is child-friendly, but definitely not childish. Of course there aren't any explicit death sequences shown on screen, but there's loads of creepy stuff (giant spiders, snake-monsters, spontaneously combusting birds, …) that I imagine can be quite nightmarish.

Following a successful rescue operation executed by his gingered best friend Weasley, Harry Potter escapes from his insufferable distant relatives and heads back for Hogwarts to attend his second year of wizardry. Even during the journey already and especially upon their arrival, it becomes obvious there's something strange going on. Perhaps Dobby, the overly humble and nervous little elf who came to warn Harry about not returning to school, was right. The rumors about the Chamber of Secrets reopening itself are getting louder and louder. This never before found chamber allegedly homes a hideous monster that destroys all the students whose blood isn't 100% pure wizard blood. Yeah okay, the plot is *slightly* more convoluted that this, but obviously I can't summarize 161 minutes of film and 360 pages of book in just a couple of sentences. The important thing to know is that "Chamber of Secrets" is a spectacularly fast-paced and non-stop adventurous film full of visual gimmicks and widely versatile fantasy elements. The cast choices are excellent. The child actors do terrific jobs and particularly the teachers at Hogwarts are stupendously cast. Richard Harris (who passed away before the theatrical release), Maggie Smith and Robbie Coltrane are great as the 'Good Samaritan' teachers, but my preference obviously goes out to the more malignant and eccentric characters. Alan Rickman as the uncanny Professor Snape and especially Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy provide an additional eerie atmosphere with their presence and Kenneth Branagh shines as the hoax magician and wannabe media superstar Gilderoy Lockhart.

This movie is way better than the first one, which everyone is saying because--let's face it--it's true. The three leads have grown into their characters, and their acting is loads better. I kept thinking during the first one, "Aw, look at these cute little kids playing Harry, Ron and Hermione." Now they ARE Harry, Ron and Hermione, though they still won't get any Oscar nods. All the new characters were absolutely wonderful. I was not disappointed at all with a single one, even Dobby. Now, I know a lot of people compare him to another CGI character, but he's not like that at all. I loved Dobby, even though when I saw him the trailers I thought I was going to hate him. Jason Isaacs as Malfoy was an absolute slime ball, and just so deliciously evil. Not bad looking, either, especially with his luscious long blonde hair. Bonnie Wright returned as Ginny Weasley, who had a much more important part and did an excellent job, I was very impressed. I'm tempted to go on about the lovely Christian Coulson as Tom Riddle, and Kenneth Branaugh, who embodies Gilderoy Lockhart on the screen, but this review has a word limit. Even if you are not a massive Harry Potter fan, you will find this movie very enjoyable. It's scary (spiders, snakes, and willows, oh my!) and incredibly funny, thanks to Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and of course Kenneth Branaugh, the incredibly pompous new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Back to the subject of the three leads, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), and Emma Watson (Hermione). They have grown quite a bit since the last film, though it's not a bad thing-Harry and his friends are supposed to grow too. Girls are starting to notice how good-looking Harry has become, and Ron, who is still adorable, and Hermione is becoming very pretty. I was pleased to see that her appearance was more like it was described in the books-she even had big teeth. Ron is finally taller than the other two like he's supposed to be, but that's most likely due to Rupert being older. I only had one disappointment as a major Potter fan-Sean Biggerstaff. While I believe he is absolutely dreamy and am in love with him, he just didn't come across as the mad, maniacal Wood we've grown to love. A consolation for some of the die-hard fans who might find the movie a little fast when they first see it-see it twice. The second time is so much more enjoyable, I can't tell you why, but you'll love it. I'd recommend this movie to anyone, from the scary gothic kid who sits next to me in fourth period to my work-a-holic father, it's great. I can't wait to see it again with my mother, who was away this weekend. I've already seen it twice, and it's only been out for three days. I can guarantee that you'll enjoy it, even if you didn't like the first one-which I personally find odd, but slightly understandable. Slightly. Go see Chamber of Secrets!

The second installment seems to carry on where the first left off. All previous characters return and then some!! The grandiose majesty of Harry Potter continues with new tricks, new delights and little treats that can be taken for granted. At times I find the Harry Potter world has so many wonderful things happening at the same time that you tend to overlook the smaller things (ergos the Weasley's residence and the great Hall) The Chamber of Secrets is a darker tail but is well within the tolerances of most children's ability to handle. The creatures are excellent, the overall story is easy enough to follow, though some aspects have to be explained to younger children.

What does get annoying is that constant overused Daniel Radcliffe cheesy smile. It wears on the sensibilities after a while like sharp finger nails scraping down a blackboard. Overall though, Chamber of Secrets is a solid good natured magical movie only slighter less pleasing than the first.

If you liked the first one then you're going to love this! There's a darker atmosphere this time around and more characters are introduced including Gilderoy Lockhart (hilariously played by Kenneth Branagh), Draco Malfoy's father, Lucius (a great performance by Jason Isaacs, exactly how I imagined the character from the books!), Ron's father, Arthur, and the mysterious Dobby the house elf (fortunately he isn't anywhere near as annoying as other CG characters in other movies, but I won't name any names... *cough*JarJarBinks*cough*)

The movie sticks closely to the novel, but as in the last movie we miss some of those scenes where we start to learn a little more about the characters, especially the hate-hate relationship between Harry and Professor Snape (who was seriously underused in this movie!)

All in all it's definitely worth checking out, the running time of 160 minutes may seem a little long but it doesn't seem that long when you're watching it. By the way, whatever you do DO NOT leave until the credits have ended, otherwise you'll miss a little extra treat...

Lessons learned since the 1st film! Clearly this film was edited at script stage rather than the cutting room floor stage!! This story reads as film narrative, rather than a book illustration, which was the big mistake of the 1st film. Anyone can watch this film and follow it without knowing the book. The 1st hour is pure laugh out loud fun (the adults in my Cinema audience were shouting with laughter!). The last hour is scary, wand dropping tension.

The problem is: how do we convince muggles put-off by the 1st film to go see this one? Why should they give this one a chance? Answer: If you know someone who likes Fun, make them see this film! This film is not about 'Oscars' & Acting, despite the fabulous performances by all the adults, it is about enjoying the overall effect of the film, this being to give the viewer a long lasting buzz. Brilliant! The staging is very theatrical in it's minimalism, yet extravagantly arty in visual specifics. In the not to distant future I see fans going to a regular weekend slot at their local cinema for Audience Participation fun. Wands, swords, sorting hat, spiders, mandrakes & crucial ear muffs as standard props! Lots of gaps for us to shout out funny quips. A Rocky Horror Show Audience Participation Show for kids! Long overdue.

My Rating: 8/10. Not a masterpiece of cinematic potential, but such jolly good fun that no one should be denied the joy of a "Bloody Marvelous" frolic. A film for the child within us adults. Go see it with a predominantly adult audience if you want to experience the real buzz of unfettered emotion. Only three children were present at the Preview I witnessed and they were silently spellbound whereas the adults evoked emotion noisily throughout and then stood up, cheered and applauded at the end! I shall never forget this truly magical experience.

Richard Harris you can not be replaced, you will always be Dumbledore, and hence Omnipresent. Thank you for the fantastic finale to a wonderful life that you gave us. Thank you. And Thank you JK & Chris. You did it, the Chamber is well & truly open now!