Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition) Reviews

The second installment in the movie series begins with Potter being locked up in his room at the house of his horrible Aunt Petunia Dursley, Uncle Vernon Dursley and his stupid and spoiled cousin Dudley Dursley in the London suburb of Surrey and thinks that his friends Ron and Hermione have forgotten him after not getting single reply from him Ron and his twin brothers bust him out of the Dursley's house. The movie brings the Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger trio into a much darker arena. The darkness of the dangers is first evident when an elf named Dobby comes to the awful Dursley's house and warns Potter not to return to Hogwarts this year. Potter though goes to Hogwarts in defiance of Dobby but runs into problems at platform 9 and ¾ but that's not the main danger and Harry, Ron, and Hermione face much more dangerous events that threaten Hogwarts as a secret underground chamber called the Chamber Of Secrets has been opened by none other than the 'heir of Slytherin'. They must find how who the heir of Salazar Slytherin is as he is the one who knows where the Chamber is. During that time, several questions arise in who opened the Chamber of Secrets when Harry finds a little diary from a Hogwarts student from 50 years ago named Tom Riddle and also find a monster responsible for the death of a Hogwarts student around the same time as well. It gets darker and more intense as the movie progresses.

We also meet new characters and including his archenemy Draco Malfoy's tyrannical father Lucius Malfoy played by Jason Isaacs. The rivalry between Harry and Draco also seems to grow bitterer as they get older especially with Malfoy's increasing bigotry against normal humans aka muggles and belief that 'purebloods' (born to magical parents) are superior to all half-bloods and muggleborns. I just hope that it doesn't reach to like a 'fight to the death' kind of rivalry though or Draco becoming the 'next Voldemort' but you never know. Still though, it's fun to watch Malfoy hit major speed bumps when trying to act out his rivalry against Potter but unfortunately winds up endure embarrassing accidents as a result. Severus Snape is once again the cold mean mysterious Head of Slytherin House Teacher. The main thing though in this movie that slightly disappointed me was that there wasn't enough of the mysterious character Severus Snape. He's one of my favorite characters and he should've been given a much larger role in COS. Oh Well.

There are three main unsettling scenes though for younger viewers or those who hate creepy-crawlies. There are lots of them in the movie and it will creep the living daylights out of those who have revulsion towards snakes. 'Snake Lovers' though like most people, will definitely enjoy this movie a lot. There are also quite a good number of spiders in the movie too. Scenes like these will scare the living daylights out of those who suffer from arachnophobia and fear them like the plague. Arachnophobics (Correct me if I'm wrong) might want to hold on tight on the seats when the spider scenes come during various parts of the movie. For me though, I'm not scared of either snakes or spiders so they don't bother me in this movie at all. In fact, these are among my favorite of the creepy-crawly animals so there you have it. I actually enjoy the spiders but let's not warp the subject of this review though. The third scene is the bloody writing on the walls of the dormitory hallways and it can frighten some skittish viewers. For me, none of the three things bother me at all. In fact, the creepier feel of this movie makes it even more entertaining than the previous Harry Potter movie. Just for a little extra, I've even had a pet snake many years ago. ;-)

The choreography is once again astonishing. The "Enchanted Car" flying through the air was eye-popping and was great to watch instead of being cheesy and silly. The Quidditch match was much more addicting and eye-popping to watch than the match in the last movie and that one was awesome too just so you know. I wouldn't be surprised of "Quidditch" winds up being added to the dictionary. I think that's one of the best made up words of all time. Overall, I have to say that "The Chamber Of Secrets" is a successful achievement and builds upon the success and greatness of "Sorcerer's Stone", resulting in a near-masterpiece if not an epic one. The movie is much longer than the last one, running at 2 hours and 40 minutes, scarier with occasional scenes that might be a little frightening for younger viewers, and much more suspenseful than the last one.

Despite the frightening and darker tone of "The Chamber Of Secrets" and the bumbling of Gilderoy Lockheart, it is a fascinating and astonishing achievement in adapting Rowling's second novel to the big screen and is destined to become another classic in the years to come. Now begins the wait and anticipation for the third installment "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban" due out in 2004. I give my hats off to Chris Columbus and company for creating another great Harry Potter movie.

Rating: 5 - ABOLUTELY THRILLING!!
This movie is far above the first. I saw it in the theatre about 6 hours ago and hope to see it in a few more hours. This movie is an utter masterpiece. It is solid, clear, full of action, just the usual stuff Harry Potter has to offer: the occasional letter delivered by an owl, scarlet envelopes that shriek and yell when opened, iron spheres that chase students on broomsticks, and garden pest control products called "Flesh Eating Slug Repellent." This movie also introduces some new characters. Head of Hufflepuff House, Professor Sprout, who teaches Herbology. The conceited, female charmer Professor Lockhart, who teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts, and an evil school governor named Lucius Malfoy.
The movie also has a great cast. The trio, Harry Ron and Hermione, are growing up and (this is one thing I like better in this movie) they show more emotion toward events. Maggie Smith (recently declared a Dame by the Queen) returns as the strict and clever Professor McGonagall. Richard Harris (who sadly passed away just a couple weeks before the movie was released in America) is back for his second and last time as the wise and understanding Dumbledore.
Despite it's 2 hour and 55 minute running time, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets rarely has a dull moment. There may be a time when Harry is walking down a corridor and you think nothing's going to happen, (Quick Note: It's impossible for something to not be happening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.) but then a disembodied voice cuts the silence. Or perhaps a perfectly ordinary corridor holds a student in a mysterious form of suspended animation.
The Quidditch match, (unfortunately like the first movie there's only one) is more exciting as Harry and Draco Malfoy are both competing Seekers. The effects are better and (I don't know why) but the actual Quidditch stadium seems larger.
Then there are the comical aspects. There's a tiny creature classified as a house-elf named Dobby who goes about trying to save Harry's life in the most peculiar and inexplicable ways. The flying car, enchanted by Ron's father, is a smashing hit and meets a smashing fate after it falls into the violent branches of the Whomping Willow. Coupled with Ron's snide and sarcastic remarks, this movie delivers several spots that encourage hilarity.
The storyline is solid and complete with its own twists and turns, which is mastered, of course, by J.K Rowling. The book, naturally, is better than the movie. It is not possible to condense Rowling's work into 3 or even 4 hours and have it give the same effect as the book (though the way things are going, the 4th movie could be several days long). I think that this movie includes all hat it can and there are some things missing that I would have liked to see, but when you're done watching the movie, you'll just be dwelling on how great it was.

Rating: 4 - Excellent book-to-movie transition
Being an obsessive Potter fan like myself, I've been worried about the movies doing the books no justice like some book-to-movie transitions I've seen. In Chamber of Secrets, I've found little to complain about.
Unlike the first film with the tedious character introductions, this one jumps right into the story. The darker tone of the film reflects the book's tone perfectly. The acting has improved--especially the talents of Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson who play Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Richard Harris surely will be missed playing the role of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Kenneth Branagh is perfectly casted as the narcissistic Gilderoy Lockhart and Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) yet again give excellent performances.
The special effects have improved tremendously--the Quidditch sequences look amazing and the Basilisk scene is enjoyably frightful. There is hardly anything bad about the movie, except for the bland ending and the way the movie seems a little "choppy" with the changes in the scenes.
Anyone--whether you've read the books or not--will find this movie very enjoyable.

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Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)