More magic from the paranormal prep school

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2009)

Java Man Reviews "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (Rated PG) Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com December, 2002.
OVERVIEW
In this, the second of a planned series of seven films, a strange creature named Dobby visits Harry Potter (Radcliffe) while Harry is at home on summer vacation with the dastardly Dursleys. The "house elf" warns Harry that a deadly new menace--one that turns students to stone--is wreaking havoc on his beloved Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. With his friends Ron and Hermione (Grint and Watson), Harry returns to Hogwarts and begins to search for the Chamber of Secrets, where he hopes to locate and destroy the source of the evil. According to legend, a strange serpent stands guard at the chamber door, but Harry must also contend with a diary that writes itself, evildoers from Hogwarts' past and suspicious characters who turn up in all corners of the paranormal prep school.
REVIEW: 3 of 4 Java Mugs
Near the beginning of the movie, we are flying over an extraordinary complex of buildings that seem to be made up of well-carved, picturesque miniatures. As the camera moves closer, however, we actually enter a full-sized room and have magically arrived at Hogwarts School, thanks to one of the many compelling visual devices employed by the filmmakers.
The faculty and staff at Hogwarts remain deliciously eccentric, played by British film legends such as Oscar winner Maggie Smith and the late Richard Harris. But the ones to watch are the three cohorts in conjuring who lead us through the halls of Hogwarts to places we never thought could exist. New to the cast is Dobby, a computer generated house elf, and Branagh, a hapless teacher of the dark arts. Dobby is far less annoying that Stars Wars' infamous Jar-Jar Binks; Branagh, unfortunately, is not.
Topnotch production design and cinematography combine with slick editing and well-orchestrated action scenes to provide a fast-paced, sumptuous visual feast.
Can the cast and crew keep it up for seven films? Rowling is still writing and her fans are still buying the books and the movie tickets.