Pleasant, innocent fun with a twist of darkness...

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2002)

I had been ignoring the Harry Potter phenomenon that seems to be sweeping the country - both in the child and adult world. Previous to seeing this second installment I had not seen the first film, nor had I read any of the books. I must say that after seeing Lord of the Rings on the Big Screen, I go to the cinema not expecting to even come close to having the same cinema experience. But I have to say that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the closest film to it so far.
I was surprised at having the patience to watch a so-called children's film but I was even more surprised to find I was actually engrossed in it. A good film indication for me is when I don't notice how uncomfortable my seat is at the cinema. My seat was reasonably comfortable through the whole 3 hours, altho there was a portion of the film in the middle where I was bought back to reality and had to shift positions a few times - the film lost pace slightly. But it certainly picked up and the ending, even though predictable, topped it off nicely.
I would have reservations about taking young children to see the film as it certainly has a dark, sinister under-tone.
Overall, the film was definitely worth watching. The visuals were stunning and never got boring - there always seemed to be things happening in the background. Special effects did not let the film down one bit (unlike Attack of the Clones). The acting was good, although nobody really stood out.
8.5/10 from me...worth paying the extra money to go to the cinema for!!
Regards
mat