Mysterious and exciting second

Rating: 8/10 (6 March 2009)

Harry Potter's (Radcliffe) second year at Hogwarts is affected by the opening of a legend known only as the Chamber of Secrets.
The second instalment of the series brings more adventure and more imagination to the now infamous adaptations of J.K Rowling's wondrous world.
Rowling's first novel broke barriers for the concept of magic and a different world and the film broke numerous records all around the world with a stunningly entertaining and enjoyable family make over.
Chamber of Secrets follows in its footsteps by targeting family viewing again with humour for the young (Errol the Owl) and comedy for the old (Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart) and never underestimating the significance of magic relating to serious issues.
The question of friendship, the treatment of children under adoptive parents and the importance of blood relations are all points that become even bigger in the sequels and here we again see another wonderful build up and get to see where they all began.
Like Philosopher's Stone, this has a mystery all set up for the students to figure out and there are subtle hints being dropped along the way with laughs, drama not to mention twists and turns but ultimate fun and great family viewing.
All the stars reprise their roles from the Philosopher's Stone with the younger stars like Radcliffe and Grint noticeably more sophisticated and mature in their approach to their respective protagonists. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy is perhaps one of the finest pieces of casting that have been implemented into the series. Branagh, Rickman and Richard Harris' last major film role are all stand outs once again but like the first, these films are all about the magic narratives.
J.K Rowling's second novel was more flowing and slightly more exciting than her first, not to mention darker. This was noted by Columbus who uses a more artistic style to capture the more mature moments.
There are lapses and moments which feel a bit outdated. Not to mention recent novels have hindered the meaning of elements, in particular the diary but don't let that take the shine of the adventure that is still sharp and entertaining.
This is a fine adaptation of the award winning novel that delivers everything a family film should and reminds us of what happened at the beginning and when watching years from when it was made (2002) it brings back some magical memories.