Pretty Good Second Installment

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2003)

The second Harry Potter film follows Harry and friends through their sophomore year at Hogwarts, the mystical school for young wizards. As has been stressed, now that the ground rules have firmly been established in the first film, the second can focus on deeper character development and plotting. And so it does. Hogwarts, wizards, magic, and all the rest of the J.K. Rowling milieu are taken for granted. They play a Quidditch match without having to explain the rules.
Chris Columbus does a great job with the actors, sets, and special effects. Again, we're transporting to a different universe with its own rules and characters. And it works well, its style reminding me of the adventure movies of the 30s, 40s and 50s. It's a rich mix, but probably much more so for kids that adults. I have only one caution.
As an unread Harry fan, I found the plotting unoriginal. Of course, Harry Potter books and movies are for kids, so let's keep it simple. My fear is that the series will reduce itself to Scooby-Doo style rubber stamp stories, one just like the other. Maybe I'd better read them first, to allay my fears.