Nice, but not without its flaws

Rating: Null/10 (13 December 2003)

I really liked the Harry Potter books and Chamber of Secrets was (is) my second favorite. As such, I had great expectations towards the movie versions, and while they did a good job in recreating the world Ms. Rowling had created, they still had their shorcomigs, especially the second one.
My greatest problem is how the emphasis was shifted overly to the action sequences. The books are known for their intricate, detective novel-like plot, which doesn't really show here. The creators have spent way too much time on spectacular, but utterly gratuitous scenes, such as the spider chase, the basilisk battle or Harry playing cliffhanger from the flying car above the train (by the way, don't you think someone should have seen or heard them? Oh well). Had these been cut to about one-fifth of length - or omitted completely, - valuable minutes could have been saved and spent on much more important things.
Like character development, for example. In the books, the characters and their interaction provided the comic relief from the tension of the story; unfortunately, there was not time for that in the movie, which is a crying shame. Gilderoy Lockhart isn't half the conceited celebrity he is in the book, and the Weasleys' home - my personal favorite location - is way too briefly sketched. These touches would have added a lot to the atmosphere and thus definitely feel amiss.
I'm not saying it's a bad, though. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a decent, good-looking movie in its own right, and thoroughly enjoyable even to those who haven't read the book. However, without all the bells and whistles, and with a little more attention to the "human factor," it could have been much, much better.
7 out of 10.