Intense new Potter film more polished but less magical.

Rating: 9/10 (19 November 2002)

As an avid fan of the Harry Potter series of books and of the first installment in the film series, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" I give "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" a 9/10.
First, a general overview. This is a good movie. But it is very, very different from the 1st installment. It is interesting that most movie critics did not like Sorcerer's Stone but they do like Chamber of Secrets. Likewise, it is interesting to note that most kids seem to like Chamber of Secrets better than Sorcerer's Stone. (Maybe movie critics all have adolescent minds?). However, most adults I have talked to have said that they like the original movie better because it is more "magical". I would tend to agree. The first movie was truly amazing as one watches for the first time a movie depiction of Hogwarts, the great hall, wizards chess, and of course Quidditch. It was pure magic from beginning to end. The second movie, of necessity, was less expository and jumps right into the plot. As a result, a lot of the magic is lost. The trade off is that there is much better character development. The only characters developed in depth in the first movie were Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid. In the second movie there was much better development of the Dursleys, Draco Malfoy, Dumbledore, and others. Despite its pluses and minuses, it is definitely worth seeing and was very well done. A few specific comments: Special effects (notably CGI) were much, much improved. There was only one scene where I said, "Oh, that was CGI" and that was not for bad reasons. It was because it was a particularly good CGI scene. The rest of the CGI just blended in, which is what you want. The 3 young actors: Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson, pulled off far superior acting in Chamber of Secrets with much more emotion. Other highlights were Dobby (sheer genius, they could not have done better), Fawkes the phoenix (beautifully done), and Moaning Myrtle (who provided some brilliant comic relief). Acting from return actors Harris, Smith, and Rickman was also superb.
The movie also sports some great effects: Parseltongue, for instance. I was critical that they would not be able to pull this off, but they did a great job. It is impossible to describe. You have to see it.
Visual effects were also well used, not only to contribute to the world of magic, but to add humor to the story. The Cornish pixies and the mandrakes were an example of this.
Notable characters are Draco and Lucius Malfoy who are truly mean in this episode. Kenneth Branagh's part as Lockhart is a bit reduced from the book. However, he nails this roll brilliantly giving it the right amount of flamboyance mixed with hidden incompetence. Professor Sprout was cute. And Errol, the owl, was absolutely hilarious. And I can't forget Collin Creevey who was also very well cast.
In general the movie is more intense, but then again, so was the book. Finally, the movie sports a truly wonderful ending. I would be willing to bet that this ending was spontaneous, not scripted. It was a moving and appropriate ending for a largely dark movie.
Harry Potter fans, enjoy! This film is great for the family, however, some of the scenes may be too intense for kids 8 and younger.