And the Series Continues...

Rating: 7/10 (2 May 2011)

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) ignores warnings not to return to Hogwarts, only to find the school plagued by a series of mysterious attacks and a strange voice haunting him.
With Chris Columbus still directing, this film maintains much of the element of fun the first film had. The danger is upped a bit with the inclusion of some "creature violence" that may be scary for younger viewers. But, overall, these are still kids (12-year olds now). The best addition to this cast is the girl who plays Moaning Myrtle, whose name I unfortunately do not know.
I find this one to be the least memorable of the first few films. While it has some important parts to it -- such as establishing the Malfoy family's dark connections and introducing Tom Riddle, Dobby and Moaning Myrtle -- the overall story is relatively uninteresting. Those who see the later films or have read the books will tell you that Ginny Weasley, who plays a prominent role here, will come back in a big way later, so it is important to make her a focus. And I agree, but they still only make casual references to her despite her centrality to the plot.
One positive note about its being less than memorable is that the film has a healthy dose of mystery and suspense, and although I watched it a second time barely a year ago, I had already forgotten much of it by my third viewing. There was also much going on that I did not realize was important in the long run...