The Harry Potter series returns with a powerful sequel that adds to the depth of the story introduced in the original film and even throws in a few new characters, all of whom fit perfectly into the Harry Po

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2002)

The second installment in what is proposed to be the seven-part Harry Potter series delivers the same intensely imaginative and visually stunning wonders of the original, and is widely considered to be much darker, literally and figuratively, than the original. It is refreshing to see that this sequel did not take the treacherous path of trying to cash in on the success of the original (an unfortunate tendency that is occasionally successful, as in the case of Ace Ventura and Blade, but almost always results in a bitterly disappointing sequel, as was the case with sequels to Austin Powers, Men In Black, Halloween, Mission Impossible, The Exorcist, etc.), and the film is wisely just as faithful to the novel as the first film.

I have heard and read many complaints suggesting that director Chris Columbus was not creative enough to add in his own vision to the film, changing it enough here and there to make it his, but this is completely unnecessary. Books are only adapted to film if they are at least moderately successful in their literary versions, and the more successful the book is, the less reason there should be to change anything in it. The Harry Potter novels from J.K. Rowling have been justifiably described as `publishing phenomenons,' in which case I can't see any reason why anything should be changed in the film version. The books have developed a tremendous fan base, and what these people want to see in a film version of the books is a cinematic experience that is as imaginative and fantastic as the one that runs through their heads as they read the novel.
I read both of the first two Harry Potter novels after having seen the films, and both times was amazed at how faithful the films are to the source material, a little detail which has led to tremendously satisfying adaptation films in the past, such as The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and Great Expectations, which was a great film despite the fact that it falters slightly in the last act. The Chamber of Secrets is an adaptation film that follows closely on the heels of a tremendously successful predecessor, and still manages to hold its own.
The younger audience is sure to delight to no end in the way that our three heroes, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, take on the task of solving the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets (I'm surprised that this was never used by Franklin Dixon (whose real name escapes me at the moment) as one of the titles of one of his thousands and thousands of Hardy Boys novels), entirely on their own. This is an adventure tale of the highest order, which pits these three pre-adolescent wizardry students against an ancient mystery that the rest of their schoolmates and even the most seasoned staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are rather apprehensive about looking into.
As the Harry Potter series continues, it becomes more and more apparent that J.K. Rowling had the entire series in mind when she began writing, as much of the action and the story in The Chamber of Secrets involves and expands on material from the first film. The lovable Hagrid, for example, was mysteriously expelled from Hogwarts fifty years earlier, for reasons that he never liked to discuss, and through a story told by probably the most innovative diary in fantasy/adventure movie history, Potter is taken back in time to see exactly why he was expelled, which reveals Hagrid as the prime suspect in the film's mystery and helps to keep the audience guessing until the very end.
Aside from bringing back all of the original characters, the movie also sets up the third installment by giving us a detached but fairly clear introduction to the wizard prison Azkaban, in that we hear a lot about it and see Hagrid taken off to spend some time there, which only wets our appetites to see it more clearly, which is sure to happen in the third film. One of the more interesting extensions on the original story is the introduction of Draco Malfoy's equally antagonistic father, played with precision by Jason Isaacs, who adds perfectly to the rivalry between Draco and Ron (whose families famously have remarkably opposite financial situations) by pitting Ron's father almost head to head against Draco's father. The good vs. evil plots in the Harry Potter films have so far been just about as ultimately shallow as the ones in the Star Wars films, but as was also the case with those, The Harry Potters are so imaginative and come across as such stunning visual experiences that it makes up for the basic storytelling technique.
Even more than in the first film, Harry and his friends are faced with solving a tremendous mystery without any outside help, which usually comes from the lovable Hagrid, who has unfortunately been wrongfully accused and thrown into prison, leaving them entirely on their own even among a variety of helpful professors, particularly Albus Dumbledore, who also runs into some serious hardships that it's up to our heroes to fix. The plot revolves around a mysterious creature that seems to have escaped from the Chamber of Secrets (which does or does not exist, depending on who you ask and what they're too afraid to admit) which is running around the school occasionally petrifying students, crimes for which Harry Potter himself is gradually blamed.
The rivalry between Potter and the vicious Draco Malfoy is just as fresh and appealing as ever, with Malfoy never seeming to let go of his hatred for Potter, a hatred which he holds for good reason and which expands upon his character's personal history, as well as Potter's. The mystery escalates to a point where the entire school is on lockdown, and the very future of Hogwarts is considered doomed, even by the head masters, McGonagall and Dumbledore. Harry Potter and his friends embark on a wonderful and tense adventure in this powerful adventure film. My only complaint about the Harry Potter films so far is that the endings tend to be a little bit too clean and tidy, almost to the point of being Scooby-Doo type endings, but the adventure is so genuine and so exciting that it more than makes up for polished endings. The Harry Potter saga is off to a powerful start, and the success of the novels certainly suggests that this will continue.