An excellent adventure and great fun!

Rating: Null/10 (18 December 2002)

As an avid Harry Potter-fan, my expectations for this movie were high even though 'Chamber of Secrets' is my least favourite of the four published books. But CoS the movie works very, very well indeed  a nice step up in quality from 'Philosopher's Stone'. Whereas the first movie  for all its charm and freshness  had to cover so many different aspects of Harry Potter's life and his magical world that it sometimes gave the impression of being assembled by a row of different scenes which didn't always fit well together, the structure and overall aim has been greatly improved in CoS. Since this is a sequel, we can disperse with all the explanations and introductions to the magical world and go straight to the plot (which, in fact, strongly resembles the plot of the first book/movie: something evil is going on at Hogwarts, and it is up to our three heroes to figure out what it is and how to stop it). But the story works better in CoS, mainly because the film constantly moves forward  all the scenes serve a purpose, and they are sowed perfectly together. Sure, there are some omissions, but nothing significant in the overall plot is missing. Add to that some greatly enhanced special effects (mostly noticed in the Quidditch match) and an improved group of child actors, and the result can only be a success.
It falls to the three young protagonists  Harry, Ron and (partly) Hermione (she is absent from much of the last quarter of the film)  to carry most of the movie, since they definitely get the most screen time. They do well in my opinion  my personal favourite is still Ron (Rupert Grint), who shows superb comical timing and has an overflow of facial expressions to match any given situation. Daniel Radcliffe is more convincing as Harry this time around and gives a good performance, while Emma Watson has surprisingly little to do as bossy Hermione takes a back seat to the boys in this movie (but she still sparkles at times). All three seem to have grown more into their roles since the first movie (as well as maturing physically), and it will be interesting to see if they choose to stay on for all seven movies. Tom Felton also gets several chances to show he can be a real menace as Harry's arch-enemy Draco.
The adult cast is flawless as expected, with newcomer Kenneth Branagh as the wonderfully self-centred Gilderoy Lockhart stealing most of the scenes he participates in (interestingly enough, Branagh seems to be down-playing Lockhart a bit, which gives him more credibility and actually seems quite appropriate here). Jason Isaacs as the evil, venom-dripping Lucius Malfoy is another noticeable addition. A haggard Richard Harris portrays headmaster Dumbledore with quiet dignity in what was to be his last movie, and Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman are solid as Professors McGonagall and Snape (even though they get far too little screen time).
The special effects in the movie also deserve praise. Having more than a mild case of arachnophobia, I strongly feared the spider scenes in the Forbidden Forest (more so than Harry's final encounter with a giant snake), and the computer generated eight-leggers completely gave me the shivers with their credibility. Equally impressive (if somewhat annoying) is the 100% animated house elf, Dobby. Other treats in the special effects department include the journey to Hogwarts aboard a flying Ford Anglia, the Mandrake plants, the tongue-in-cheek Quidditch match and the huge basilisk in the chamber. All of these  as well as the scenes involving more 'everyday' magic like staircases changing directions, people in paintings moving around and pots and pans cleaning themselves  are excellently crafted and executed, and they blend in with the 'real' actors and the 'real' scenery amazingly well, adding an extra dimension to the movie.
So, with a strong plot, convincing actors, a strong musical score by John Williams (very reminiscent of the first HP-movie, but it still works well), excellent special effects and a darker, more 'adult' cinematography and scenery, 'Chamber of Secrets' is a great movie which should entertain almost everyone (but avoid bringing very young children to see this movie, as it is definitely scarier than the first). Almost three hours in front of the silver screen fly by, and I left the cinema wanting more (or at least to see this movie again). I'll rate 'Chamber of Secrets' a strong 5 out of 6 on my dice, and recommend it warmly. Enjoy!