Year 2: dark, intriguing, and with a touch of comedy

Rating: 6/10 (31 October 2007)

High marks again for the special effects in this second instalment in the Harry Potter saga. The three leads are reasonably OK, although Emma Watson's Hermoine tends to grate on the nerves just a bit and Rupert Grint's Ron is always wide-eyed and frightened, odd for someone with magical powers.
Still, there is fun to be had here. Kenneth Branagh's Lockhart is good value, as are the Malfoys, while Harry's snake charming and Myrtle the ladies' loo ghost provide some distraction from proceedings at the school. Also excellent is Dobby the CGI house elf, who manages to cause havoc just by trying to save Harry's life.
Flying cars, numerous spiders, a plot against Hagrid, and the wisdom of Dumbledore (sadly the final appearance of Richard Harris in the role, who then died and was replaced by Michael Gambon) bring life at Hogwarts to life again, while moving on from introductions to bring a touch of menace into the drama.