Harry Potter And The Steadiness Of Hand.

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2005)

Chris Columbus stays the course and creates the fullest Harry Potter movie, although it still feels more like the ferris wheel instead of the roller coaster. This is the movie that made me understand the obsession with Harry Potter. The first movie, as well as the first book, feels a little awkward, tentative. The Universe of the story comes into the light in this outing. This movie has the same stellar cast, which is joined by the goofy Kenneth Branagh and is supported by the emergence of the three young stars. Watson is the most improved. She seemed ready for a school play in the first movie. Ratcliffe's stronger voice makes him more believable. This movie, as all three have, suffers from deviation from the book. The worst offenses are the nicing of Branagh's Lockhart and of the final scene. Lockhart was a bit of a ditz in the book, but he was also little mean, which makes his choice in the chamber more natural in the book. The final scene of the book in Hogwarts shows just how smart Dumbledore is, while the movies tend to make him look like too much of a minor character. This can also be said of Snape's diminished role. The special effects are a lot stronger in this movie. Dobby, who returns in Goblet, is a real treat, a good intentioned trouble maker. If you didn't like Sorceror's Stone, try this and don't miss Prisoner of Azkaban, the movies have at least gotten one thing similar to the books, each is richer than the last.