Courage and Resourcefulness

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2011)

The Harry Potter film series is an interesting exception to the oft-quoted "rule" that sequels are never as good as the original films and that the more sequels a franchise spawns the worse they become. Most film sequels are ad hoc affairs; a film does well, so a team of scriptwriters are hired to cobble together another screenplay based around further adventures involving the same characters. The Potter series, however, is different; it is based upon a series of novels which were in themselves conceived not as isolated stories but as episodes in one greater story. It is, therefore, not surprising that the series has not succumbed to the sort of slapdash writing and money-grubbing cynicism which mark the later episodes of certain film franchises.
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was the second instalment in the series and appeared in 2002, a year after the first, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". It follows the adventures of Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger through their second year at Hogwarts School. The plot is too complex to set out here, but it revolves around a mysterious "Chamber of Secrets" which is said to exist somewhere within the school and to contain a monster. The Chamber can only be opened by the "heir of Slytherin" (one of the four wizards who founded the school), leading to much speculation as to who this might be. Memorable scenes in the film include Harry and Ron's journey to school by flying car and Harry's final confrontation with the basilisk.
This is the first film in the series to explore one of J. K. Rowling's main themes in her novels, the conflict between those wizards, like the Malfoy family, who regard themselves as "pure-born" and those, known by the derogatory term "mudblood", who have some Muggle (i.e. non-magical) ancestry. (Rowling uses this conflict as an allegory for real-world racism). Mysterious messages appear proclaiming that the "heir" will kill all "mudbloods", and it is revealed that Hermione herself is a "mudblood".
This was the last film of Richard Harris, who died not long after completing shooting and before it actually opened in the cinemas. Harris knew that he did not have long to live while making the film, and this is evident in his moving portrayal of the headmaster Albus Dumbledore, wise and benevolent but ageing and conscious of his fading powers. Kenneth Branagh makes his only appearance in a Potter film as the vain, self-obsessed celebrity wizard and best-selling author Gilderoy Lockhart who is appointed Professor of Defence against the Dark Arts; he perhaps represents Rowling's comment on modern celebrity culture. (Or perhaps on some of her fellow-authors). Other notable performances come from John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick, one of the school's many ghosts, Jason Isaacs as the villainous Lucius Malfoy (father of Harry's enemy Draco) and Julie Walters as Ron's mother Molly. One character I could have done with less of was Dobby the House Elf, who with his irritatingly whiny voice threatened to become to the Potter series what Jar Jar Binks was to the "Star Wars" franchise.
Another criticism I would have was that the film was perhaps too long; it was criticised for sticking too faithfully to the plot of Rowling's novel- an ironic criticism, given that some of the later films were criticised by Potter devotees for precisely the opposite reason. Nevertheless, this is overall an excellent film, and a worthy successor to "Philosopher's Stone". Both these films were directed by Chris Columbus, and they tend to be lighter in tone than many of the later episodes in the franchise. Despite this lightness in tone, however, Harry and his friends must frequently come face-to-face with danger, and as in any good adventure story the excitement and the satisfaction we derive from the film lies in seeing how they use their courage and resourcefulness to overcome the forces of evil. 8/10