Just as fun as the first...

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2002)

The magic seems to be diluted and the aura of originality not as refreshing, yet'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' is just as inventive as ever. Many thanks in part to the insanely creative author J.K. Rowling who writes
wondrously and as a result, Director Chris Columbus has the difficult task of eliminating the minor details and engineering a film just as imaginative as the first. At a running time of 2Hrs. and 40Mins., the children were glued to their seats as Harry and the gang return for a second delightful adventure. This time, we are treated to a minor yet delicious role in Kenneth Branagh as Professor
Gilderoy Lockhart. His comedic and well timed facial mannerisms bring a
sprinkle of comedy as this sequel is much darker and intense than the first. Director Chris Columbus handles the assignment to the sequel in an
excellent manner as he jumps right into the story sweeping the audience right off their feet and into the thick story line. In the first film, Director Columbus took great pride in presenting the major set pieces as spectacles to be awed over. Yet in this film, scenery such as Diagon Alley and Hogwarts Dining Room are
regarded as regular set pieces and Columbus propels us directly into the film. Watch how the Quidditch scene is introduced, it will tell you how quick the movie wants to move. Daniel Radcliffe returns as Potter in a more of a brutish and aggressive role than that of the first. His tarnished features serve justice to his crusade against a malevolent force basing itself out of Hogwarts. Evil forces lurk in the hallways at Hogwarts resulting in students becoming petrified and as a result becoming
inanimate. Harry refuses to listen to a self-mutilating elf named Doby who
incessantly asks him not to return. Yet, upon his return the action ensues and the magic proceeds as this sequel might not as be refreshing as the first film, but still just as effective. If we dissect the film, we can see that this is an ambitious film and quite a difficult task piecing together all the perennial elements from the first film. Yet Columbus aggregates all the essential factors necessary for a fantasy film and succeeds at delivering a children's fairy tale with the impeccability of a major motion picture feel. As in the first film, the enchanting element is pervasive as those religiously affixed fans will have plenty to gawk over as this film delivers the goods for a second time.
Giancarlo's Rating: ***