"It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices."

Rating: 9/10 (22 April 2012)

'Chamber of Secrets' builds on the intrigue and excitement of the first film in the Harry Potter series - 'The Sorceror's Stone'. It's cool to see the main characters grow and develop in their roles, now in their second year at the Hogwarts School. If anything, this film has even more action and adventure than the first, though for youngsters it might require a bit of caution. There are some unusually harsh and brutal scenes here, like that aggressive tree the boys land in with the magical Weasley car, and the monstrous basilisk that Harry battles near the finale. At nearly three hours, the film doesn't seem to have many slow spots, although the repeat of a quidditch match from the first picture seemed unnecessary for me.
New characters added to the mix include Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), father of Harry's student nemesis Draco (Tom Fenton), Kenneth Brannagh as the scurrilous Defender Against the Dark Arts, Bonnie Wright as Ron Weasley's sister Ginny, and the computer generated elf Dobby, reminding me somewhat of the Gollum character in the Lord of the Rings series. Principal players from the first picture seem to have been underused, like Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman, but not having read the books, I'm sure their characters have larger roles to play in the films I haven't seen yet.
It probably seems odd that I'm reviewing the films in this series so late in the game, but I'm not really a fan of the Harry Potter books or their transition to film. However now that they've all been released to the big screen I can watch them in order without having to wait a year or two between pictures. I found the first two to be entertaining enough with the type of whimsy and magical elements I enjoy in a well done film, so I look forward to the rest in due course.