A Fun Ride for the Entire Family

Rating: 7/10 (15 September 2013)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second installment in the long-running Harry Potter series. It's usually ranked as one of the lower films in the series but does that mean it's a bad film? Well, let's take a look and find out, shall we?
The story here is actually an improvement over The Philosopher's Stone. In that film, we spend a lot of time sucking up the magic and wonderment of Hogwarts but we don't get a whole lot of story. Chamber of Secrets on the other hand, is a lot more plot-driven. Almost every scene in this film has a plot point in it and this is a good thing because it makes the film feel a lot more brisk in its pace despite the runtime.
The story here is also much more compelling than The Philosopher's Stone. This film builds a lot of mystery with the voice Harry keeps hearing, Harry speaking Parstletongue, Tom Riddle's diary etc. If you haven't read the book, you most likely won't be able to see where this is all going and it keeps the audience engaged to the very end.
This film also has a more ominous tone to it. In the first film, there's a few dark moments here and there such as Voldemort drinking unicorn blood or Quirrel getting his face melted off but overall, it's a very safe, family-friendly picture. While this film is still family-friendly, it has a lot more darker implications. We have implications in here of racism, murder, death, and even slavery. These are certainly dark themes to put in a children's movie but Columbus manages to strive a good balance between the darker themes and the whimsical tone. There's still a lot of humor and whimsic to this film and it helps appeal to the kids but it doesn't feel too childish for adults either.
The performances in this film are also a step up from the first film. In the first film, Radcliffe was a little wooden at times and so was the rest of the trio. You can definitely tell that they were inexperienced but they still did alright jobs. In this film, the trio seem to be much more comfortable in their roles. Radcliffe is capable of much more complex emotions this time around and he carries the film well. Rupert Grint's acting is a little exaggerated at times but he does so in an entertaining way and he provides good comic relief for the film. Watson seems to be much more relaxed this time. In the first film, she looks like she tried really hard to act smart but in this film, she seems to not need to try as hard which shows that she matured as an actress. And of course, the adult actors are great, particularly Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart who makes you both love to hate him and laugh it him.
However, I do have some issues with this film. I feel that some of the plotting is a little ridiculous. For example, it's revealed that the basilisk kills people by looking at them in the eye but the reason that no one's died is that they only accidentally looked at him, not directly. That has got to be one of the biggest coincidences in the history of film! There's way more ridiculous plot points than that but I suggest you to watch "Everything Wrong with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on Youtube to get everything else.
I also feel that a lot of the CGI in this film has become dated. I think the basilisk and the spiders look good but most of everything else is kinda dated.
Overall, while it does have some stupid plot conveniences, it's a fun, engaging, and well-made mystery-fantasy film that should please the entire family. I'm gonna give it a 7/10.