Much better than the first film!

Rating: Null/10 (15 November 2002)

I've been eagerly anticipating opening day for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I saw it today and found it to be a much better film than the Sorceror's Stone. However, it would seem to me that the director and/or screenwriter have tried to pack way too much into this film, which leaves it feeling just a little bit empty. Too much time being spent on Harry, Ron, and Hermione's "adventures" and virtually ignoring daily life for the three Gryffindors. I thought the casting of Kenneth Brannagh as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart was inspired, but I was disappointed with his underuse in this film. Yet again Alan Rickman (as Severus Snape) needs to be given more to do than glare at Harry and friends. A quick note about Dobby the house-elf as well, though nowhere near as annoying as the infamous Jar-Jar Binks, I myself pictured Dobby to be a little less creepy and a little more goofy (for lack of a better word). The performances of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were much improved as they seem to be growing into these characters. The film's effects were much improved in the second film as well. I would love to see more of the Weasley twins as they add a lot of comic relief to the books and it would be nice to see them do so in the films as well. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a good addition to the Harry Potter movie series and while a little long it's still a lot of fun to watch. I will be most interested in how the next film turns out with it's new director as the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book in the series so far. However, I would definitely recommend the Chamber of Secrets as it is a much better movie than the first, not perfect but still a fun movie for all ages.