A very literal translation of the book

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2002)

_Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ is a very enjoyable film to watch. Each scene moves along smoothly, making the near 3hr running time seem much shorter. Each actor falls solidly into the character they are playing, with Jason Isaacs solidly nailing the villainous Lucias Malfoy - every scene he has is fantastic.
There have been some complaints about the CGI, but it works within the film. Certainly, not all the special effects are photo-realistic, but they are close enough and certainly don't ruin the audience's involvement in the film. The mixture of CGI and animatronics works very well and brings the concept of a "magic school" to life.
_Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_' major failing is that it sticks too closely to the book. This has been a common complaint about the film because it causes what appears to be deus ex machina after deus ex machina to save Harry from the situation he is in. The book may have the room to explain why (for example) the Weasly's flying car suddenly appears out of nowhere to save our heroes, whereas the film ignores the reason. Character motivations are also not examined, an example being Harry having the opportunity several times to unburden his problems to one of his teachers, yet always choosing to go it alone. In ignoring the deeper aspects of the book the movie tends to only reflect the superficial which can be frustrating to the viewer.
Despite this setback, this _Harry Potter_ film is very enjoyable. The ending climatic scenes may not be enjoyed by younger children due to its violence, but this is a small point. Whether it will stand up to the other great fantasy adaption of this period (_The Two Towers_), well, we'll just have to wait and see...