Darker, better acted .. just not completely thought through.

Rating: Null/10 (8 May 2003)

***Slight Spoilers*****

To get the full experience, you need to buy the DVD and check out the Additional Scenes. As with Peter Jackson's "The Fellowship of the Ring", Christopher Columbus seems to have specifically targetted those all important little character-defining, relationship-building scenes as victims of the editor's blade. In particular, any scene which referred to Harry's gradual alienation from the school body and his own doubts about his identity and heritage were removed completely, to the detriment of the film.
Nonetheless, a fine effort by nearly all involved. The movie very well captures a darker and much more sinister tone, underscoring more confident performances from Daniel Radcliffe as Harry and Emma Watson as Hermione. I must say, however, that Rupert Grint as Ron, the best of the three of them in the first film, seems to have lost his ability to do more than two emotions, one of which is grossly over-acted fear. As he has gained other movie experience since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, this was a considerable disappointment.
Unfortunately, the genuinely frightening scenes of hung cats, giant spiders and Harry himself apparently going mad, were rather cut down at the knees by a somewhat drab climax (although some of this may be down to the book's resolution.) This was not helped by the very poor and completely unconvincing performance by the actor who played Tom Riddle. It beggars belief that Columbus and Heyman couldn't find someone better. It was also surprising on one or two occasions that they couldn't find a better take of a particular shot than some which appeared in the final cut. **SPOILER AHEAD** For a "flashback" sequence, they got a different actor to play a young Hagrid, and shot him with his face in shadow. This was somewhat jarring - as if anybody would care that a supposedly younger Hagrid had wrinkles!
Richard Harris gave a fine, valedictory performance (in fact sadly he looked even haler and in better health than in the first movie). It's just a shame that Dumbledore's role appears to be to behave like every schoolchild's dream teacher - lax, overindulgent, willing to put down other teachers in front of the children - thus rather removing any reason to retain any respect for him. Maggie Smith reprised her Miss Jean Brodie act again, but her reduced involvement was a little bit sad. Miriam Margolyes never puts a foot wrong, so she's always money in the bank. Kenneth Branagh playing Gilderoy Lockhart, a part he could sleepwalk through, suffered from an insufficient exploration of exactly what Lockhart's supposed to have done (but didn't) that merits everybody's hero worship. In other words we only saw the egotism right from his first scene, rather than see the hero and then realise the egotism and the feet of clay as we get to know him better. However, I was tickled to see that Rowling had cast his first appearance in the form of a book-signing - the book version undoubtedly contains more pointed satirical swipes at the activity in which she had become very experienced during the time since her first book was published!
The effects were very well done, particularly Dobby the House Elf - for my money the most convincing CG creature ever created. (Freeze frame him while he's moving - I defy anyone to tell the motion blur from the real thing). The light comes off his skin absolutely flawlessly, although they went to the trouble of "showing off" this facet in the scene where he hits himself with the lamp. "Showing off" the effects was in fact a besetting sin during this film. They start the film with a landscape of suburban Surrey (seemingly more densely packed with houses than Hong Kong!) before diving into Harry's bedroom window. Then a magnificent vista of Hogwarts as the camera flies into the main refectory window. Then another magnificent shot before going through a skylight in the greenhouse. Then a wonderful flying shot of the Quidditch field before we cross the wall and join the play. I was truly rolling my eyes by this last shot. One of those per movie from now on, please, Mr Columbus.