Fascinating but Flawed

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2002)

Ever been to see Cirque d'Soleil, the magical, mystical circus of the new millenium? Wonderful performances mixed with stunning visuals all encompassed in a fantasy theme...much like "Chamber of Secrets". The problem with both productions is that, at times, there's just too much to take in. The audience feels rushed and uprooted out of an interesting scene and dropped into something completely different and maybe less satisfying. Okay, enough rhetoric....I liked but did not love this "Harry Potter". Solid performances all around (and yes, Rupert Grint's mugging is starting to annoy me). Brilliant CGI work on the elf, spiders and giant snake. The script makes no sense, there's way too many plot points and story gimmicks (like Harry being able to talk snake language because he was scratched by a wizard), but who cares? Potter is an E-ticket ride that starts out slow but ends with a bang.