Always something evil sprouting up at Hogwart's.

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2017)

Even a piece of children's fiction like the "Harry Potter" series can stir up controversy over the themes it deals with. Stories of witches and magic and supernatural powers and beings have cluttered literature since the days of Greek mythology, and people simply looked at it either as the remains of an ancient culture, a piece of art from a creative mind or a reminder of the many worlds out there which we know nothing about. In reading claims that the "Harry Potter" books and films open up the minds of children to magic, black or white and is a Pied Piper journey towards evil, I had to remind myself that as far as I can see, it's only a piece of fiction, that children have wild imaginations, and that as long as they are made aware that it is indeed, pure fiction, no evil can come from reading books or watching the films. If there are hidden messages there, they are way hidden beneath the theme that evil is always destroyed by good, that monsters of all sorts are conquered, and that children can be influenced to help others in times of crisis, something everybody in life needs to be prepared for.
Having spent a miserable summer at home with his aunt, uncle and awful cousin, Harry Potter is rescued by his old pals and returns to Hogwarts for his second year in spite the attempts of an elf to prevent him from going back. It seems he's in some sort of danger, and as he gets settled back in school, strange occurrences start to unfold. Students who are not of full magical backgrounds (think of Samantha and Darren's kids in this category if they were Harry Potter characters...) end up "petrified" (frozen), and even Harry ends up with a boneless arm thanks to an inept professor (an over- the-top Kenneth Branaugh, mugging delightfully) who fixes his broken arm after a game but removes the bone. Rumors of a monster of extreme power (enough to "petrify" the students if they only get a glimpse of its reflection) take over the school, scaring even the local cave spiders which at one point trap Harry and Ron in the forbidden woods. Warning: If you are at all arachnaphobic, proceed with caution; The spider sequence is quite gruesome. The monster, too, is quite a sight, straight out of those 1950's and 60's Ray Harryhausen adventure films that hold up quite well today.
The film goes into detail as to the past of the school, and it becomes clear how loyalties were formed, how the evil dark wizards came about, and why certain characters are the way they are. The presence of Malfoy's father gives a great indication as to why he is the way he is, but there's certainly no sympathy added for him, as he still looks like he could give Rhoda from "The Bad Seed" and Damien from "The Omen" films a run for their evil money. Richard Harris and Maggie Smith continue in their showy but quiet loyalty for Potter and his band of friends, and there's the presence of a ghostly student whose fate is revealed and seems tragic in spite of some annoying qualities she has. Emma Watson, as Hermoine, is off screen for a bit as she is one of the petrified students, so there is a break from her know-it-all attitude which sometimes put me on the side of Malfoy when they would go up against each other.
For me, the first two of the series were the best, and from then on, they were of very mixed qualities as the special effects and CGI went way over the top at times as did some of the newer characters and plot elements which drove the series to its conclusion. I watch these films simply for the magical elements that take the viewer away to a world that doesn't exist, or one that at least those in tuned with a different type of spirit world can block from intruding into their lives. The quality of the veteran actors here is another attraction, and rising stars with true talent make it nice to see the next generation at their beginning. To see this series as anything other than a children's dream as seen through the eyes of an adult becomes pointless.