Review of:Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Director:Chris Columbus
Rating:PG for (for scary moments, some creature violence and mild language).
Starring:Daniel Radcliffe, Kenneth Branagh, John Cleese, Rupert Grint, David Bradley
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secret's are based on the novel by J.K.Rowling, and is the second film in a three-part trilogy. In this newest film a much darker feel to the film is achieved as the wizards face a dark new obstacle.
We find that Harry has returned home, and in typical Harry Potter fashion has had a hard time with his Uncle Vernon Dursley (RICHARD GRIFFITHS), and his Aunt Petunia (FIONA SHAW). He has been troubled since he has received no replies to letters sent to his friends. It is at this moment when we the film introduces us to the newest member, Dobby the mischievous house elf, who adds a bit of physical comedy to the plot. Dobby has come to Harry with a warning, "Dobby has come to warn you sir." With that line the mystery is put into play, and the imagination that was present in the first film is magnified for the rest of the film.
The original cast returns albeit a little older. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) return for their sophomore year at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to find that everything is not the same. There is a dark force that has been released that is terrorizing the school, and the possibility that even worse acts are on the horizon has them all worried.
The mystery only deepens when the schools patrons are slowly immobilized in a trance like state. With so many different allegiances the students, and teachers start to choose sides, and it only adds to the tension for Harry who is a prime suspect.
Director Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Bicentennial Man) does an adequate job of putting conflicting themes in this newest film and making them work. He is not new to fantasy being the man who wrote the screenplay for Gremlins. You can almost feel his handling of the aging of the characters as they deal with problems of caste racism. Yes, even in the world of witches and wizards you have hate. Representative of the different groups in the film are the pureblood wizards and the mugglesby who are wizards of mixed blood. It adds a touch of realism and seems almost appropriate in the film if you think about the way the medieval times were. If you remember in medieval times you had people who were delegated to certain positions with no way of achieving anything better. The film starts out with some of these same basic principles, which makes it more interesting for adults on a mental level. The film doesn't stick to this plot very long probably because it doesn't appeal to their core audience, but it is present nonetheless.
The true story though is the Chamber of Secrets and what horror is inside of it. Unlocking the Chamber presents dire consequences on students, and teachers alike, and if it is reality a dark new day is approaching.
The newest and funniest addition to the cast is Gilderoy Lockhart (KENNETH BRANAGH) as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor who portrays a character who is eye candy for the female students of Hogwarts'. The film has evolved and is more advanced than its predecessor, and the visual effects are more believable.
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