Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors. Expanding upon the lavish sets, special effects, and grand adventure of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry’s second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents with younger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of several Hogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) to a 50-year-old mystery in the monster-laden Chamber of Secrets. House elves, squealing mandrakes, giant spiders, and venomous serpents populate this loyal adaptation (by Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves), and Kenneth Branagh delightfully tops the supreme supporting cast as the vainglorious charlatan Gilderoy Lockhart (be sure to view past the credits for a visual punchline at Lockhart’s expense). At 161 minutes, the film suffers from lack of depth and uneven pacing, and John Williams’ score mostly reprises established themes. The young, fast-growing cast offers ample compensation, however, as does the late Richard Harris in his final screen appearance as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Brimming with cleverness, wonderment, and big-budget splendor, Chamber honors the legacy of J.K. Rowling’s novels. —Jeff Shannon

Barnes and Noble

The hotly anticipated sequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone didn’t disappoint the millions of fans who eagerly awaited its release. Even more imaginative and elaborate than its predecessor, Chamber of Secrets abounds in magic, mystery, and adventure. Chamber now comes to DVD in a deluxe two-disc edition that teems with special features, and the film itself has been beautifully transferred to the digital medium. As the story begins, young wizard-in-training Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) embarks on his second year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his loyal friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). But something’s not quite right: Harry constantly hears a mysterious voice that warns him of impending danger, and while investigating a series of attacks bedeviling Hogwarts he uncovers a sinister, dangerous secret. Kenneth Branagh is a colorful addition to the Hogwarts faculty, and his blustery, egotistical instructor fits right in along with Harry veterans Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, and Alan Rickman. Although they’ve tried to keep Chamber of Secrets lighthearted with a full quota of humorous episodes, director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steven Kloves have actually made this sequel a darker, more grimly suspenseful tale. Very young fans should watch the film with their parents, as its vivid depiction of fanciful monsters and perilous combat makes for an occasionally intense viewing experience. Watching the DVD edition could easily be an all-day affair: The film is accompanied by no fewer than 19 deleted or extended scenes, conversations with cast and crew members, interviews of Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling and screenwriter Steven Kloves, and a wide variety of interactive special features that include self-guided tours of the Chamber of Secrets itself, Dumbledore’s office, and Diagon Alley. There are also some 15 animated puzzles, sliders, and screen savers to be accessed. All told, these two discs will provide families with countless hours of entertainment. Ed Hulse

Related works

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

John Williams, William Ross

Another multi-gazillion-dollar Hollywood franchise, another chapter in the remarkable career of John Williams. Though he’s already been responsible for scoring some of the most overwhelmingly successful film series of all time, in tackling the second installment of the Harry Potter saga, Williams once again proves why his name is held in such high regard in scoring circles. While he utilizes the themes he established in Sorcerer’s Stone, Williams’s restless inventiveness still manages to cast this chapter in a fresh new musical light. Since many of…

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Book 2 of Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling

• 1998 Whitbread-Children's shortlist
• Score: 6.48

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls’ bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone—or something—starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects…Harry Potter himself!