The Pirate Review - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Even wilder about Harry

Minor spoilers

I'd heard some of the advance muttering regarding the latest film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's overwhelmingly successful series—that it was too long, that it didn't adhere closely to the book, that the three primary actors were getting too old for their roles. Despite how much I'd enjoyed the first Harry Potter movie, I'd steeled myself for disappointment this time. Lightning just doesn't strike twice.

Well, there are occasionally times when being a pessimist pays off, as when one finds oneself happily surprised by the quality of a film. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is, if anything, better than its predecessor—with higher production values, a scarier story and better acting overall. Director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves were wise enough this time to realize they need not rehash plot points for those new to the series—that, indeed, you'd have to be living in a cave to be new to this series—and head straight into the action leading up to Harry's second year at Hogwarts.

The opening credits sweep beautifully through a cloudy night sky, settling over the seemingly endless, identical tract housing of Surrey, to focus in on Harry, alone in the window of the second bedroom. This is a nice visual touch, one that perfectly underscores his utter isolation in the Muggle world. It isn't long, however, before Harry has a visit from the world of wizards in the form of Dobby (voiced by Toby Keith), a pathetic and rather masochistic house-elf. Dobby, a fine bit of CGI work, was sent to warn Harry not to go back to Hogwarts, as dark things are afoot at the magic school. Harry, however, would probably rather spend the year sticking red-hot needles under his fingernails than suffer another day with the Dursleys—and, as luck (and scriptwriting) would have it, he doesn't have to. When his birthday rolls around, Harry is spirited away in the dead of night by Ron Weasley and his brothers Fred and George, flying an enchanted Ford Anglia.

From there, things turn rather darker in this latest installment of Harry's adventures. Parents with young Potter fans should note that this film probably should have received a PG-13 rating for some intense, scary elements involving oversized spiders and snakes. If your child is younger than 10 or easily frightened, this movie is probably too intense for theatrical viewing—use your best judgement or wait for the DVD.

There is, however, plenty to like about this film. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are maturing into really fine young actors, comfortable in their roles. Alan Rickman is even better this time around as Professor Snape, starting to hit his stride as the oily Potions teacher. Richard Harris puts in a fine (and, alas, final) performance as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, leaving only a sense of regret at his passing (not to mention wild speculation as to which actor will assume the role). Jason Isaacs makes a thoroughly villainous Lucius Malfoy, giving Draco's father a cold-fire temperament and a vicious sense of "pureblood" supremacy—we can certainly see where Harry's nemesis gets his attitude. And Kenneth Branagh, in his first plum movie role in nearly a decade, does a marvelously smarmy job as the preening, incompetent Gilderoy Lockhart. (Incidentally, be sure to wait through the credits to discover Lockhart's eventual fate.)

The sometimes questionable CGI from the first film has been replaced with top-notch work from Industrial Light and Magic, making this year's Quidditch match all the more believable and the monsters much more terrifying. John Williams' themes have been expanded and adapted to very good effect by William Ross; I did not notice any of the soundtrack drawing undue attention to itself, as in the first film.

As much as I enjoyed Chamber of Secrets, the film isn't perfect. This particular book relied heavily on a great deal of exposition and a deus ex machina ending, and the film suffers from it. Some judicious trimming of the storyline meant that certain scenes and characters had to be diminished or dropped altogether—Sir Nicholas' Deathday Party, Peeves the poltergeist (again!), Percy and his girlfriend. The true baddie of the piece (Christian Coulson) makes for some great eye candy, but he simply isn't menacing enough, spending most of his screen time impersonating a Bond villain ("No, Mr. Potter, I expect you to DIE!") Finally, Rupert Grint was given enough rope to hang himself with, spending most of the movie mugging desperately for the camera. The blame for this can't be laid solely at his feet, as he is still a young (and promising) actor who needs guidance to keep him from going over the top. I strongly suspect this is the work of director Chris Columbus, who as I remember also had trouble keeping a young Macaulay Culkin in check.

Overall, though, this is fantasy entertainment at its best—and it offers one of the most important messages any child (or adult, for that matter) should learn: that it is not our abilities, but our choices, that determine who we are. Would that everyone understood this simple concept. I believe that as the Harry Potter series continues to unfold and the young wizard begins to discover who he really is, this idea will become more and more important in Harry's life.

I'm such a geek. I can't wait for Order of the Phoenix to be published.