I loved this movie! It was a pure delight as well as very exciting. I had heard complaints from those who have read 4 of the Harry Potter books that The Chamber of Secrets as well as the third Potter book by the now famous author, J. K. Rowling, was just more of the same. Their main beef was that the storyline followed too closely that of the original, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Nevertheless, I knew that these complaints wouldn't keep me away, and so I got a copy of the book a couple of weeks before the movie opened in theaters and started reading. While the first chapter or so had me thinking along the same lines as those critics, I soon found myself totally spellbound by the wizardry found at Hogwart's and other places of fantasy as told by Rowling. HAHA. That pun was a bit over-the-top, but it is also very true. I raced through the book as the mystery and excitement kept building at the turn of each page. By the end of the book, I knew that this was much more adventurous than the original. We encounter the same wonderful characters, as well as a couple of new ones, and because of this Rowling is able to focus much more on adventure rather than character development.
And as my daughter can testify (after having seen the movie), this sequel is much scarier. It really is more intense, has a bit darker of a plot, and the characters seem to be in much more danger than we might expect from a "children's story." I think of the film's climactic ending in which there is a monstrous snake which attacks Harry Potter. I know for a fact that my mother can never see this movie (she is petrified of snakes, and ironically so are many of the story's characters...literally). Personally, I liked this aspect of the sequel...it seemed to up the ante from the original.
As for the film version itself (this IS a movie review, after all), I was delighted to see the return of the entire cast from the original movie. One thing that both movies thus far have done impeccably well is in the casting. These actors and actresses, young and old alike, are just perfect for their respective roles. And as I read the books, I picture them in my mind. For instance, no one else but Robbie Coltrane could fill the mighty shoes of Hagrid the Gamekeeper. And Richard Harris is irreplaceable as Professor Dumbledore (unfortunately, Harris recently passed away and he will be dearly missed...I honestly don't know what director Chris Columbus and crew are going to do for the third installment). Others who are perfect for the part are Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall and Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape. I was also absolutely thrilled to see Jason Isaacs taking on the role of Lucius Malfoy. He is able to project both sophistication and pure evil with just a glance.
But these movies center around the kids: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint (below) are now forever etched in people's minds as the three protagonists of Harry Potter lore. I really don't understand why some of them have recently stated that they don't really want to continue the roles after the third film (Prisoner of Azkaban). In any case, they are simply wonderful. I am especially impressed (once again) with Emma Watson as Hermione. I think that she is very talented and will grow up to be a great star (if she so chooses).
What really helps this movie to surpass that of the original is the special effects. They were flawless. One aspect of the first movie that I felt wasn't done quite as good as it could have been was the Quidditch match. However, in this sequel, its Quidditch match was simply amazing! It had flow, speed, excitement, and yet we could follow along without getting sick or bewildered. Another superb example of great special effects was in the computer-generated character, Dobby, the House Elf (pictured below). Dobby matched the book's description to a tee, and he was very believable. They got him to interact very well with the live actors and set. Other great special effects involved the Weasley's flying car, a giant army of spiders, and as previously mentioned, the giant monster snake (called a basilisk). I was very impressed and felt it a special treat to gaze upon a fantasy world filled with places and creatures that I before could only imagine.
My only worry about this film is where the Harry Potter series might be headed. This second story was much darker than the original. After all, these stories are about children going to school. Now granted, theirs is no ordinary school, but the brewing hatred and threats are to me a bit ominous. A perfect example of this is in the character, Draco Malfoy. This kid is pure evil. He hates Harry and his friends and wants them to die (the movie does soften this a bit more than the book). Now maybe I'm just idealistic and naive, but this really bothers me to see a child speak of death. As a parent, I may keep an eye on how things evolve in the coming episodes before I let my daughter see them.
The film is very true to the book, leaving out a few scenes and characters for time considerations, I am sure. The only real difference I found was in how the film closes. The book version has the kids riding home on the Hogwart's Express as Ginny Weasley tells of how she spotted her older brother kissing his new girlfriend. The film leaves this out entirely leaving us instead in the Great Hall of Hogwart's for the return of Hagrid. Harry and the rest of the children express their love for him as the hall is filled with cheers. Personally, I liked the alternate ending and the feeling that it leaves us with. For don't we all love Hagrid?
Even better than the first!
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