When I wrote it, my review for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was the longest review I'd ever written. As of this writing, that dubious honor goes to "Spider-Man," but I assure you, the review for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is still pretty damn long. This review for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" won't be nearly as long, so you can all breathe easy.
For those of you who don't know, the "Harry Potter" books, in a nutshell, are about a student, "Harry Potter," who attends a school for wizards. The school is a 7-year school, and each book represents a year for "Harry Potter." There will be seven books (J.K. Rowling, the author, just completed the fifth book, which is titled "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"), and assumably, seven movies. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is the second book and the second movie.
With "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," there was a lotta anticipation, and when the movie finally came out, it was hugely successful. I have no doubt that this sequel will also be successful, but being that this is the second one, the magic from the first movie is gone. There's no longer the wide-eyed enthusiasm for seeing how the game of Quiddich would be realized on film, or how the special effects will look. Another problem is that some may be upset by how dark this movie is. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was fairly dark, but "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is darker. The books get progressively darker with each release, so it'll be interesting to see how dark it'll get by the seventh book and movie.
Most of the cast has returned for this second "Harry Potter" film, and that's certainly a good thing. The three main kids (Daniel Radcliffe as "Harry Potter," Emma Watson as "Hermione Granger" and Rupert Grint as "Ron Weasley") are perfectly cast in their roles (even if the acting isn't flawless), and though it's unlikely, I hope they remain in all seven films. As for the adults, most of them are also back, and they're some of the best British actors in the business. Robbie Coltrane returns as "Hagrid," Maggie Smith is back as "Professor McGonagall," and Alan Rickman, once again, is "Professor Snape." Richard Harris," who plays "Professor Dumbledore," sadly died a few weeks before the film's release. He brought an undeniable dignity that was required of the character, and he was excellent in that role. Needless to say, rumors are already swirling as to who will play "Professor Dumbledore" in the third film, but no one has been officially cast yet. Whoever it will be will have a tough job following the great Richard Harris.
There are a couple of new roles for this second film, the biggest being that of "Gilderoy Lockhart." Kenneth Branagh was cast in the role, and though he's not as good-looking as the character in the book is made out to be, he does a great job in the film, and he certainly looks like he's having a good time. Jason Isaacs is also in the film, and he's excellent as "Lucius Malfoy."
Like with the first film, the screenplay for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was written by Steve Cloves, and again, he was very faithful to the book without simply rewriting it into screenplay form. He does a fantastic job adapting the books, and I hope he does all of the adaptations. As for the director, once again, it was Chris Columbus. Who woulda ever thought that the director of "Stepmom," "Nine Months," and "Mrs. Doubtfire" would do such an awesome job with the "Harry Potter" movies? Even action sequences, such as the Quiddich games, are well-executed (for the record, the Quiddich game looks even better in the second film). Unfortunately, Chris Columbus will not be doing the third film. The director will be Alfonso Cuarón, which is an interesting choice. He directed "Great Expectations" and more recently, he directed the really good, though very sexually-graphic, "Y Tu Mamá También." Is the director of one of the most sexually-charged films in recent memory the ideal choice for a "Harry Potter" movie? Well, maybe. Sure, "Y Tu Mamá También" was certainly an adult film, but he also directed the delightful movie, "A Little Princess," which is a very good movie for kids. Maybe the fact that he directed a really good movie for kids, as well as a really good movie for adults, makes him perfect, especially since the third "Harry Potter" book is even darker. We'll just have to wait and see.
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is a little longer than the last one, and like that one, it drags a little. Still, it's a great movie that the entire family could enjoy. Sure, it's lost a little of the magic since this is the second one, but the fact that it's a darker film appeals to me a little more. If there truly will be seven "Harry Potter" movies made, I hope that the rest are as good as the first two. So far, so good.
Scale of 1-10: 9