Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Movie Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Official Website (it might still work): Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Rating (out of 10): 4
Reviewed By: Michael Stevens
Buy the: Video/DVD \| Soundtrack
The Review:

"Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts this year!" Says Dobby the House Elf, and I would agree and also add next year too when the third installment is scheduled for release. I fully admit that I might not get what Harry Potter is all about, but the movies still need to stand on their own as if the books never existed. I do feel that they are able to stand on their own, but they are not nearly good enough to elicit sequels, let alone a trilogy or even more.

As to the plot, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe, The Scorer’s Stone) wants out of the house away from his evil family, but they don’t want him to leave and practice magic. So Harry’s good friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and his brother drive the Weasley family car through the air and spring young Potter free. But before this, the above-mentioned Dobby warns Harry to stay away from Hogwarts. Eventually Harry and Ron get back to school, but not before getting in trouble, but of course Harry is a magic superstar and nothing really happens to him. Once at school we are re-introduced to the old players like Hermione (Emma Watson), Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), Dumbledore (Richard Harris), and Harry’s arch-nemesis Draco (Tom Felton). Plus we are introduced to some new people like the pretty boy and self-proclaimed super-wizard Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), and Draco’s father Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs, The Tuxedo). As it turns out someone is looking to open the fabled Chamber of Secrets that was built by one of Hogwarts founders, Salazar Slytherin. Once opened it will eliminate all Muggles at the school since Salazar Slytherin, disliked ‘Mudbloods’ and did not think they should be allowed in Hogwarts. So now it is up to Harry and his posse to make sure no one dies, but some people start to drop like flies (though they are only petrified, not dead). But who is behind everything? Is it Harry and he doesn’t even know it? Is it the evil looking Lucius Malfoy and the snotty Slytherins? Is it Harry’s sworn enemy Lord Voldemort? Or even the helpful dead boy with a cool diary, Tom Riddle (Christian Coulson)? Or is everyone plotting against Potter? Frankly, I didn’t really care all that much. But a lot of other people sure do.

Just like in Harry Potter and The Scorer’s Stone, Chris Columbus directs the screenplay by Steve Kloves. And as you probably already knew, J.K. Rowling wrote the books that these films are based on.

This Harry Potter was occasionally funny, and occasionally entertaining, but not really scary. I was not sure how things would end up, but as I stated before I didn’t care about that, I only cared about what time it would be over. This is an OK kids film, but I am not a kid. One positive thing about this kids film is that there are no song and dance numbers. Overall, a rating of just four couches.