Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)November 18th, 2002
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002) / ****
Directed by Chris Columbus. Screenplay by Steven Kloves, based on the novel by JK Rowling. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. Running time: 162 minutes. Rated PG for frightening scenes by the MFCB. Reviewed on November 16th, 2002.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Harry Potter (Radcliffe) is warned away from returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by a magical creature named Dobby (Toby Jones). Heedless, Harry heads back to class only to find Hogwarts being stalked by a monster. With his friends Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson), Harry begins an investigation into the legendary Chamber of Secrets in which the monster is supposed to reside. At the same time, he must deal with his rival, Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), and Malfoy's bigoted father Lucius (Jason Isaacs), as well as a pompous new teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh). But before Harry can get to the bottom of things, his friend Hagrid the groundskeeper (Robbie Coltrane) will be imprisoned, Ron's sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright) will be placed in mortal peril, and one of Harry's best friends will fall victim to the monster. And why is the diary of former Hogwarts student Tom Riddle (Christian Coulson) so important?
Review: In all honesty, I think that "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" is the weakest of the four "Potter" books published to date. Plotwise, it's a veritable rehash of its predecessor, "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone", and its characters scarcely develop beyond the way they were left at the end of that novel. Indeed, I felt that "Chamber Of Secrets" largely amounted to a lot of literary running in place, and made me worried that each book in the "Potter" series would end up being clones of the original -- fears that were, fortunately, allayed by the vastly improved third and fourth installments.
Ironically, then, I actually enjoyed the film version of the second "Potter" novel more than the first. This is a picture brimming with confidence: having found their feet on "Philosopher's Stone", it's clear that everyone involved in "Chamber Of Secrets" was able to relax and just enjoy themselves this time around. The difference is extraordinary.
The most notable improvement is in the calibre of performances offered by the three leads. Although their characters might not be much evolved beyond their "Philosopher's Stone" origins, this is largely mitigated by the fact that Radcliffe, Watson and Grint come to this film a much more self-assured trio. Radcliffe in particular, occasionally very wooden in the first movie, is more alive this time around, bringing to Harry a subtle energy which really motivates the audience. Grint is developing a keen sense of comic timing, and his mugging for the camera -- such as in a scene where Harry and Ron have to confront a legion of giant spiders -- is almost Abbot and Costello-like. Watson has the smallest role of the three in this installment, but she nevertheless continues to offer the strongest performance.
Having successfully introduced Harry's world to viewers in "Philosopher's Stone", Columbus happily foregoes retreading much of this material in "Chamber Of Secrets". In its place, we get a more exposure to some of the supporting characters, such as the hapless Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) and the fiery Seamus Finnigan (Devon Murray), as well as Draco's two stooges, Crabbe (Jamie Waylett) and Goyle (Joshua Herdman). As a result, the Hogwarts setting comes across as a much more dynamic, colourful environment.
Amongst the more senior members of the cast, the late Richard Harris gives another grandly noble performance as Headmaster Dumbledore; his presence will certainly be missed from future episodes. Branagh is perfect as the egotistical Lockhart, clearly having enormous fun in a role which encourages him to overact terrifically. It's unfortunate that Alan Rickman's sinister Professor Snape gets less screentime in the current outing, but this is made up for, to an extent, by Isaacs' delectably malevolent Lucius Malfoy.
Also better in "Chamber Of Secrets" are the special effects. One of my biggest criticisms of the first film was that the Quidditch match, which although exhilarating, was an uncomfortable marriage of live action and computer animation. Columbus and his team have obviously been working on refining their techniques, because the main Quidditch sequence in "Chamber Of Secrets" is a much more fluid entity. The characters are better integrated into the scene, and the whole affair comes across as more three-dimensional and exciting.
Another key ingredient is the House Elf, Dobby, undoubtedly one of the best-realised computer-animated characters yet. Dobby is fantastically expressive, and interacts with the live actors in a very credible manner. Columbus is wise not to let Dobby come across too cartoonish; there is an aura of misery about the creature which ensures an emotional payoff in the movie's final reel.
As noted earlier, the story itself is rather similar to "Philosopher's Stone": once again, Harry and friends must piece together a series of clues which will lead them to a hidden area of Hogwarts and a confrontation with evil. But that's not to imply that the two movies are interchangeable. "Chamber Of Secrets" is more of a mystery, with Harry actively seeking out answers rather than stumbling across them, as in the first movie. The central story arc also takes more precedence than in "Philosopher's Stone", in which the plot itself was sometimes obscured until the last half hour.
In concert with this, though, "Chamber Of Secrets" is a rather darker, more action-oriented film. Children who were frightened by Harry's confrontation with the spectral Voldemort in "Philosopher's Stone" will find more such scenes here, and so parents should be advised that "Chamber Of Secrets" may not be suitable for the very young or very sensitive.
At its heart, though, "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" contains a wonderful message for viewers (and, wisely, does not try to browbeat the audience with it). This is a movie about the importance of deeds rather than origins, about how somebody willing to embrace a scary adventure to save his or her friends is far more valuable a person than those who are very powerful but use that power only for themselves. By turns thrilling, touching and charming, "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" is a family classic.
Copyright © 2002 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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