Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets
It's not often when someone comes up with a brilliant idea for a book series. It's even more rare when the film adaptation does the book justice. Author J.K. Rowlings' conception of a pre-teen boy who finds out that he is a wizard is meant for a young audience, but it receives justified popularity from other age groups. The first film adaptation, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone grossed over $300 million in the box office from November 2001 to May 2002 (U.S. only). The Chamber of Secrets carries on its prequel's tradition of careful storytelling, creating a highly enjoyable movie-watching experience for a wide range of people.
It's almost time for Harry to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, an elf begs Harry not to return to school because bad shit will go down if he goes back to Hogwarts. The elf, whose name is Dobby, gets Harry into serious trouble with his tyrannical uncle, hoping that will keep Harry from Hogwarts. Dobby's plan works until Harry's friend Ron Weasley pulls up to the house in a flying car and rescues Harry.
Harry and Ron, after a series of mishaps, finally make it to Hogwarts. Soon after, bad shit starts going down. The groundskeeper's cat is inexplicably petrified. A message written in blood is found on the wall, saying that only Salazar Slytherin's (one of Hogwarts' founders, who sounds like a sinister dude) heir can open the Chamber of Secrets. Soon, students are befalling the cat's fate. Harry, Ron, and another friend, Hermione Granger, must find out who is attacking the students before Hogwarts is closed.
One common complaint that people have about Chamber of Secrets and Sorcerer's Stone is that they are overlong (160 minutes each) for children's films. That's about 32 times a child's attention span, but these movies are meant for the whole family. Having read the book also, I can say that the original story's integrity is well-preserved. Director Chris Columbus (Nine Months) and screenwriter Steven Kloves (Wonder Boys) refuse to sacrifice the coherency of the plot for the purpose of trimming down the running time.
I also marvel at the cinematography and special effects of the sequel. Chamber of Secrets has a dark feeling that gives it a gloomier tone than Sorcerer's Stone. In both films, the picture is clear and crisp. CGI ghosts and monsters integrate perfectly with the live actors. In fact, some of the stunts and scenes are quite imaginative; one believes that very few genuine sets were needed to film the movie.
The Harry Potter films are entertaining in every way that a movie should be. Kudos to Ms. Rowling for weaving an unpredictable story in an industry where film plots are as predictable as a Jennifer Lopez marriage!
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You know Harry and Hermione are gonna knock some boots in a few years.
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