| Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Directed By: Chris Columbus Written By: Steve Kloves Produced By: David Heyman Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Richard Harris, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Jason Isaacs, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Maggie Smith, Robert Hardy, and Christian Coulson MPAA Rating: PG for scary moments, some creature violence and mild language. Plot: "Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their second term. There they discover an evil force is attacking the school and its students." Genre: Fantasy Adventure Distributed By: Warner Brothers My Review: Last November, I fell in love with Chris Columbus' adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the brilliant novel by J.K. Rowling. When I saw it, I was already a huge fan of the Potter universe. I had read all of the books so far in the saga, and I loved each and every letter of them. I consider myself quite of a Potter trivia person. I love to study every detail. So, I believe you get the picture: I LOVE Harry Potter. Okay, on to the review...... Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is every bit the film that the first was, and a bit more. Chris Columbus has really improved as a director since he signed on to direct these fantasy films. He used to be quite the boring filmmaker. He made entertaining films (Mrs. Doubtfire, Stepmom) and some crappy films (Home Alone 2: Lost In New York), but these are his best films ever easily. This is my favorite film of all-time. It may not be the "best", but it is certainly my favorite. Columbus crafts tension perfectly, he plays every note right, and works with everyone to make the best film possible. Steve Kloves (Wonder Boys) is back as the screenwriter. It is no easy task to turn Rowling's huge, detailed books into a 165 minute film. Kloves find the main pulse of the novel and writes that pulse as it flows. He never does any foolish sub-plots, or leaves the plot of the Chamber of Secrets. His dialouge is fluid and believable. His action scenes are placed throughout, and instead of being there to throw in cool effects, it is there to push the story forward, which I admire. Kloves wrote a brilliant script. Daniel Radcliffe (BBC's David Copperfield) is back as the young wizard, Harry Potter. He is much better here than he was in the first Potter film. He feels much more relaxed and in the zone. Perhaps the sheer size of the first film overwhelmed the young thespian. He is excellent here. Rupert Grint (Thunderpants) is hilarious as Ron Weasley, the poor red-headed wizard. He is perfect as Ron. From his facial expressions to his dialouge delivery he is excellent. His bit with the broken wand is nice. He captures the words Rowling wrote of Ron, and turns it into a film-stealing performance. Emma Watson is back as the smart witch Hermione Granger. She gives a beautiful performance. She oozes wonderful charm. She is quite the little actress and she deserves all the acclaim. There are three major new cast members: Kenneth Branagh (Celebrity), Jason Isaacs (The Patriot), and Toby Jones as the voice of Dobby, a house-elf. Branagh is the best of them. He is very clever as the vain Lockhart. Isaacs is delightfully evil as Lucius Malfoy. Jones is excellent as Dobby. He is hilarious, and is one the best all-CGI characters in recent memory. All of the returning cast is, again, excellent. Alan Rickman is amazingly evil as Snape, the hateful Potions teacher who seems to dislike Harry. Robbie Coltrane is endearing as Hagrid, the lovable gameskeeper at the wizard school. Maggie Smith is wonderful as Prof. Minerva McGonagall, the stern head of Gryffindor house, which the trio of heroes reside in. And, of course, the late and great Richard Harris is perfect as Albus Dumbledore, the wise headmaster of Hogwarts. He turns every line into pure gold. I shall miss him very much. Stuart Craig is the set designer. He turns Hogwarts into a very magical place. Every nook and cranny appears to have a new wonder. He is pure genius. The same goes for Lindy Hemming who casts a magic spell with her classy clothes designs. ILM have created amazing effects for this film, the best of the year. They are entirely believable. I believed they were there fully. That is the best possible praise I can possibly give. John Williams' score is amazing. It backs the film up in an amazing fashion. It has the power to make you laugh, scream, and cry. I especially love the song "Fawkes is Reborn". A beautiful theme. Overall, this film is pure magic. An amazing experience. A wonderful, classy film. A nice film to give Harris' a legacy for children around the world. This film is amazing, and something I feel I will cherish for the many years to come. 10/10. P.S. I realize this is a tiny bit early, but some people who ordered this online have already recieved it, so I figured it would be okay to open it a few days early. |