Review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) by Spangle — 09 Jul 2017

The second cinematic adventure set in this wondrous world of wizardry and magic, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a stepback in the series. Retaining the sense of child-like wonder in a very Spielbergian sense, the film's great characters and effects are left in a "too-cute" plot loaded with too many deus ex machinas. As another entry into this marvelously imaginative world, however, The Chamber of Secrets packs the same level of tension, terror, and joyous fun that is fun in The Sorcerer's Stone, especially with its central mystery. The unfortunate part of this film is that, aside from a few new elements, nothing has really changed from the first entry aside from just making it longer and swapping out a few characters. It is building a world, but this is a very lateral move compared to the grand steps forward taken by better universes.

The changes from The Sorcerer's Stone are mostly character-driven, as the plot is pretty much the same. Starting off with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) not getting letters, living with his abusive aunt and uncle, and then rushing off to Hogwarts with the Weasley family, the film feels very "same" at the onset. Unfortunately, this does not change much as the film builds up around a central mystery lurking in a secret area of Hogwarts, Hermione (Emma Watson) demonstrates that she is the best wizard of the bunch before being whisked away to let Harry be the hero, and they play Quidditich in a rigged match against Slytherin house. As a unit, they save the day and uncover the mystery with the new way in which Lord Voldemort has snuck his way back into Hogwarts to cause serious damage to the students and the school as a whole. Why this guy bothers himself with young wizards is beyond me when his beef should be with the older people, but I digress. This same plot hits many right notes, especially when establishing the mystery lying within the Chamber of Secrets and its slow, intoxicating build-up to the reveal. From the spider's lair to the messages written in blood, the film feels quite ominous as matched by the haunting voice following Harry around whispering "kill kill kill". At times, the film feels like a gothic horror film due to its reliance on atmosphere and a terrific sense of space within the school's excellent gothic-inspired design.

The film's changes from the first hit with a mixed bag of results. The most positive addition is Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh). Between the two films I have seen thus far, he is undoubtedly my favorite characters. He is such a fraud and coward, it is honestly hysterical to watch unfold with Branagh being a natural for the role as this self-absorbed heartthrob. The original casting of Hugh Grant would have also been brilliant, though Branagh did an excellent job with the role. The other positive change is Dobby, who is like the ALDI store brand Yoda. However, as a BDSM loving house-elf, Dobby is excellently funny even if he is a deeply tragic figure.

Where the film changes, however, it does have some negatives. With Snape (Alan Rickman) enjoying a far more scaled back role in this film, the film really lacks the zip and sinister bite of Rickman that the original had. It tries to recreate it with Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), but it never clicks. Isaacs is good, but he is no Rickman. The film lacks that sneakily ominous presence provided by him and Lucius winds up being nothing more than a rather conventional sinister presence in the film that is never really utilized here to its fullest. Additionally, the general lack of Emma Watson is really felt here with Radcliffe and Rupert Grint left on their own with Watson's Hermione petrified or turned into the cat for much of the film. In spite of her strength, the film annoyingly turns her into a joke or damsel in distress despite her talent as a wizard that far exceeds that of her male counterparts. Relying upon Harry's purity and Ron's awkward ginger nature to carry the film, it winds up feeling too sweet and buddy comedy-esque without ever really clicking the way it would with a strong female presence in the film. Had the film relied upon Watson as much as it did in the Philosopher’s Stone, this second entry would have felt more balanced. The other change that really holds this one back is more of an alteration. The first one’s childish touches coming in Quidditich or awarding the cup winner at the end of the year were fine and excusable, even if unbearable. Here, Columbus adds childish touches to the plot. With overt foreshadowing, random exposition to accompany that foreshadowing, and then explaining items that were previously explained to call back to that foreshadowing-based exposition, the Chamber of Secrets feels really spelled out. There is no mystery as to why the phoenix is able to heal Harry or why the sword appears. Instead, it feels very spoon-fed and, as a result, it largely misses the mark. The sense of wonder is still there, but some spark has been put out.