Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Movie Review

This is a tale of Harry Potter who is in his second year at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardy where he has to struggle with(really struggle with) the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Beside Hermione and Ron, he investigates the series of petrifying incidents that endanger the school’s security.

Setting the overall humor and easy-going atmosphere, the film incorporates the motifs of friendship, courage and self-identity into a more serious and suspense atmosphere. It is a subtext of prejudice and fear of the other side, keeping a dark undertone throughout happy air.

Daniel, Rupert and Emma boys and girl were very professional and they imbibe the character naturally and with utmost maturity. Characters such as a house-elf Dobby, and the terrifying but comic figure of Gilderoy Lockhart amusingly enrich the movie’s representation of the world of wizards and magicians.

Proving himself to be a director with some continuity, Chris Columbus preserves the magical mood while making the wizarding universe wider. He effectively captures the essences of tension and marvel within the huge realms of Hogwarts.

His scores perfectly complement the moments of magical fantasy and menace in this movie, donating orchestral scores that are harmonious and homogeneous.

The movements are brilliant with amazing shots of Hogwarts and complicated set pieces that really places the audience into the magical worlds. Lighting also effectively complements the theme added to the story.

The technical aspect of the film is also well done, especially the castles’ interiors, including Hogwarts and the Chamber of the unique sound. Every set is elaborate to achieve realism.

The stunts are well coordinated, due to the integration of practical effects instead of just complicated computer graphics; this is well illustrated whereby CGI was used in a subset of the action scenes involving basilisk and cast spells. These elements put an additional layer of excitement to the movie.

The characters and the action move fast and smoothly from school life to mischief, and from that to mystery; the pacing is tight and never lets the audience get bored.

The movie is very well-paced; after the light-hearted school life moments, the film delivers thrilling scenes that keep the viewer fully engaged until the end.

The dialogues are accurate for Rowling’s universe and are humorous These are very realistic making pivotal contributions in emerging character relations and main storyline  While the film is based on a book, it offers some scenes which are not sufficient enough for character development other than the main focus of the film. At some points the runtime does appear to lack requisite depth for the scale of the story it is telling.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a visually stunning representation of Rowling’s world which builds up the plot to greater mysteries of the franchise. It is romantic along with a tinge of mystery that stays even after the screens go black for credits.