Directed by:  Chris Columbus
Written by:  Steve Kloves
Adapted from the Novel by:  J.K. Rowling
Starring:  Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Sean Biggerstaff, Robbie Coltrane
 

November 23, 2002

I remember the Saturday Night Live skit with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe after the first film became so popular.  The skit spoofed the making of the sequel, and had director Chris Columbus fool heartedly rushing through the scenes before the actors even got their lines out, exclaiming, “It doesn’t matter what I film, this sequel is going to make money.”  It’s too bad that skit’s not far from the truth.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is much darker than the first film, with actual blood and gore this time.  This one is definitely not for little kids…but I actually like the dark tone of it.  The problem is, the filmmakers just brought back the characters we already know, and the new ones they added aren’t all that interesting.

The Malfoy’s are there just to antagonize Harry, and don’t really add much to the story.  And they could have done a lot more with Gilderoy Lockhart (Branagh).  He’s a new character who’s a flawed magician, but a best selling author.  Lockhart could have added a comedic tone, but the jokes in his scenes just aren’t funny.

With the passing of Richard Harris, they will be on the search for a new Dumbledore for the next one.  Harris led a great film career, my favorite role being English Bob in Unforgiven.  No one will be able to fill his shoes as the Wizard as he did, but I can think of one suggestion, Ian McKellan.  He of course wouldn’t even have to change much from his wardrobe as Gandolf.

The biggest problem with the film is its length, 2hr 40mins.  There’s so much that could have been cut from this film; there’s no reason for it to be this long.  It could have easily come in under the 2 hr mark.  The first one was long because they had to introduce characters and explain the whole story of Harry; Chamber of Secrets feels like it drags on and on because the mystery Harry tries to solve is so uninteresting.

When I went to see it last Saturday, surveys were handed out.  The survey asked questions like:  Who is your favorite character? And what are your favorite three scenes?  It’s clear the studio is trying to figure out just what to include in the next one.  Instead of hiring creative people to solve the problems or write a better script, they’re depending on the thoughts of the masses.  No wonder Chamber of Secrets turned out so haphazard.  Makes you wonder if they depended totally on surveys for making this one. 

Well, in the end I guess it worked.  Chamber of Secrets grossed over $80 million in its opening weekend, coming in as the third highest grossing film ever.  And in Hollywood, the bottom line is all that counts. 
 

Recommended Alternatives:  Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones, The Goonies, The Neverending Story, Unforgiven (s: Harris) 

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