Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Jenny Wright, Jason Isaacs, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths. Directed by Chris Columbus. Harry Potter (Radcliffe) is having a bad summmer. He has to put up with his annoying aunt (Shaw), Uncle Vernon (Griffiths) and their fear of his magical abilities. Suddenly house-elf Dobby appears in Harry's bedroom and warns him of great danger if he should attempt to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and has tried to prevent him from going. But despite the elf's mischievous efforts, the Harry is rescued with the aid of a flying car, and whisked into the warmth of the Weasley household. And when Ron and Harry are prevented from getting on the train, they take the flying car and crash the flying Ford into Hogwarts' enchanted Whomping Willow tree. At Hogwarts, Harry finds himself the center of much unwanted attention. That includes Ron's little sister Ginny (Wright) and most irritatingly, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart (Branagh). Lockhart craves the attention that Harry shuns, but even he can't explain the mysterious, sinister things begin to happen at Hogwarts. His friends begin to doubt him, except for Ron and Hermione (Watson). They learn of the mysterious Chamber of Secrets, said to hold a monster hidden by one of the four original founders of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione try to solve the mystery on their own and save the school. Bigger, darker and more entertaining than the first Harry Potter film The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets is that rare sequel where everything is improved. From the director to the maturing young actors, from the brisk pacing of the story to the improved special effects, this film is better. And the first one was no slouch. While the film clocks in at 2 hours and 40 minutes, there are no real lulls in the action and I am hard-pressed to suggest what should have been cut out. No one, especially the kids, seemed restless because of the film's length, and the youngsters in the near full theatre sitting near me were quiet and attentive. And while it is scarier and, as mentioned before, darker and more serious, none of the children around me seemed frightened by it. At all. And there were some quite young children in the crowd. A negative point. Like at the end of the first film, everyone returns to the great hall to sit through a sappy, manipulative feel-good extravaganza where everyone congratulates each other for defeating evil and professes gooey love and admiration for one another. I have no idea whether these scenes are part of the book, but they are untirely unnecessary and not in keeping with the tone of the previous two-and-a-half hours. Performance wise, all three young actors in the lead role are stronger this time, especially Watson and Radcliffe. Richard Harris' provides calm benevolence as the wise headmaster, and he will be missed in future films in the series. Adding to the sense of fun is Kenneth Branagh's scenery chewing Gilderoy Lockhart, injecting a welcome counterpoint to the scarier and more sinister plot. Jason Isaacs, as he proved in The Patriot, excels at oozing cool, self-satisfied evil as Malfoy's even more sinister father. Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman don't have much to do, but both are assets. It is a credit to the producers that they continue to exclusively use British actors in the roles. If you liked the first Harry Potter film, you are bound to love The Chamber of Secrets, which is more fun and more entertaining than the first. I would recommend it as well to those who didn't see the first film - it stands on its own. And for those like me who have not read any books in the series, it is no impediment to enjoying this well-made, entertaining film. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page