Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
(In which Harry goes back to Hogwarts and we all wonder, “How is the school is still open?” and “When do the students learn anything?”)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second part of this 8 part adventure. This is the second and final film directed by Chris Columbus. After doing these two movies back to back on top of his already successful career Colombus was tired and decided to move on. This is also the last movie to include Richard Harris as the beloved headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore. Harris sadly passed away in 2002 and was replaced by Michael Gambon for the remainder of the series.
The Chamber of Secrets was probably my least favorite book of the series, not to say that I don’t complain loudly about the camping in the final book, I do (we will get there I promise). But I have found this story to be the least memorable. I think it falls in an awkward place for the series, after the end of the first movie everyone knows something is going to happen with Voldemort, he isn’t gone and when he comes back, it will be really bad. But it feels like everyone is trying their hardest to ignore that and go back to normal. (Like after seeing the dark lord in the back of someone's head we can just go back to a cute story about a wizard boy and a mystery that takes everyone FOREVER to solve.
There are some really fun parts of the story in Book 2, including, the whomping willow, the polyjuice, the flying car, Dobby the house-elf, and most importantly, in my opinion, the introduction of the Weasley parents. Now in the movie, the whole Weasley family, especially Percy, is done a bit dirty. . They are pushed aside characters, who end up being a bit two-dimensional. However in the books, the Weasley’s are a dynamic family that represents unconditional love and the importance of joy in all things. Nevertheless, we do get to meet Mr. Weasley (Mark Williams) and Mrs. Weasley (Julie Walters) in this film, and they are warm, kind, and everything you want from wizard parents.
In contrast, we also meet Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), Draco Malfoy’s father and overall bad dude. The Weasley and Malfoy families represent the different ideologies in the wizard world. We have on one side, the Weasley family who are loving and welcoming to everyone. In their view, all wizards are equal, and to take it farther, all people are equal, those with magical powers and those without any powers.The Malfoy’s, however, believe in maintaining the purity of wizarding bloodlines, destroying the wizards who have human parents so they don't taint the blood and that muggles (humans) are inferior and should be dominated. If you are getting a distinct Hitler, Nazi vibe, you are on the right track. If you read my last HP review, you will remember I talked about how J.K.Rowling is an idea thief. She steals existing ideas or concepts, changes them slightly, and inserts them into her world. So her big bad guy is basically wizard Hitler and the Death Eater members are the Nazi party. Somehow all of the pureblood rectoric and ideas were completely left out of the first movie, but now they are prevalent in the world and everyone, including the kids have to deal with it.
But just like the book, in this movie, we are putting aside all of the main storyline and focusing on the kid’s current problem. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened and people are being petrified and soon someone will likely die unless someone figures out how to stop it. This almost takes the form of a mystery movie... we look for clues, interview teachers and do a lot of research. Now Dumbledore could have told them all the answers and the brilliant teachers could have figured it all out really quickly and the lives of hundreds of students would have not been put at risk for a whole school year, but then Harry wouldn’t have been a hero and what is the fun in that? Dubledore not telling people crucial information is a recurring theme in this story and is super frustrating. However this one is the worst example of this neglect (thus far). Moreover, (and I say this with all due respect to the late great Richard Harris), I did not like his Dumbeldore. In the books, the character was jovial and more like the cooky grandfather you wish you had, while Harris’ Dumbledore is very serious and almost angry. This made the withholding info seem almost malicious and calculated, whereas in the books, it seems like he has a magical plan and you trust Dumbledore’s wisdom and love, even when maybe you shouldn’t.
.On a different note, this story is a little darker than its predecessor and while it still received the PG rating it is too intense for young viewers.. Little Ginny is mind-controlled by a fraction of Voldemort's soul trapped in his journal and commits some terrible acts while under his influence. The screenwriters try to gloss over this as much as possible, but the truth remains that this is kinda intense stuff. Also we meet Moaning Myrtle, the ghost of a student who died in the bathroom 50 years ago. The question of what happens to your soul after you die is a question that is completely avoided in the Harry Potter universe but also seems prevalent and inconsistent, because there are ghosts all over Hogwarts, but nowhere else. Also not every character who dies becomes a ghost, Harry’s parents are just gone. This seems like a plot hole, because it is, you just have to not think too hard about it and move forward with the conveniently knowledgeable and always friendly ghosts.
Ultimately, like the last movie, this is a charming, visually stunning movie, with a rushed plot and adorable kids (whose voices are changing). The movie is necessary to understand the rest of the series, but it isn’t in and of itself the best of the Harry Potter series. It feels like that filler episode of a TV show right before the big midseason story arc, and while it is enjoyable, you just spend the whole time thinking, get to the good stuff already!
Content Overview
Language: Bloody and other PG words
Sexual Content: None
Violence: Kids get hurt left and right. People are threatened with murder. Ginny is almost killed. There isn't a lot of blood but lots of people get knocked unconscious.
Questionable content: Lying, stealing, and sneaking are prevalent.
