The second Harry Potter film is better
than the first, not because it is true to the book's story, but because
it is true to the book's atmosphere.
The
first Harry Potter movie was very good, but it stayed so close to the
book that it spread itself too thin trying to get at every single
detail. This adaptation of Joanne Rowling's second book (which I think
is the weakest among the entire series) does indeed have all the good
parts but focuses primarily on the main storyline. The film skips a lot
of the background details, which makes for effective pacing, while
taking liberties with the story to fit the big screen.
Here
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliff) and his friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and
Hermione (Emma Watson) once again encounter Voldemort (Christian
Coulson) as a memory that has the power to become real. Voldemort opens
the Chamber of Secrets freeing a fearsome Basilisk, an Alien-like snake
that can kill with a glance. The snake's attacks threaten to close down
Hogwarts School and Harry must stop them or be sent home to live with
his foster parents (you can understand his motivation when you meet them
at the introduction of every book/film).
The
film is darker than the first, with scenes that are definitely creepy:
Harry's encounter with a strange hand in Diagon Alley, Ron and Harry
getting stuck in a willow tree that attacks them with its branches,
Harry and Ron escaping from the giant spiders, and Harry's final battle
with the Basilisk. There are also some Orwellian themes touched upon
here, including Dobby the Elf's masochism and slavery, the ideal of some
of the "Purebloods" to cleanse Hogwarts of the "Mudbloods".
The
familiar high-profile cast do a fine job, with the newcomers, Kenneth
Branagh as the pompous (and hilarious) new Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy
Lockhart, and Jason Isaacs as an evil-oozing Lucius Malfoy, particularly
standing out. While the child actors carry their roles well, some of
them do tend to overact. The score does a great highlighting the
suspense, which there exists a lot of.
The
set design and accompanying cinematography and production deserves a
paragraph of its own. The integration of computer generated images and
the actors is very seamless. The Hogwarts school, the surrounding
countryside, and the brief Quidditch match are all rendered with amazing
reality.
If
the first film was the setup, this one's definitely the payoff. Even
though I know what happens next, I can't wait to see it.
