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While living with the Weasleys, Harry discovers the delights
of family life and the dangers of using flue-powder to travel
by chimneys. He also is unable to get on to Platform 9.75
and catch the Hogwarts Express to school, so he and Ron borrow
the Anglia.
If you've read the book you'll know there is a bit of trouble
with a certain Whomping Willow - which does look excellent
- and also the little matter of having been seen in a flying
car by Muggles (non-magical folk).
Still, back at Hogwarts Harry begins to enjoy himself again
until strange and nasty things keep happening.
Someone, or something, seems to be trying to kill him and
fellow students keep getting petrified and turned into near-stone.
Harry finds himself being blamed for the strange goings on
and almost becomes an outcast from the other pupils.
The new Defence-Against-the-Dark-Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart
(Kenneth Branagh) is hopeless at magic, but excellent at self-promotion.
Branagh brings a much-needed bit of lightness to Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because the film is
a lot darker in tone than the first-up movie.
There are moments in it where younger kids may get quite
scared and if you want a guide then take the scariness level
of the final battle with Voldemort (from HP 1) as occurring
quite often during the film.
I only point this out because my kids (5 and 7) love the
original and have watched it many times, but the older one
reacted badly to the final scenes of HP2 when I saw it with
her at the movies and so I'm going to have my thumb hovering
over the pause button when the pair check out the DVD.
The cgi-created Dobby is brilliantly done with a life-like
set of expressions and movements (I suppose, not having ever
met a house-elf before) and he is also fun, although he does
create mayhem rather easily.
Another of the new faces to the series is Lucius Malfoy (Jason
Isaacs), dad to the horrid Draco, who is adorably sinister
and mean. Isaacs is wicked to the max and absolutely revels
in the role.
The other main characters - Prof. Dumbledore (Richard Harris),
Prof. McGonagal (Maggie Smith), Prof. Snape (Alan Rickman)
and Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) - almost take a supporting role
this time around as Harry, Ron and Hermione (Emma Watson)
move front and centre stage.
They are determined to work out who is freezing their friends,
just who could the deadly Heir of Slytherin be and what is
the Chamber of Secrets?
For those interested in Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets' special effects there is only one thing to say
- they are much better than the original.
The flying Anglia, the Whomping Willow, the Mandrake Roots,
the Basilisk, the Quidditch, the giant creepy crawlies (errrrrggggg)
... everything looks wonderful.
The video transfer is just sensational. It is gorgeously
widescreen, crisp, clear and has superb shadow detail. Colours
are sumptuous and rich, while the sound is excellent with
channel use that will keep your system busy.
A word of warning, though, don't turn it up too loud because
in scenes like the one where Harry and the Weasleys travel
by flue-powder the explosions are loud enough to move your
innards!
A must-have.
Conclusion: 90% Extras: 80%.
Continued: DVD details
at a glance >
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