Review - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, just one year after the successful release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Warner Bros. would release the second chapter of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Based on the second book of the series by J.K. Rowling, Harry's second year at Hogwarts has him deal with a dark secret from the school's past. Chris Columbus, who directed Sorcerer's Stone, returns for his second and final outing as director of a Harry Potter film. So, let's go ahead and take a look at Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

        So, Harry is back as the Dursley house at Number Four Privet Drive, and is instructed to stay in his bedroom for the evening, as Vernon is set to have guests over, the Masons, which could mean a potential business deal for him. Unfortunately, a magical guest, Dobby the House Elf, arrives and warns Harry against returning to Hogwarts. However, because Dobby is unable to give Harry all of the information about what's happening at Hogwarts, Harry is unwilling to heed his warning, and chases Dobby for a stack of letters from his friends from Hogwarts. Dobby, to keep Harry from returning to school, levitates a dessert dish and drops it on the head of Mrs. Mason. Vernon, angry at this costing of a major business deal, locks Harry in his bedroom, keeping him as prisoner. 

        One night, however, Harry's best friend Ron, along with Ron's older brothers Fred and George, arrive in a flying Ford Anglia, and break Harry out of his room, bringing him, along with Hedwig and the rest of Harry's things, to the Weasley home in the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley, upon their arrival, scolds Ron, Fred, and George for their recklessness, but welcomes Harry with open arms and offers him some breakfast. It's here that we meet Mr. Weasley, who is employed at the Ministry of Magic. The Weasleys' owl, Errol, arrives with Hogwarts letters for Ron, Fred, Percy, George, Harry, and the youngest Weasley sibling, Ron's sister Ginny. So, the Weasleys prepare to travel to Diagon Alley using a substance called Floo Powder. Apparently, the way it works is that you take a handful of powder, step into a fireplace, say very clearly where you want to go, and drop the powder in the fireplace. Ron shows Harry how it's done, but Harry screws up and is sent to a shop called Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley. Upon exiting the shop, locals near the shop go after Harry, who is rescued by Hagrid. Hagrid guides him to Diagon Alley, where they meet up with Hermione, who takes Harry to the bookshop Flourish and Blott's. 

       It is at the bookshop that we meet wizarding author Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart is at the shop to sign copies of his newest book "Magical Me," and easily recognizes Harry in the crowd, pulling him up front for a photo op, and gives him his entire bibliography for free. After this, Harry is confronted by Draco Malfoy, and it's here we meet Draco's father Lucius Malfoy, who slips a small book into Ginny's cauldron. Some time later, Harry and the Weasleys head to King's Cross Station, where everyone but Harry and Ron are able to get through to Platform 9 3/4. Realizing that they're going to miss the train to school, Ron gets the stupid idea of taking the flying Ford Anglia to catch up with the Hogwarts Express. 

        Harry and Ron arrive in the car to Hogwarts, but the car starts to falter and crashes into a tree. The tree, known as the Whomping Willow, begins to beat the crap out of the car, knocks them out of the tree, and the car spits them out, along with their belongings and the cages for Hedwig and Scabbers (Ron's rat), and drives off into the Forbidden Forest. Upon entering the castle, Mr. Filch takes Harry and Ron to Professor Snape, who scolds them for their recklessness nearly exposing the magical world to Muggles. However, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore arrive, and in lieu of expulsion, McGonagall decides to write to their families, and gives both boys detention. 

         Among the classes we see, Harry and the second years attend Herbology, where Professor Pomona Sprout shows them how to repot Mandrakes. The Mandrake plant can be used to cure anyone whose been petrified. However, a fully grown Mandrake has a cry that is fatal, but the seedlings cries only knock individuals out for hours. The next class we see is Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught this year by Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. Yes, the same Lockhart that we met at Flourish and Blott's earlier is the one hired to replace Professor Quirrell from the first movie. Lockhart unleases a bunch of Cornish Pixies, which wreak havoc until they are stopped by Hermione. During Quidditch practice, Harry and the Gryffindor team learns that the Slytherin team has a new Seeker: Malfoy. On top of that, the entire Slytherin team now has a new model broomstick: the Nimbus 2001. Malfoy, however, goes too far when he calls Hermione a Mudblood. Ron, whose wand snapped during the Whomping Willow incident, tries to curse Malfoy, but it backfires, and Ron starts puking up slugs. At Hagrid's hut, Hagrid gives him a bucket, and we learn that the term Malfoy used, Mudblood, is a foul, racist term used on someone who is Muggle-born, like Hermione. 

       During detention, where Harry helps Lockhart sign fan mail, he hears an unknown voice. When he catches up with Ron and Hermione, they chase after where the voice is heading, upon which they find a petrified Mrs. Norris (Filch's cat), a pool of water, spiders fleeing the scene in fear, and a message written in blood: "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir... Beware." Filch sees his cat petrified and is understandably enraged, but Dumbledore reassures him that when the Mandrake potion is made, Mrs. Norris will be fine. 

         Some days later, Professor McGonagall teaches a transfiguration spell to turn animals into water goblets. Hermione then asks about the Chamber of Secrets, and McGonagall begins to tell the story: Hogwarts was founded many thousands of years ago by four of the greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. And it was Salazar Slytherin, who wanted to be picky about student selection, that built the Chamber of Secrets and housed a monster within the Chamber that only the Heir of Slytherin would be able to control. 

        Harry, Ron, and Hermione, believing that Malfoy may know something, the three decide to brew Polyjuice Potion, which can temporarily turn them into someone else. During a Quidditch match, Slytherin leads over Gryffindor, and Harry is chased down by a Rogue Bludger, and tries his best to outmaneuver it while going after the Snitch, catching it after suffering a broken wrist due to the Rogue Bludger. Harry catches the Snitch, and Hermione destroys the Rogue Bludger, but Lockhart casts a spell that completely removes the bones in Harry's arm. In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey gives Harry a substance called Skele-Grow to regrow the bones in his arm. That night, Dobby shows up to try and convince Harry to go home, revealing that he sealed the barrier to Platform 9 3/4, and even sent the Rogue Bludger, to keep Harry away from Hogwarts. Dumbledore and McGonagall arrive with another petrified individual: first year Gryffindor Colin Creevey, who is a massive fanboy of Harry's and snaps pictures of Harry a lot. Colin being petrified along with Mrs. Norris confirms Dumbledore's suspicions: the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again. 

          Due to the the ongoing events, Dumbledore grants Lockhart permission to start the Dueling Club, with assistance of Snape, and they have Harry go up against Malfoy. As the two duel, Malfoy casts a spell that unleashes a snake, which Harry starts speaking to, which catches many off guard. The snake goes after a Hufflepuff student, Justin Finch-Fletchly, but Harry calls it off, and Snape destroys it. In the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Hermione confront Harry about his ability to speak Parseltongue, the language of the snakes. This leads many to suspect that Harry may be the Heir of Slytherin. Some time later, both Justin and Nearly-Headless Nick are both found petrified.

          Using the Polyjuice Potion, Harry and Ron disguise themselves as Crabbe and Goyle, and head to the Slytherin common room, where they meet Malfoy, who confirms that he knows nothing about the attacks going on, and that his father told him that it'd been many years since the Chamber was opened, and that a Muggle-born had been killed. Some time later, while checking in on Moaning Myrtle, whose bathroom (which no one ever uses) was being used by Hermione to brew the Polyjuice Potion, Harry and Ron discover a mysterious diary. Embossed on the cover is a name: Tom Marvolo Riddle. 

        When investigating the diary, the spirit of Tom Riddle shows him an incident at Hogwarts, where Riddle confronted Hagrid, who was looking out for a creature he called Aragog. One day, unfortunately, Hermione is found petrified, which causes the school to go on lockdown. That night, using the invisibility cloak, Harry and Ron go to confront Hagrid, and witness Hagrid being confronted by the Minister of Magic: Cornelius Fudge. Fudge has arrived to take Hagrid to Azkaban prison, while Lucius Malfoy has arrived to place Dumbledore on suspension over the attacks. Before departing, Hagrid gives a piece of advice: follow the spiders. 

        Harry and Ron, along with Hagrid's dog Fang, follow a trail of spiders to the Forbidden Forest, where they encounter a massive spider: Aragog. Aragog tells Harry and Ron that Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets, the girl that does was found in a bathroom, and that the creature is one that all spiders fear. Harry and Ron flee with help from the flying Ford Anglia, and they return to the castle.

        Using a clue that they found in Hermione's hand, Harry and Ron deduce that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a massive snake called a Basilisk, and that the entrance to the Chamber is in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.  Unfortunately, another message was found written in blood: "Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever." On top of that, Ginny is missing, taken into the Chamber itself. The rest of the Hogwarts staff leave the task of finding the Chamber to Lockhart, and Harry and Ron go to his office to offer assistance. However, they find Lockhart packing his stuff to run away, and also learn that he's not the great wizard he's claimed to be, simply taking credit for the work of other witches and wizards, and erasing their memories with a memory charm he's skilled at. 

      So, the three head to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where they find a sink faucet with a snake on it, where they end up entering a tunnel to an underground part of the castle, where they find a colossal snake skin. Lockhart grabs Ron's broken wand, and his memory charm backfires, erasing his memories and causing a cave-in. Harry finds the door to the Chamber of Secrets and enters, where he finds Ginny's cold, lifeless body, as well as the regenerating memory of Tom Riddle, who asks Harry about his confrontation with Voldemort as a toddler, and reveals a startling secret: he is Voldemort. You see, the name Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram, and the letters can be rearranged to spell the phrase "I am Lord Voldemort." After Harry speaks on behalf of Dumbledore, who he sees as the greatest sorcerer in the world, Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes arrives with the Sorting Hat, and Riddle unleashes the Basilisk, which Fawkes blinds. After evading the massive serpent, Harry pulls a sword from the hat, which he uses to kill the Basilisk, but not before a fang from the massive snake breaks off in his arm. Harry uses the fang to destroy Tom Riddle's diary, and Riddle's spirit with it. Ginny wakes up, and confesses to having been manipulated by Tom's spirit. Fawkes sheds tears on Harry's wound, healing him, and he and Ginny return to Lockhart and Ron, and the four of them return to the castle. 

       In Dumbledore's office, Harry and Ron are informed of having broken a dozen school rules, but will be getting special commendations for services to the school in lieu of expulsion. Ron is then sent to get a letter of release to Azkaban for Hagrid's release. Dumbledore then reveals that Harry inadvertently received some of Voldemort's powers the night Voldemort came to his house when he was a toddler. And he also reveals the name on the sword Harry pulled from the Sorting Hat: Godric Gryffindor. Lucius Malfoy arrives with Dobby, revealing that Dobby serves the Malfoy family. Lucius is informed that Voldemort, through the use of Tom Riddle's diary, was behind the attacks. Harry further confronts Lucius about slipping the diary into Ginny's cauldron, and Lucius hands it to Dobby, who opens it to find a sock, setting Dobby free. Lucius prepares to cast a curse on Harry, but Dobby stops him, and he storms off.  So, everyone petrified is cured, Hagrid returns to Hogwarts, and a crazy year at Hogwarts comes to an end. 

         Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets definitely has its moments, and a lot of the new additions were really good. For instance, I enjoyed the addition of Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout, as well as Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart. My favorite new additions, however, were Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy and Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley. 

        I also liked a lot of the visual designs, particularly of the Chamber of Secrets. On top of that, creature designs for the Basilisk, the Mandrakes, the Cornish Pixies, Fawkes the Phoenix, and Aragog the Spider were terrific. I also liked the design of Dobby the House Elf, as well as the performancebof Toby Jones in the role. Remember, this was just a month before the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and the incredible performance of Andy Serkis as Gollum, and I think that Toby Jones as Dobby is right up there with it. 

      In many ways, Chris Columbus took what he learned from working on the first Harry Potter movie and did his best to improve on them for this one. The performances are terrific, and the visual style is fantastic. Overall, I give Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets a rating of 5/5. I also would be remised if I didn't mention the late Richard Harris, who portrayed Dumbledore in both of the Chris Columbus directed Harry Potter films. Sadly, he passed away a month before the release of Chamber of Secrets, which would lead to a recast for future films. But, we'll get to that on Tuesday when we take a look at my personal favorite movie of the series: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.