Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Film Review

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PLEASE NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second movie in the Harry Potter series, directed by Chris Columbus and based on the book of the same name written by JK Rowling. The second film follows Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) through his second year at Hogwarts.

The story opens with Harry at home with the Dursleys - now living in a bedroom as opposed to under the stairs as in the first film. Whilst hiding away in said room, while his family is entertaining potential clients of Uncle Dursley (Richard Griffiths), Harry is visited by Dobby - a house elf (voiced by Toby Jones). Dobby tries to convince Harry not to return to Hogwarts as there are evil plans afoot - plans Dobby can't divulge. Harry - of course - wants to return and he is 'rescued' from Privet Drive by Wesley brothers Fred (James Phelps), George (Oliver Phelps) and Ron (Rupert Grint) taking him back to their house.

Harry has further issues trying to return to Hogwarts but eventually makes it back - only to almost be expelled for exposing magic to Muggles. During a session of detention, Harry hears a strange voice, following it with Ron and Hermione (Emma Watson) they discover Filch's cat petrified in a corridor with the words 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir... beware'. The cat is not the only one to end up petrified by this unknown source - in total 3 students including Hermione end up in the hospital wing petrified.

Harry ends up coming across what appears to be an empty diary and decides to use it, but when he starts writing in it he finds it has its own intelligence and the two have a 'conversation' regarding a previous time the chamber had been open. Harry and Ron eventually figure out what the creature attacking everyone is and where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is and they set off to save the day, with the 'help' of the current Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh).

Harry ends up separated from the other two and ventures into the chamber alone, finding Ginny barely alive and an apparition of Tom Riddle (Christian Coulson) - the younger Lord Voldermort - who calls forth the creature - a basilisk. Harry eventually defeats the creature, saves Ginny and escapes back to the castle.

This movie, as with the first, is very true to the book it is based on. Most of the main points carry over very well - very little is missed in the overall storyline. All the characters audiences fell in love with in the first movie return in this, with the new characters such as Lockhart and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) Draco's father and as we eventually find out, the family Dobby works for. If you enjoyed the first movie, you have to continue the series with this one.

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