Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsIf you rely too much on your preconceptions and only let what you see influence your actions, you may find yourself a victim of poor choices...or worse. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second part of the Harry Potter series of films, in which a young wizard-in-training--that is, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)--returns to the magical academy of Hogwarts to resume his studies, but not before encountering some resistance at the hands of an overly concerned, self-deprecating house elf named Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones).
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets fills in some of the gaps about Harry's friend Ron (Rupert Grint), especially in regards to his family, a collection of wizards scraping by, living in their house in the country, where they take Harry after a rescue from his petty summer life with his aunt and uncle. This film begins laying even more groundwork, evident even without any prescience about the story to come, namely in establishing Ron's sister, Ginny (Bonnie Wright)--now a first-year at Hogwarts in Gryffindor--as someone who develops a crush on Harry. As this film concerns the second year at Hogwart's for Harry, Ron, and Hermione (Emma Watson), certain scholastic traditions carry over from one movie into the next, including subtle touches as the seasons changing, to other events like the annual end-of-the-year feast, not to mention the quidditch match between Gryffindor and the sinister house, Slytherin. After the events of the previous movie, Hogwarts has hired magician celebrity Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) as a replacement instructor for "Defense Against the Dark Arts". Lockhart's reputation precedes him--with a copious amount of self-promoting, no less--although that is all. His fame is not a reflection of his skills, and he quickly begins to develop a reputation as a bit of a pompous fool; for all his image and presentation, it is what is inside that counts...and there's not much there to Lockhart. In one amusing scene, he introduces a batch of "Cornwall Pixies" into the classroom, with predictably hysterical results. Interestingly enough, the pixies vaguely resemble the creatures from the movie, Gremlins, which was written by the director of this film, Chris Columbus. Lockhart embodies a central theme of the film, and that is "seeing is not always believing"; coincidentally, it is the idea that people will take what is presented to them as truth which magicians exploit to create illusion. Harry's rivalry with Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) continues to flare, especially when Draco is appointed the seeker for Slytherin's quidditch team, and further manifested as the two students turn a training lesson for wand dueling into fiercer fare. Just as we get to see some of the familial influence on Ron from his mother (Julie Walters) and father (Mark Williams), so too do we see that in the Malfoy family, the rotten fruit doesn't fall far from the twisted tree. Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) may not be as direct of a bully as his son, but his penchant for manipulation and cruelty makes even his son appear a mere apprentice in the art. He may claim that his actions are manifested in the service of Hogwarts--and the general institution of "pureblood" wizardry--but there is no sense of authentic kindness or warmth in him, whereas we may feel differently about the Slytherin head of the house, Severus Snape (Alan Rickman).
The trip to Hogwart's is a much bumpier ride this time out, when Ron and Harry get left behind at the station, quite unintentionally by the family, as they are blocked, kept from their destination by a supernatural power. In fact, there is some kind of conspiracy at work to keep Harry Potter from returning to the school in which he has found his true potential. The untangling of the mystery is at the heart of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets--secrets are even in the title. When a rash of petrification-based attacks spring forth across the school, Harry believes that he is in possession of knowledge which even he cannot fully understand. It begins with voices in his head--something Hermione wisely observes isn't normal, even for wizards--and is followed by strange sights, like trails of spiders and cryptic messages written in blood--which makes Harry doubt his own judgment. Although Harry's presence at the scenes of the attacks makes him suspect, the headmaster Dumbledore (Richard Harris) expresses faith in Harry's innocence. It is clear that he suspects more from Harry than even Harry can understand, or at least hopes that the young wizard will come clean about the mysterious circumstances which might shed some light on the events. Harry is placed in an awkward position which many children his age are forced to address--whether to turn to an adult for all the answers, or find them on his own. It is not so much as that Harry fears that he might be regarded as a "snitch"--although the word does emerge in a negative context, so the fear is real--but that he is still unsure of how he will be perceived by those adults he respects by doing so. As perception is such a key theme of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it is also interesting that the monster du jour should happen to be one which also ensorcells its prey by capitalizing on its victim's sight. After the first attack, Hermione inquires of the head of Gryffindor House, Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) as to just what the Chamber of Secrets really is, and where it came from, which ties back into the history of House Slytherin, and its founder, Salazar Slytherin. His legacy of promoting an ideology of pureblood wizards--as opposed to the "mudborn", a hurtful phrase designed to bully those with no magic parents--is embodied in Lucius' similar attitudes. The consensus is that since the Malfoys seem so bent on the legacy of Slytherin, they must be in a position to open the chamber, leading Harry, Ron, and Hermione to concoct a potion to transform their appearance to get in closer to Draco and learn if he is the culprit. On the other hand, Harry discovers that not only can he talk to snakes, he can do so in their own tongue, called "Parseltongue", a trait which Harry learns was shared not only by Salazar, but by the wicked Voldemort. The students draw their own conclusions about Harry as a result, leading to perceptions that maybe Harry was always meant to be in Slytherin, as the Sorting Hat advised. The adventures of Harry Potter continue, and his experiences in his second year are marked by a maturity which comes from being able to make tough decisions, and trusting in more than first appearances.
Recommended for: Fans of the Harry Potter series, to be sure, but also of a fun and charming magical adventure, which encourages children to think for themselves, but understand the consequences of their actions.
The trip to Hogwart's is a much bumpier ride this time out, when Ron and Harry get left behind at the station, quite unintentionally by the family, as they are blocked, kept from their destination by a supernatural power. In fact, there is some kind of conspiracy at work to keep Harry Potter from returning to the school in which he has found his true potential. The untangling of the mystery is at the heart of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets--secrets are even in the title. When a rash of petrification-based attacks spring forth across the school, Harry believes that he is in possession of knowledge which even he cannot fully understand. It begins with voices in his head--something Hermione wisely observes isn't normal, even for wizards--and is followed by strange sights, like trails of spiders and cryptic messages written in blood--which makes Harry doubt his own judgment. Although Harry's presence at the scenes of the attacks makes him suspect, the headmaster Dumbledore (Richard Harris) expresses faith in Harry's innocence. It is clear that he suspects more from Harry than even Harry can understand, or at least hopes that the young wizard will come clean about the mysterious circumstances which might shed some light on the events. Harry is placed in an awkward position which many children his age are forced to address--whether to turn to an adult for all the answers, or find them on his own. It is not so much as that Harry fears that he might be regarded as a "snitch"--although the word does emerge in a negative context, so the fear is real--but that he is still unsure of how he will be perceived by those adults he respects by doing so. As perception is such a key theme of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it is also interesting that the monster du jour should happen to be one which also ensorcells its prey by capitalizing on its victim's sight. After the first attack, Hermione inquires of the head of Gryffindor House, Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) as to just what the Chamber of Secrets really is, and where it came from, which ties back into the history of House Slytherin, and its founder, Salazar Slytherin. His legacy of promoting an ideology of pureblood wizards--as opposed to the "mudborn", a hurtful phrase designed to bully those with no magic parents--is embodied in Lucius' similar attitudes. The consensus is that since the Malfoys seem so bent on the legacy of Slytherin, they must be in a position to open the chamber, leading Harry, Ron, and Hermione to concoct a potion to transform their appearance to get in closer to Draco and learn if he is the culprit. On the other hand, Harry discovers that not only can he talk to snakes, he can do so in their own tongue, called "Parseltongue", a trait which Harry learns was shared not only by Salazar, but by the wicked Voldemort. The students draw their own conclusions about Harry as a result, leading to perceptions that maybe Harry was always meant to be in Slytherin, as the Sorting Hat advised. The adventures of Harry Potter continue, and his experiences in his second year are marked by a maturity which comes from being able to make tough decisions, and trusting in more than first appearances.
Recommended for: Fans of the Harry Potter series, to be sure, but also of a fun and charming magical adventure, which encourages children to think for themselves, but understand the consequences of their actions.