61 | The second film of the Harry Potter franchise had more horror elements than the first one. We learned about a bit history of Hogwarts and the mysteries around it. This film was cleverer than The Philosopher Stone, even though it still had bad details it was not ruined the whole film. One of the good parts of this film was we knew more about Wesley's family, how many, and how famous they are among some wizards. There were also some new teachers, there was a useless one and a useful one. Gilderoy Lockhart did not give much of a development for the story, instead, Lucius was a more interesting character than him. From Lucius, we got a bit of understanding about the main villain in the Wizarding World. In short, this film was an improvement for the Harry Potter franchise, hope it would get better for the couple's next films.

••••••••••••••••••••

Rating: 60.21

Plot

P1: 1.3
P2: 1.1
P3: 0.9
P4: 0.8

Director: Chris Columbus

Favorite Characters

1.3: Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
1.3: Toby Jones as Dobby
1.3: Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid
1.2: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
1.1: Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore
1.1: Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Written by Kornelius Harda Wicaksana

Harry and friends return for a second term, where they're quickly caught up in a long-standing plot to rid the school of so-called "impure" students. Between the celebrated, absurdly deep cast, the charming, nuanced world at large and the constant manipulations of a shadow-clad foil, this picture had an awful lot going for it right out of the gates... so why does it feel like we're just treading water? A large swath of The Chamber of Secrets seems inessential and redundant, which isn't to say it's without merit, just that it could be using this time to fry much larger fish. Did we need to reinforce the idea that Harry's adoptive parents are cruel people? Didn't our hero avoid an attempt on his life on the Quidditch pitch last time around? For that matter, wasn't the entire endgame eerily similar in the preceding installment? Too much time smelling the roses when there's a fire down the block.

Of course, it's not all bad news. The CGI, though still not without the occasional hiccup, has vastly improved since the last picture. That doesn't excuse the force-fed inclusion of an all-digital supporting character, but at least these appearances are kept mercifully short and to-the-point. Although it's the longest installment in the Harry Potter franchise, this chapter skims along at a strict pace and feels much shorter than it actually is. Though seemingly inconsequential as a whole, the plot does drop frequent hints at a darker side of the Hogwarts mythos before, ultimately, allowing such things to continue lurking in obscurity. It shows promise in spades, and will certainly capture the hearts and minds of the younger audiences it's primarily there for, but more demanding viewers will likely find it too thin and sugary for serious digestion.

This second book in JK Rowling's "Harry Potter" series sees our trio of wizarding weans start to develop a much closer relationship with each other; and we begin to realise the challenges young "Harry" (Daniel Radcliffe) is to face as he grows up. This is much more sinister than the opener; Alan Rickman's "Prof. Snape" starts to come into his own as his evil nemesis v Maggie Smith as his professional proponent and "Dumbledore" (Richard Harris) starts to develop more as a character too. I could possibly have done without "Moaning Myrtle" but the story is well adapted and moves along quickly, with a little more humour than the original too. Again, the score and effects are hugely complementary to what is simply a cracking fantasy adventure story.

_Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ is a worthy sequel that improves upon the first and expands the lore in a grand way.

The quality in this film is vastly superior to the first in terms of CGI and acting, which is par for the course as the main trio grows into their roles and as actors. It is evident that the CGI team had adequate time before this film's release because for 2002 the effects are spectacular. From Dobby the Elf to the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, this movie nails creature models and creates very believable interactions between the models and the actors.

Despite this film not having the impact in terms of discovering the magical world of Hogwarts for the first time, the story is able to improve upon its predecessor delivering an all-around stronger plot. There is a real sense of mystery surrounding the Chamber of Secrets and the suspense and hysteria it creates around Hogwarts is very intriguing. The stakes and the plot progression feel elevated here, creating a more seamless experience.

Like previously stated, the main casts acting is improved drastically. Each actor is coming into their own and really is getting comfortable with their character. Rupert Grint steals the show with his comedic timing and cowardly presence. Emma Watson is great again but does not carry the entire trio like she had to in the previous film. There are plenty of new additions this time around and all of them were splendid. I particularly liked Dobby and Gilderoy Lockhart.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets improves upon the first in almost every aspect, and that is all you can ask for a sequel.

**Score:** _79%_ |
**Verdict:** _Great_