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From Amazon.com
First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors. Expanding upon the lavish sets, special effects, and grand adventure of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents with younger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of several Hogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) to a 50-year-old mystery in the monster-laden Chamber of
From Amazon.com
First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors. Expanding upon the lavish sets, special effects, and grand adventure of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents with younger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of several Hogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) to a 50-year-old mystery in the monster-laden Chamber of Secrets. House elves, squealing mandrakes, giant spiders, and venomous serpents populate this loyal adaptation (by Sorcerer's Stone director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves), and Kenneth Branagh delightfully tops the supreme supporting cast as the vainglorious charlatan Gilderoy Lockhart (be sure to view past the credits for a visual punchline at Lockhart's expense). At 161 minutes, the film suffers from lack of depth and uneven pacing, and John Williams' score mostly reprises established themes. The young, fast-growing cast offers ample compensation, however, as does the late Richard Harris in his final screen appearance as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Brimming with cleverness, wonderment, and big-budget splendor, Chamber honors the legacy of J.K. Rowling's novels. --Jeff Shannon
Additional Features
The Chamber of Secrets extras are a vast improvement from the first Harry Potter DVD in both substance and navigation. There are no tricks to uncovering all the materials, which include 19 extended or deleted scenes (none of which is a whopper). J.K. Rowling participates in a short interview along with screenwriter Steve Kloves. Other interviews are the standard fare, but highly edited; nearly all the extras focus on kids' interests and attention spans. There are a few areas of Harry's world one can navigate through, with Diagon Alley the highlight. A few simple games are fun, highlighted by the creepy Forbidden Forest game and a reappearance of those scary spiders. Games similar to those on the initial DVD can be found in the vast DVD-ROM section, although the touted navigation by voice commands wears thin fast. The disc feels like a trip to an amusement park more than an examination of the film--just what the kids probably want. --Doug Thomas
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Manufacturer: Warner Brothers
Release date: 10 April 2003
EAN: 0085392450022 UPC: 085392450022
Tags: Drama (2), Action (2), Fantasy (2), Mystery (2), Photography (2), British (2), Adventure (2), Book (2), Family (2), Friendship (2), Witchcraft (2), Occult (2), Investigation (2), Magic (2), 2002 (2), Martial Arts (2), Racism (2), School (2), Girl (2), Harry Potter (2)
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