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Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: 'The Chamber's been opened'-and there's nothing much inside!
Review: I have not read any of the Harry Potter books, so you can be assured that my views have not been polluted by comparison with the books.
Harry Potter and The Chamber Of secrets (the movie) is hardly a match for the first of its kind. It is perhaps, the element of novelty, that was lost in the 2nd movie.
The first movie was NEW. The very concept was entirely fascinating and unexpected. It was the first time Harry ever heard of Hogwarts or discovered his 'powers', as most people of today love to put it. His life, too, changed from the ordinary to the extaordinary- which was, if I may say so, shown very well. The surprise of the viewer was shared by Harry Potter, as neither the viewer nor Harry had ever come across any of all that before.
The second movie suffers in comparison with its predecessor. It, for some odd reason, has an air of staleness...of decadance. For the 2nd movie, newness was just not an option (afterall, it was the SECOND one), so it had to have that something extra- that extra attraction. THIS extra attraction is what it lacked.
Nevertheless, it is very imaginative, has good effects, and is almost very good, (if not compared with the first one).
But, what can one do, one just has to get out of this monotonous world, and enter that of fantasy; and for that, watching any Harry Potter movie seems a plausible method!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's All For Moaning Myrtle
Review: I was never into Harry Potter.But,I went to my cousions house and they had both the DVDs.I hadn't seen them so I said to pop them in.They were ok,but I fell in love with Moaning Myrtle,(the ghost in the girls' bathroom).I wish there was a book series of just her.I'm am thinking of reading all the books just because of Myrtle.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Magically Entertaining
Review: A great sequel to the first film. The actors are much more confident in their roles and the performances of Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermoine), Alan Rickman (Prof. Snape), and Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy) were particullary excellent. The Herbology lesson with Prof. Sprout soon after the return to Hogwarts was memorable and the Quidditch match alone makes this worth the money for the DVD. Unlike the match in the first movie where you could pick out some of the computer animation, this time it looks like they actually flew broomsticks in front of the camera and chased the snitch and everything! The scenes with the spiders and the Baslisk were on a standard any action movie would be proud of and the scene of flying the Ford Anglia to the school is much more entertaining than in the books. The only regrets about the movie is missing out on the Deathday Party, getting a greater sense of how alienated Harry was after the Dueling Club, and the Valentines Day fiasco that was so humerous in the book would have been a hoot to see on the screen. The ending might be a little cheesy but forgivable considering how fast-paced and fun the rest of it was. If only they re-inserted the deleted scenes I would say a perfect adoptation (it would have been great to have another Quidditch match too!...though there wasn't another one in the book). A must for anyone, Potter follower or not!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent book-to-movie transition
Review: Being an obsessive Potter fan like myself, I've been worried about the movies doing the books no justice like some book-to-movie transitions I've seen. In Chamber of Secrets, I've found little to complain about.
Unlike the first film with the tedious character introductions, this one jumps right into the story. The darker tone of the film reflects the book's tone perfectly. The acting has improved--especially the talents of Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson who play Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Richard Harris surely will be missed playing the role of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Kenneth Branagh is perfectly casted as the narcissistic Gilderoy Lockhart and Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) yet again give excellent performances.
The special effects have improved tremendously--the Quidditch sequences look amazing and the Basilisk scene is enjoyably frightful. There is hardly anything bad about the movie, except for the bland ending and the way the movie seems a little "choppy" with the changes in the scenes.
Anyone--whether you've read the books or not--will find this movie very enjoyable.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Save your money
Review: Better than the first, but the first didn't even rate one star.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a reflection of imagionation...
Review: Hogwarts was everything I thought it would be, but not more.

Although Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets maintained much of the essence of the novel, there was a certain amount of magical feeling that was not present, but of course that it because it only exists in your imagination. This film, as well as the Sorcerers Stone, is one of the few book to movie transformations (not transfigurations!) that has keep to the authors intentions as far as story line and characters.

The movie only complements the novel, as far as it's individual merit, well, it's still a shinning star, but books always shine brighter.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: If I could rate something with zero stars, this is it...
Review: This, along with any Harry Potter movie or book, should be the in-flight "entertainment" on the plane ride to Hell. Absolute garbage in every sense of the word. If someone gives you this movie as a gift, take it as a hint that they don't like you and want you to suffer.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Entertaining, even for non-HP Fans
Review: The biggest thing about the Harry Potter movies in the positives column is that they have managed to make the movies accessable to those who are not fans of the book, even though this has at times come at the chagrin of those who are devoted afficionados of the books. The movie is a solid piece of cinematography that handles the story and the characters quite well, even though it would seem that some of the minor plot points that were lifted directly from the books could have been better explained for those of us who have not read the books. Overall, a solid movie, and a solid DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A more focused and enjoyable film than the first one
Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets struck me as a significantly better movie than the first Harry Potter film. The first movie was thrilling, giving us the first look with the naked eye of the setting already firmly lodged in the imaginative minds of Rowling's readers, but the fact that audiences are now quite familiar with both Hogwarts and the colorful characters who reside there allows for the plot to exert greater control over everything that happens. Surely, there are little sidetracks along the way, but the tension builds continually toward the almost inevitable conclusion of the film. I will admit that one can find a few weak spots if not holes in the plot, but this fact does little to diminish the overall effectiveness of the film. Just as Rowling's writing draws you in to Harry Potter's world, so does this movie. It's rather amazing to see just how much the heroic triumvirate of Harry, Ron, and Hermione have matured, but they are still the same friends we left behind at the end of Year One. The late Richard Harris is once again the perfect Dumbledore, Professor Snape is even more Snape-ish that before, and Draco Malfoy is somehow even more unbearable. Along with all of the beloved characters we already know and love (or hate), a new set of important personages now enters Harry's world. The conceited egomaniac Professor Lockhart is a fascinating, albeit increasingly annoying, wizard, while Dobby the house elf is a well-animated, exceedingly sympathetic little guy who never fails to liven up the action around him. No one looms larger, however, than Lucius Malfoy, whose dark and looming presence comes through immediately on first sight and lingers until the very end. Important storylines for both now and the future begin to emerge, helping to pave the way for successive films. The special effects are really well done indeed, the music works perfectly, and the movie succeeds admirably in following the storyline of the book on which it is based. I would imagine that young readers are particularly fond of this film, as its variety of special effects, from the flying car to the increasingly exciting action above the Quidditch field to the amazing effects of drinking Polyjuice Potion, offers a lot of delightfully memorable moments.

The DVD features are excellent, much better than those found on the DVD of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. You don't have to jump through hoops to see all of the deleted scenes, there is a fun and informative look at the making of the movie; the tour of Dumbledore's office comes off nicely, and a number of interviews with Rowling, Chris Columbus, the actors and actresses, as well as some of the individuals in charge of creating the incredible look and feel of the movie are quite interesting to watch. A number of other activities, particularly among the DVD-ROM features, offer both adults and children a fun and easy way to linger in Harry's world for some time rather than leave immediately upon viewing the movie.

I haven't gone into detail here about the film because there's really no need to. Quite simply, this is just a great film. No longer are we and Harry oohing and aahing around every corner of the school corridors; the days of innocence and play are over as Hogwarts faces the prospect of closing. The darkness that will continually work its way into the Harry Potter storyline, greatly increasing the depth of even the most familiar of characters, begins in the Chamber of Secrets.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Typical Sequel
Review: Like almost every sequel ever produced...this movie has lost the magic (forgive the pun) that the first carried so elequently. hough it is still remarkable, and is based on a book that in some ways out did its predecessor, this movie did not seem to outdo its cinematic prequel. However, it is still an excellent movie. Nothing better serves you then when one of your favorite novels makes its way on to the big screen. Definitely worth buying.


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