Rating: 
Summary: Nice movie too many cuts
Review: The first edition I had was a copy from China for a little over a dollar, since the DVD wasn't released yet, and I missed the cinema run. There were many scenes missing, but I liked the movie. Then I bought a set of 3 VCDs for 7 Dollar. Some more scenes included, but still some scenes missing, e.g. how does Hagrid know that it wasn't Harry when he storms into Dumbledores office? In the Book he met Harry, but not in the movie. Now the question: shall I buy the DVD for 40 Euro in the hope for more scenes or not? And why does the DVD cost 17 Dollars in the US and 40 Euro in Europe?
Rating: 
Summary: Great DVD, but DVD Case Sucks
Review: Who designed the DVD case? It is almost impossible to remove the DVD disk, even when you push in the tab, without putting undue stress on the disk or scratching it. Warner Bros needs to come up with a better solution. With all the stress, I wonder when the hub will begin to crack. My 7 & 8 year olds cannot remove the disks without bending it or getting finger prints all over it. We don't have a problem with standard DVD cases. This case is not customer friendly.
Rating:
Summary: Very nice, very good...
Review: This is better than the first, I think, but I kind of miss the cute little kid voices from the first. Oh well. Can't be changed.
The movie seemed a little short too, though it's really not. And some scenes that are supposed to be shockingly scary are not: like when Harry, Ron and Hermione turn the corner and see the red warning words on the wall, Hermione starts reading it aloud as calmly as a bedtime story.
And when Harry and Ron meet Aragog, the big spider, Harry starts chatting with Aragog as if they were old friends, when he should of been acting like Ron, who looked like he was about to barf from fright.
Otherwise, great acting and good computer animation, too. Not for little kids, because some scenes are scary or violently gross. Wonderful movie!
Rating:
Summary: Wicked!!
Review: Wow. That about sums this up. I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets so much! I've watched it three times today. The best parts are the ones with Rupert. I love his expressions and reactions to the spiders, it made for a laugh out loud experience. However, as entertaining as this movie was, I found myself becoming extremely peeved at the fact that there was a lot left out. The Deathday Party for one. Secondly, there were so many discrepancies from the book that it wasn't funny. The wrong characters were saying the lines sometimes, pieces didn't fit at others, and some scenes were so backwards that I yelled at the screen. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but perhaps next time, paying more attention to the books might be in order? All in all, not a bad way to spend your money!! *grins*
Rating:
Summary: A movie soaring on the wings of adventure
Review: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) has not had a good summer: Trying to cope with his muggle family the Dursleys (Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw and Harry Melling), Harry is warned by a strange house elf called Dobby that if he returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, disaster will strike. Not taking any note to Dobby's warning, Harry is reunited with red-headed Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and brainy Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and is back at Hogwarts for Year Two. But Dobby's warning is coming true: Messages are written in blood, students are being found petrified, and a disembodied voice can only be heard by Harry. Worst of all, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened once more, and is said to be hold of a monster. What is the monster, and who is the culprit?I was mostly entertained by 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". The movie played off character strength, had some nice looking visual effects and a sticky attatchment to the novel. However, I felt that "Sorcerer's Stone" seemed like an imposter: A movie made by muggles. It had most of the charm of the book, but experiencing it for the first time, the first movie was hollow. It still is a bit. I enjoyed a lot of it, though. Problems aside, it was a faithful adaptation and sometimes a wonderous adventure. I was still left a little cold at the lack of depth in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". But it is one year later, and a year later comes "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". When I first walked into the film, before it even started, I was never really nervous. This is the second book of J.K Rowling's marvelous series, and the director Chris Columbus had one year to improve himself. I had my expectations, and I'm sure millions of other readers had their expectations. As the film began it's 161 minute adaptation of "The Chamber of Secrets", I was constantly absorbed from the beginning. At the end, I was an extremely happy camper. While "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" lacked in depth and vision, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is full of labriynth plot twists, character dimension, stunning realism and a huge amount of depth in the plot. The film has a much darker tone than the first "Harry Potter" and it suits the story very well. Hogwarts has seemed to grown from a happy video game setting to a rich but menacing Gormenghast-type castle. Visually, it is an absolute treat. The acting has also improved immensely. Daniel Radcliffe is no longer the awestruck, wide-eyed Harry from Film One. He's the real deal, with strong emotion and a sharp, edgy attitude. This time around, he is more of the hero than the simple kid he was a year ago. Emma Watson has also proved that she is becoming a wonderful actress. She has absolutely nailed her character! She has transformed into Hermione much more than in "Sorcerer's Stone". Tom Felton as the notorious Draco Malfoy still needs a little work. I was a bit disappointed in Rupert Grint. Ron Weasley was always as brave as Harry in the books. Did he need to become comic relief? The adult actors are also great. Richard Harris (RIP) as Professor Dumbledore, is probably the best, and Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman have also "become" their characters. Two new additions join us in the adult acting field: The flamboyant Gilderoy Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branagh and Lucius Malfoy, the slippery father of Draco, played by Jason Isaacs. All are excellent. The CGI, a bit "rubbery" in "Sorcerer's Stone", are all tightened for "Chamber of Secrets". There is not one visual effect, in my opinion, of course, that didn't look realistic. Even the spiders, which I thought would be totally ruined on screen, all worked perfectly. Quidditch is once again present, and the game this time around is livlier, faster and more competitive than in the first film. We have a little addition called the Dueling Club, and a magnificent climax that features a certain monster that can actually compare with the troll in "Fellowship of the Ring". We also meet the strange elf Dobby. Unlike the very frustrating Jar-Jar Binks of "Star Wars", Dobby is never annoying, and actually sometimes quite cute. He definitely can't match with the technical mastery of Gollum, but Dobby is more realistic (and thankfully better written) than the annoying Jar-Jar. The only true problem I have with "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is that it takes it's time with story more than the first did. It clocks in at an epic 161 minutes, and that's quite in an investment for a children's film. "Sorcerer's Stone" really didn't feel like the 2 1/2 hours it was supposed to be. "Chamber of Secrets" doesn't really seem like it either, but the pace is a little off for a movie with this kind of running time. However, "Chamber of Secrets" is either for a viewer engaged with the film series itself, or the true Potter fan. I fall into the latter, so the movie didn't seem like the length it was supposed to be. But I'm not speaking for everyone out there. After viewing this movie multiple times, I can conclude that it is, in my opinion, far superior to it's predecessor. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is where the real story begins. It doesn't dally around in exposition like the first, it builds on it. It is a story thick with many directions, characters of many layers and dimensions, suberb acting, wonderous special effects and still faithful to J.K Rowling's novel. It is always stirring, imaginative and full of depth, even with the extremely long length. After a bit of a rickety, if not a bit untrustworthy first ride, Chris Columbus is able to reclaim himself and deliver a movie with intense passion to it's source. FANTASTIC job, Mr. Columbus! You've proven yourself Potter-worthy. Like "Empire Strikes Back" was to Star Wars, so is "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" to last year's introduction. It's bigger, badder, and much much better.
Rating:
Summary: Better DVD than the first one
Review: I just got the dvd yesterday (4/11/03)and immediatly started to play with the features even before I watched the film again. I have to say that the features are a hundred times better than the first dvd, even though it still has some stuff that I find to be annoying. Features are easy to access, and the best part is by far the deleted scenes and interviews. The most annoying part, those damn games that are just there. I won't go into any details b/c there are still thos ewho have not yet got the dvd. As for the movie itself, I must say, Grade-A work. Being a fan of the books, the movie does it pretty much a good amount of justice. Some parts may not work with the book but when you consider the length of the books, the way the writer condensced it, it works well enough. The acting is progressing along side the characters development, and I have no problems with them. If you liked the books, get the movie, I highly reccomend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A good story but lacking..
Review: The film is visually pleasing and executed very well, as should be expected from those who created it. The problem with it is the "I've seen it all before symdrome." It really doesn't try to break any ground, or show us that the edge is being pushed. I compare this to the new Matrix movie coming out, which will definitely push the edges of moviemaking. If your going to make a visual "wowee zowee" flick, try to instill some "hey look at that" stuff into the movie, or make the story twist and turn a bit more. Maybe diverting from the book a bit more will help, because what sometimes works in books, doesn't transfer to the big screen. Good movie overall though.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Review: I have seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerors Stone and I thought it was a good movie. I like Harry Potter and the chamber of Secrets alot better. It has more funny parts, it has more action in it, and it's more enjoyable to watch. It's a better movie. I just like the story more. I don't understand people when they compare books to movies. If it includes everything from the book, its slow paced and boring. If the film makers add a few things in and drop a couple things to make the film more enjoyable, people think that it isn't true to the book and it could have been better. Whatever. Its a book being made into a movie and they can't make everyone happy. Of coarse the book is better than the movie because it has much more detail of the whole wizarding atmosphere, personalities of the characters, etc..... If you liked Harry Potter and the Sorcerors Stone, you will love this movie. If you didn't like Harry Potter and the Sorcerors Stone, you will probably like this movie. The only thing that I don't like about this movie is the music. Yeah, I like the music in general but there are too many Kodak moments. And it kind of made it seem that Hermione had a thing for Harry. Well I have read the books and she doesn't. I don't think they should have had Christopher Columbus direct the film because he makes it too kiddy like. I am glad there is a new director for Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban(year three) because I think Chris Columbus would take it in the wrong direction and I think the new director will do something different. I think people will have more respect for the movies once the third movie comes out because it will show that the Harry Potter movies aren't just scrapped together to look like a great family film and make lots of money. It will show that the Harry Potter series is a brilliantly well thought out story with lots of "depth" that the the first two movies didn't quite present. The thing I like best about Harry Potter and the Chambe of secrets is the characters. I think they are perfect. Hagrid is perfect, Uncle Vernon is just as I imagined him, Hermione is perfect, Snape is perfect, McGonaggal is perfect, and so are Harry and Ron. What i amtrying to say is that this movie isn't some half-assed sequal, it's a good movie, as will be the Harry Potter movies after it. I highly highly recommend the books.
Rating:
Summary: Buy it for the film, not the so-called extras
Review: Buy the DVD for the film if you loved it, but don't expect much from the much advertised "19 Additional Scenes". These are little more than unfinished scraps from the cutting room floor, with at most only one or two of interest amongst them, which is a pity, since a DVD is supposed to be so much more than the original film. An example of a DVD well done is Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Version), which incorporates the additional 30 minutes of footage into the film --a crucial 30 minutes which fleshes out the overall story and provides crucial detail to the plot. FOTR also includes a nice voiceover commentary by the actors and filmmakers which is like sitting in a cinema with them all whispering behind the scenes secrets in your ear. Now, THAT is an enhanced movie experience. Unfortunately, the CoS DVD lacks that type of added value, and what there is on the bonus disc (a few snapshots of Branagh as Lockhart; a little tour of Dumbledore's office; a preview of the video game -- can anyone say, Overt Advert?) isn't much to hold your interest. And the interview with Rowling and screenwriter Kloves is nice, but not any more informative than anything else that may already have been covered in the press about the film or the books. A voiceover commentary by the cast and crew would have been marvelous, but the only clips you see of cast members' comments is brief and superficial. Still, I would recommend to buy it for the film, which is worth the purchase. As for the bonus disc... at least you can enjoy a lovely Harris-as-Dumbledore illustration on the top side.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: Excellent for all ages! Lots of good old imagianry fun!
|
