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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: 1 stars
Summary: TERRIBLE
Review: I'm sure anyone who is interested in owning the 2end installment of the Harry Potter series movies has already seen it in the theatre, or seen the first one. That would seem enough to understand the terrible, sour ambiance of these films. Firs tof all, the acting is terrible. Almost all the character show no desicion-making and they are nor believable whatsoever. Emma Watson and Daniel Radclife were particularly frustrating in their acting. The screenplay is awful anyway, so I don't entirely blame the actors. The cinematography is bad, the special effects are sloppy. Please, do yourself a fovour and don't watch the movies.
I suggest Lord of the Rings, all three in the trilogy, The Secret of Roan Inish, Hidalgo, Fairytale: a True Story, Chcocolat, Benny and Joon, City of Lost Children

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good entertainment
Review: The second movie of the second book of the Harry Potter series is as fun as the first one. The visual effects are really nice, such as the Dobby character and the Quidditch matches. The casting of the new characters are really fitting, too. It is one of those movies that you sit and enjoy either wit or without the kids.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Like the movie...Still think book is better!
Review: The only thing the first and second Harry Potter have in common is they keep leaving a lot of details and scenes from the books.
But this Harry Potter was more improved than the first one. The acting was way better, the special effects were good, and the cool use of humor throughout the movie to make it seem more interesting.
But for people who do not like Harry Potter, may think of this movie as slow. If you read the book and you like Harry Potter then go ahead and see if you like it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MUCH better than "The Sorcerer's Stone".
Review: This sequel to 2001's "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" beats that one right to the curb in just about every way. Don't get me wrong, it's an enjoyable film to a degree but I find it to be dull and sometimes monotonous in places and some of the cast especially the trio were a bit awkward in places and it kind of dogged down the movie a bit.

The second one however, corrects most of those problems. The formerly clumsy Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint really improve their roles on this sequel and seal their places in this movie series.

It all begins after another awful summer at the Dursley's household where an elf named Dobby warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts for his second year but he ignores Dobby and goes right back to Hogwarts for his second year there. A series of attacks that have petrified students as well as Argus Filch's cat Mrs. Norris have been occuring and are endangering the lives of the students and staff at Hogwarts and is due to someone who is known as the "Heir of Slytherin". Harry Potter along with his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger is now working to find out who the "Heir of SLytherin" is before a monsters from a dark underground lair called "The Chamber of Secrets" is unleashed upon the school and killing off those who in Slytherins few who are unworthy of studying magic which are the 'muggleborns'.

This mvoie is a lot better and more entertaining than the first HP movie. Keep in mind that it's also a lot darker and more sinister in nature as there are a lot of snakes as well as large droves of spiders that will scare the daylights out of younger viewers. Also the suspense is a bit much for younger viewers too.

For older audiences though, there's no denying that this improves upon the flaws of the first and does what few sequels can: Surpass the original.

Buy this DVD. The extras are absolutely worth it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't blink!
Review: I had accidentally stumbled upon the first Harry Potter (Sorceror's Stone) a few weeks ago on TV. My daughters (4yrs & 5yrs old) & I were entranced by the movie and anxious to watch the next in the series! We were not dissappointed!

All the main characters are back at Hogwarts; Harry, Hermoine & Ron, along with plenty of new ones. Watching the 50 year old mystery of 'The Chamber' evolve was pure entertainment and the culprit a surprise! The special effects were too believable for this arachnophobiac!!-but great!! (The spiders were almost too much for my 5 yr old, but didn't deter her from watching to the end!) The Chamber of Secrets kept us glued to the set!

I'm not one to give away the story...so I'll stop there.

I don't recommend letting children who are nightmare prone watch, but my 4 & 5 yr old enjoyed it without a problem. I recommend this movie without hesitation!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than the First!
Review: I am not alone when I write that this film surpassed expectation, and outpaced the first by far. I feel it unfortunate that there are loads of cut scenes in this movie. Some were best left out, but others unfortunately so. It would have been nice to see, among other scenes, the intro to Malfoy's smoothly sinister father, Lucius (played as always brilliantly dark by the very handsome Jason Isaacs (who could have pulled off an elf in LOTR smashingly well)), for one, as the scene is important in setting up numerous things - like his character, his choice of business dealings, and his nearly tyrannical relationship with his son.
Another important scene was the murmuring of students in the library, as they discussed that the Parselmouth Harry might be competition for Voldemort. Hearing this spoken brings clarity as to why the students fear him. Also, the intro to Justin Finch Fletchley was important! and as it was two seconds long, ought to have been left in.
Other deleted scenes, such as the "who am I, hedwig" and the bump-in with Borgin, were wisely left out.
This DVD's extras provide a lot of entertainment - with fun games, extra scenes, interviews and a photo gallery.
Extras aside, it is nice to see the kid actors beginning to grow up as their characters grow, and little Harry is becoming such a handsome little guy! They seem to have grown more into their characters, and any awkwardness that might have been seen is vanishing. These little actors were fantastic in the first, and just keep improving.
Kenneth Branagh couldn't have been a more perfect Lockhart! I loved his performance!
The veteran actors, though, seem to have been given the short end of the stick. Realising fully that the spotlight is rightly on the kids, the whittled-away feel of the veteran actors' roles is noticeable and is a loss. Those who stand out, of course, are Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and the fabulous, late Richard Harris, who seemed somewhat too old to play Dumbledore in this one.
The filmmakers seem to have caught on to the mistakes of deviating, while slightly, inappropriately from the source. (POINT: ok, so where's Prof. Binns!? he's been absent for two films. i think classes with him are particularly funny, and are plot-movers, besides. ought to have been left in...) This film seemed truer to the book and was much more satisfying for it. As usual, casting is not their downfall, rather the moralizing that is inserted. The ending scene again in this one, for example, where the kids exclaim: it wouldn't be Hogwarts without you, hagrid" met with thunderous applause was an unnecessary exaggeration. I love sappy movies, but i'm not for downright cheese. and while I love Hagrid's character, this scene was a complete deviation, and dampened the otherwise improved movie. Yes, the kids clap for Hagrid, but what about ending on the same note as the books? Like having Harry give Ron his telephone number? The endings are there for a purpose and ought not to be changed. His idea of threatening Dudley with magic at the end of the first has consequences, as does his giving Ron his telephone number in the second. These aren't just scenes that can be altered or dropped as this second one is.
Still, I can't wait to see what happens in the next film, with the subject material in new hands. I hope the rest stays the same: music, effects, and whole cast - as the entire ensemble works so incredibly well together.
Overall: Well done!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Entertaining but not near perfect
Review: This movie is an enaction of JK Rowling's novel, which happens to be one of my favorite books of all time. Naturally I'm very critical, but even a non-critical person who has read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets knows that this movie isn't everything it could be. The acting is mediocre and the special effects aren't up to scratch. Even the way the plot moves along is unnatural - Chris Columbus tries way too hard to include everything from the book, which, of course, is impossible. No scene is concentrated on well and nothing is really excellent, more like the whole movie is equally mundane.

Not to say that it's a bad movie. I enjoyed it a lot and it was entertaining. Much of it was funny. But one star was taken for the poor acting and other movie conditions, and the other is for the director's choice of how to run the scenes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good Adaptation, Great Casting.
Review: As a book worm, I am generally very careful about the movie adaptations of the books because many times it turns out to be a disappointment. But in this second movie of the series, I was very much amazed with the successful visualization of written word. First of all great casting; like the first movie, the actors are great fits for their roles. The visual effects are very successful, Dobby is very real and watching Quidditch makes me want to be out there to play it. And the movie itself apart from the books is a lot of fun to watch, very entertaining.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bloody Brilliant!
Review: This movie is even more wicked than the first. If you've read the books and seen the first movie you just gotta' see the second movie. The special effects are amazing and have improved a little since the first movie. This movie is a WHOLE lot more intense then the first. Since there's a big tree who beats up a car for being banged into, a Dueling club, Giant spiders, and a HUMONGOUS serpent that tries to eat Harry alive you would expect that it would be, maybe just a little, more intense then the first. I was definatly glued after the first 10 seconds into the movie, and I seriously don't think I blinked through the whole thing. You just gotta see this movie, (SURGEON GENERALS WARNING: It is Highly recommended that you get some eye drops to use after the movie as they may shrivle up and pop right out of you're head from dehydration). I'm glued, and I know you will be to if you see this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Moose Hole - 'Chamber' Full of Treasures
Review: The magical world of Harry Potter is revisited with the second film in the series that digs deeper into mysteries of the wizard world. The original film, Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, was met with huge hype and an enormous response from the movie-going public. The film broke almost every box office record in the book. Unfortunately those records didn't last long as they were quickly broken by the release of Spider-Man in May 2002. But could The Chamber of Secrets offer a threat to the famous web slinger? Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets hopes to follow in the foot steps of the original though it appears to be much darker then the first film. Hopes are that many of the fans won't be alienated by the change. But the question is whether the film can hold up better the original or will it show that the original was just a mere fluke and change is not good for the series?

The story focuses on Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the problems that ensue around the young wizard. Harry Potter has been spending the summer at his uncle and aunt's house and desires to return back to the school with his friends. But that may not be so easy. Apparently a house elf named Dobby has reason to believe that great danger will fall upon Mr. Potter if he returns, so he does everything he can to prevent Potter from returning to Hogwarts. When he is able to make it back to his school, strange things start happening. Harry begins to hear voices in the empty hallways, water begins flooding the halls, and Harry is able to communicate with snakes. Not only that but people have been found petrified and a rumor is spreading that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened once again. It is up to Harry and his group of friends to protect Hogwarts from impending danger within the school itself. The story for The Chamber of Secrets is much darker then the original Harry Potter but that is what makes it great. The darkness of the plot shows that the film makers are willing to make their films more mature as their audience gets older. The plot keeps the audience interested in every aspect of the movie despite the long time length.

A good amount of the cast from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone reprise their roles in the second film. The acting within the film was much better then in the original film as many of the cast members have grown more into their roles and feel more comfortable, which is quite evident within the film. Daniel Radcliffe returns as Harry Potter and once again he is fabulous in the role. He showcases a broad range of emotions within the film which is rarely seen in a film intended for children and does a much better job at showcasing his acting talent then he did in the original. Richard Harris, in his last major role in a motion picture, is wonderful once again as Professor Dumbledore. Harris is one of the greatest British actors that have ever appeared on screen and it is wonderful to see him go out in such a great way as in this role. There are too many roles within this film to mention each by name but the cast is very well put together and there were very few problems. The only problem was the character of Ronald Weasley. There was no problem with the person who played him but actions of the character itself. In the original film Ronald was sort of mixed character having both comic moments as well as serious ones but he has now been reduced to a comedic character, which is quite disappointing.

Overall, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets is one of the best movies of the year and goes beyond the expectations of a normal sequel. The magical world of Harry Potter is brought back to life better then ever before. Though the film is much darker then the original, that does seem to affect the overall effect of the series. The darker moments actually make the film feel more exciting and make the audience feel more connected to the characters and what happens to them. The film definitely matures with the audience the Harry Potter series seems to connect to but doesn't do so in such a dramatic way that some fans are alienated by rapid change. Though the film is near perfection, there are flaws to it. The running time of the picture, which stands at an amazing two hours and forty minutes, seems too long for a film intended for children though it did help tell the story better then if it had been edited down to a shorter time length. There were many amazing CG special effect sequences but not all the CGI was greatly appreciated. The character of Dobby the house elf is sure to be added to the most annoying CG character list for this year. He seemed fine for the plot of the film but for the most part, he was too annoying and distracting for the purpose of the story. Other then those problems, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets definitely raises the bar not only for children films but for sequels as well. This film is a delightful film for all ages, though some precaution may be needed for the younger fans of Harry Potter as the film has several frightening moments. One of the few films out there that truly lives up to all the hype of the original and even goes beyond expectations.


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