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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

If "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was comparable to the scope and grandeur of George Lucas' "Star Wars," then its plot-progressive follow-up, "The Chamber of Secrets," could easily be the most ambitious sequel of the genre since "The Empire Strikes Back." Much like that popular sequel, this new entry takes the loose ends left by the first film and expands on them, adding new characters and creatures, new settings and locations, and more magic tricks and elements of sorcery. The movie is also big on mystery and remains as elusive as its predecessor, while also taking things a little more to the extreme than was dared before. ***

To be honest, the new film is basically a carbon copy of the first, with a few new waves of the magic wand used as needed; it just so happens that this sense of familiarity adds to the experience while also acting as a deterrent. In his attempt to recapture the magic that was "Sorcerer's Stone" while also remaining true to the source novel, director Chris Columbus has transmuted rather than transformed author J.K. Rowling's world into another children's fantasy crowd-pleaser, one that earns its own marks for craftsmanship and creativity, but can't quite hold a candle to the first. ***

Right from the get-go, we're introduced to the repressed home life of young wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), who has returned to the negligent care of the Dursleys after saving the day at Hogwarts the previous school year. This time around, Harry receives a unique visitor, a floppy-eared creature named Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones) who refers to himself in the third person and pleads with Harry not to return to school for the upcoming semester. Ignoring the warning, Harry once again arrives at the school of wizardry, along with his pals Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), who all become enshrouded in an intricate puzzle surrounding a hidden room known as the chamber of secrets, which threatens the safety of the school and the students. ***

In addition to the former roles, new additions keep popping up here and there to keep things lively. Reprising their roles, Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson are able to once again find that camaraderie that is essential to their characters, with Grint stealing the show with his facial expressions and mannerisms. Richard Harris and Maggie Smith are always spot-on as the school's headmasters, and Alan Rickman fills his scenes with sinister, supercharged wit and humor. Newcomer Kenneth Branagh plays the boastful buffoon wizard Gilderoy Lockhart, and Jason Isaac is a completely delicious villain as Lucius Malfoy, who practically promises the audience that he'll be back for another round. ***

As far as differences go, those just described in the plot summation above pretty much cover it. The process by which the clues relating to the mystery are unveiled follows a pattern not unlike that of "Sorcerer's Stone," as does the story, which includes everything from scenes of life in the classrooms of Hogwarts, to another rip-roaring Quidditch match that makes the one in the previous film look mild by comparison. In terms of bringing the book to life both visually and emotionally, Columbus has done a respectable job of achieving the same charm and childlike quality he bestowed upon the previous movie, and for the most part, it pays off. ***

So what is it about "Chamber of Secrets" that didn't completely sell me on the sum of its parts? I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I liked the characters and the story, and the production values and special effects retain just the right hint of artificiality to keep our imaginations fully energized. Perhaps the fact that the new wonders to behold aren't so new is what's bugging me: scenes like the Quidditch match and big reveals of rooms, corridors, and expansive interior spaces, are well-executed and nice to look at, but very much akin to those that came before it. I remember marveling wide-eyed over the sheer scope and size of "Sorcerer's Stone," whereas with this film, there were quite a few times when all I could muster was a smile of appreciation. ***

Undoubtedly, the film is assured a successful life at the box office, will do excellent business in a home video release, and admittedly, it has many attributes and moments of fancy. I just got the feeling that some of these moments were working to detract from others that make us feel as if we're watching both the fly in the ointment and the ointment itself.

As with the first "Harry Potter" DVD, Warner Bros. has provided us a solid transfer that never ceases to amaze as much as the film itself. Presented in its theatrical ratio of 2.35:1, everything about this presentation is terrific, most notably the detail. Small object clarity and edge sharpness are absolutely wondrous, with only a slight hint of enhancement halos that are hardly even noticeable in places. The special effects benefit greatly from this, especially in scenes like the Quidditch match and the finale, where animation plays a big role in bringing the overall scene to life. ***

For this second venture, however, director Chris Columbus has chosen a somewhat darker route in terms of the film's look, and as a result, contrast is much more important here than it was previously. It comes off without a hitch, though, and shadow detail is also quite good. Color saturation is vivid and accurate throughout, with fine textures that remain unmarred by artifacts or a digital appearance. In summation, this is a truly magical transfer. ***

The sound, which is mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 with added EX enhancement, is also quite impressive, but wasn't quite what I was expecting. Upon seeing "Chamber of Secrets" at the theater, I was a bit shaken up by the amount of low-end bass on the soundtrack, but a bit disappointed in the high end, which was somewhat mediocre in terms of aggressiveness. Thinking that this was probably due to the theater, I anxiously awaited to be amazed by this DVD audio track, but again, the same problem persists. ***

It's not that the track doesn't perform admirably throughout the entire film; in fact, it makes such good use of the soundfield in terms of ambiance and expansion that I'm willing to forgive the aforementioned imbalance. The score from John Williams is nicely recorded and fills the rears and fronts with excellent ambient effect, while the dialogue remains audible above all else. Action scenes are a cut above all of this, however, and that's when the track really comes to life. Deep bass from the .1 LFE is hardcore and very intense, while imaging and sound effects are add real zing to the proceedings. Now if only the track would just find a healthy medium on both fronts, this could easily be one of the best audio tracks around. As it stands, however, it's above average.

While it's certainly an improvement over the release of "Sorcerer's Stone" one year ago, "Chamber of Secrets" still isn't as magical a DVD experience as one could hope for. This time around we have some behind-the-scenes material, which we don't have to access by going through some lousy potion-mixing game, but the goods are outweighed by needless games and pointless inclusions. ***

Take, for instance, the special features on Disc One: only three extras are included here, including the trailer and a cast and crew roster. But why do we need an extended preview of "Sorcerer's Stone" here? And then, moving on to Disc Two, what satisfaction does the entire section entitled "Gilderoy Lockhart's Classroom" provide? The supplements here are boring and stupid, not to mention a waste of disc space that could have been devoted to something much more interesting. Also a throwaway is the game preview, which is strictly advertising fluff. ***

Now let's move on to the more interesting material, which can be found in the material directly related to the production. We begin with a gallery of additional scenes, some of which are completely new, but most of which are minor inclusions into already-finished cuts. Not that these aren't interesting in their own right, but I would have liked to see something a bit lengthier. Then we have the meat and bones of the section "Behind Hogwarts," the standouts being the interviews with many of those involved with the film. We get to hear from author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves in a joint session, in which they discuss the process of collaborating with one another to bring the books to life. It's especially interesting to hear the dynamics of their working relationship, how much "elbow room" Rowling allows Kloves, what is kept and what is left out, and the understated morals of both the page and the screen. ***

This is followed by a larger subsection of smaller interviews with both the child actors as well as the adults. With the kids, we hear from them on a variety of topics, including things like how they get along on the set, how their outside friends have reacted to their success, and how their characters and acting skills have evolved. The adults are given only a slight minute or so apiece to divulge on a singular topic; luckily, most of them have something unique to say, and their comments are more than welcome, and by the end, I wanted to hear more. ***

The subsection "Dumbledore's Office" also offers some interesting facts about the production design, if only limited to this one specific set. In the "Build-a-Scene" featurette, we have some brief interviews with director Chris Columbus, producer David Heyman, and production designer Stuart Craig, all of whom go over the process of creating the office with the right architecture in mind, and the proper funding. One might be surprised to learn that it took literally hundreds of construction workers and artisans to create a room that is showcased in the film for maybe five to ten minutes. After this featurette, a 3-D tour of the office set is included. Closing out the "Hogwarts" section is large gallery of production sketches further subdivided by subject. ***

After this, the rest of the material is pretty much aimed at a younger audience. There are a number of trivia and game challenges available to test one's knowledge of the movie, along with a significant DVD-ROM section that includes everything from online trading cards to voice recording programs and screensavers.