bnorthup
11-19-2002, 01:57 AM
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PG)
At the Gaslight
Daughter: **** four stars
Dad: **** four stars
We’re off the see the wizards
By Brent and Katherine Northup
When Harry Potter decides to “follow the spiders” in search of secrets, I stopped being an old jaded movie reviewer and became a kid again. I don’t like spiders much. And that scene was creepy enough to make me shiver a little – under my coat, of course, so daughter would not notice.
The first Potter movie had me respectfully impressed by the conscientious effort to faithfully adapt a classic children’s book. The second film is just plain entertaining.
We are back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft where Harry and his friends discover a treacherous secret: there may be an evil chamber in the midst of the school. And if it opens, no one is safe. And then a note, written in blood appears on the wall that says that the chamber is reopening for business…
I enjoyed the adventure thoroughly, and suspect other parents will as well. How can we not salute a movie that will create new readers and give families a PG night at the movies? Yes, there are scary scenes and some gore here and about, but it’s all in the context of a delightful fantasy in which good triumphs over creepy crawly things and evil people.
As a side note, top actors are signing on to this franchise and their presence is like gold scattered along the side of the pathway occupied by the children. Richard Harris, who recently died, is wonderful, but no better than Maggie Smith and Kenneth Branagh.
But I have not read the books and I’m am exponentially older than many of the viewers at the packed Monday night screening. So let’s turn the rest of this over to the Potter fan in our house, who has read all the books many times over.
“It’s a marvelous movie that captures the imagination,” said Kat. “It left me craving to know the next adventure that Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (played by, Emma Watson) and Ron (played by, Rupert Grint) get ensnared into.
“In the first movie, ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone,’ much of the story was left out, and nearing the end, everything seemed to be so rushed that nothing really made sense. In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” this wasn’t a problem. There was a good chunk of dialogue left out, and some of the acting could have been closer to the story, but none of that really seemed to matter much.
“Many of the actors seemed to be slightly more emotionally/mentally advanced from their former state of confusion. They didn’t bumble around as much this time. It seemed that they had figured out what exactly was going on. The rise in maturity really improved the movie as well. Expressions, cues, and reactions were nicely executed.
“The one thing that put me in a bit of a snit, were their attitudes towards each other. Harry and Draco Malfoy (played by Tom Felton) didn’t seem to despise each other as much as they should have. Gilderoy Lockhart (played by Kenneth Branagh) wasn’t nearly as pompous and self-centered as he was in the book.
“The moral of this movie, I think, is that if one believes in truth and seeks it out even when truth is hard to find, then one can come out on top. Or, put more simply, truth shall triumph over evil.
“There were no ‘mushy, lovey dovey scenes,’ no swearing, and not too much violence. At least, there’s nothing the kids who’ve read the books haven’t heard about anyway.
“It’s a great kid’s movie and appropriate for the parents as well.”
END
At the Gaslight
Daughter: **** four stars
Dad: **** four stars
We’re off the see the wizards
By Brent and Katherine Northup
When Harry Potter decides to “follow the spiders” in search of secrets, I stopped being an old jaded movie reviewer and became a kid again. I don’t like spiders much. And that scene was creepy enough to make me shiver a little – under my coat, of course, so daughter would not notice.
The first Potter movie had me respectfully impressed by the conscientious effort to faithfully adapt a classic children’s book. The second film is just plain entertaining.
We are back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft where Harry and his friends discover a treacherous secret: there may be an evil chamber in the midst of the school. And if it opens, no one is safe. And then a note, written in blood appears on the wall that says that the chamber is reopening for business…
I enjoyed the adventure thoroughly, and suspect other parents will as well. How can we not salute a movie that will create new readers and give families a PG night at the movies? Yes, there are scary scenes and some gore here and about, but it’s all in the context of a delightful fantasy in which good triumphs over creepy crawly things and evil people.
As a side note, top actors are signing on to this franchise and their presence is like gold scattered along the side of the pathway occupied by the children. Richard Harris, who recently died, is wonderful, but no better than Maggie Smith and Kenneth Branagh.
But I have not read the books and I’m am exponentially older than many of the viewers at the packed Monday night screening. So let’s turn the rest of this over to the Potter fan in our house, who has read all the books many times over.
“It’s a marvelous movie that captures the imagination,” said Kat. “It left me craving to know the next adventure that Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (played by, Emma Watson) and Ron (played by, Rupert Grint) get ensnared into.
“In the first movie, ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone,’ much of the story was left out, and nearing the end, everything seemed to be so rushed that nothing really made sense. In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” this wasn’t a problem. There was a good chunk of dialogue left out, and some of the acting could have been closer to the story, but none of that really seemed to matter much.
“Many of the actors seemed to be slightly more emotionally/mentally advanced from their former state of confusion. They didn’t bumble around as much this time. It seemed that they had figured out what exactly was going on. The rise in maturity really improved the movie as well. Expressions, cues, and reactions were nicely executed.
“The one thing that put me in a bit of a snit, were their attitudes towards each other. Harry and Draco Malfoy (played by Tom Felton) didn’t seem to despise each other as much as they should have. Gilderoy Lockhart (played by Kenneth Branagh) wasn’t nearly as pompous and self-centered as he was in the book.
“The moral of this movie, I think, is that if one believes in truth and seeks it out even when truth is hard to find, then one can come out on top. Or, put more simply, truth shall triumph over evil.
“There were no ‘mushy, lovey dovey scenes,’ no swearing, and not too much violence. At least, there’s nothing the kids who’ve read the books haven’t heard about anyway.
“It’s a great kid’s movie and appropriate for the parents as well.”
END