HTF REVIEW: "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[MarkE]

First of all these are movies based upon children's books - I found them fun to read to my daughters but after the first 2 when they were reading on their own - I found myself with no desire to read any further on my own. The movies are very good. I really like the second more - and so do most of the adults I know that have seen both movies.
Glad to know the DVD quality is improved.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

First of all these are movies based upon children's books - I found them fun to read to my daughters but after the first 2 when they were reading on their own - I found myself with no desire to read any further on my own.

I would do yourself a favor and try the third one. That's when the series really escapes the children's fiction label, from my point of view atleast. While children can certainly still enjoy them, I think JKR started handling themes outside what one would expect from most children's books; less fluff more substance.

 

[clayton b]

In regards to the cast, I believe that both Chris Columbus and David Heyman have both said that the current kids can stay on cast as long as they like, but that they are all only signed until the third movie. So basically, it's up to the kids. As far as Robbie Coltrane, as far as I know he's only signed until the 5th movie, whether that be his choice or maybe some sort of indication of a OotP spoiler, who knows?

Anyway, thanks for the great looking review. You can also count me among those who enjoyed CoS better than the first one.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Here's to the new director continuing the no-blasphemy style Columbus has started

IMHO the biggest problem with the first 2 films. That's why neither disc is in my collection. I'd rather reread the books - far more entertaining.

Here's hoping the new director can breathe some life into the next movie.

Great review Ron! Very thorough.

 

[Michael el]

I just wanted to say that i found the dvd on sale already at my winn-dixie supermarket. But since they only had the fullscreen dvd i didn't buy it. This was on congress in boynton beach, florida.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

*waves finger* Now, now, now. No posting street date breakers.

 

[Malcolm R]

No posting street date breakers.

If all they're selling is pan-and-scan, they deserve to be sanctioned.

 

[Michael el]

SORRY! ME BAD!

 

[DonRoeber]

I got the DVD yesterday, and watched it last night, and I gotta say, the one thing I'm most impressed with is the setup. I'm so used to having to go in and choose the right sound setup for my HT. Not so with this disc. It immediately chose to use Dolby Digital EX 5.1, and I'm presuming that it would've "fallen back" to DD5.1 or DD2 if DDEX5.1 didn't work. Slick. I hope more dvd producers do this, when applicable (ie: don't just go with 5.1 if the movie was origionally shown in mono).

 

[CaptDS9E]

I just watched it and i loved it as much as the first. I didnt read the books before hand either.

capt

 

[Alex Prosak]

As far as Robbie Coltrane, as far as I know he's only signed until the 5th movie, whether that be his choice or maybe some sort of indication of a OotP spoiler, who knows?

Hmmm...could well be. JKR has said that one of "Harry's fans" dies in OotP and that it was very hard for her to write...

I got the movie when it came out on Friday for my son. We both really like it. While it cuts out some important parts of the book with Ginny, I do enjoy it more than the first movie. The Quidditch game is far better than in the first movie. Kind of reminds me of the Deathstar scene in the original Star Wars.

Mark,

I also agree with Adam that the third and fourth books, especially the third, are better than the first two. They really start taking a darker turn. Well worth the read.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It immediately chose to use Dolby Digital EX 5.1, and I'm presuming that it would've "fallen back" to DD5.1 or DD2 if DDEX5.1 didn't work.

Not so; I checked the DVD in PowerDVD, and the DD5.1 EX track was the only english one on the disc. Your system does the downconverting to 5.1 regular, prologic, or stereo as the DD format was designed to do. That's why I never understood the need to have 2 channel tracks... I always play the 5.1 track on my stereo setup, and it downconverts no problem without any distortion or loss of effects.

My favorite part was the Burrow scenes... they found a way to nice sample the entire Weasley family dynamic of the book in a much shorter period of the time. The biggest problem I had with it was that it tended to not trust the audience... It would show you something and then have the characters explain it. I know it's a children's flick, but the kids who would see it probably already read the books and so would know what to look for and wouldn't need the overbearing plot explanation. This is something I hope Cuaron improves on in the third one, as otherwise the movie was a wonderful compression of the novel that very much kept the spirit of it intact.

 

[Jason_Els]

[rant]REPLACE THE KIDS ?!??!?!!?![/rant]

Are they NUTS?? My absolute favorite thing about the entire series is the chemistry the actors have, particularly the three leads. I don't think any of them are outstanding actors...yet but they work together perfectly. I completely believe they're best friends and seeing anyone other than Rupert as Ron I couldn't imagine. Sometimes when you see a movie and then read the book it's based upon you get the sense that the actor doesn't fit the role in the book but after seeing the first film and then reading "Chamber" I had no problem imagining the kids exactly as on screen. Part of the charm of the story is that it has a coming-of-age component completely in line with their natural growth. As they get older the story becomes more mature. Replacing them would ruin the magic.

As for the rest of the cast, I'd be horrified. While we've sadly lost Richard Harris, I don't believe any actor on the series needs to fear type-casting. Robbie Coltrane and the rest are mature, well-known and respected actors with a large body of varied work behind them. It's rather flattering to their modesty if they feel that isn't the case.

In any event I thought Chamber of Secrets was wonderful. The story is great and quite dark though in the office scene it seemed Harris was looking very poorly so I fell out of disbelief for a moment. The sound!! The sound is amazing! The car, the basilisk, even the stairs were a surround delight.

 

[David Lambert]

While it cuts out some important parts of the book with Ginny, I do enjoy it more than the first movie.

I think it's interesting that you say "it cuts out some important parts". Did you watch the CoS supplement that is the interview with Rowling and the screenwriter? They are VERY explicit about how much he consults with her to make sure that nothing important in later stories is cut from the films in his effort to compress time.

Followers of the books who want to predict what will happen next in future volumes should be studying the films to see if something from the book that they THINK is important really is or not! :wink:

 

[Alex Prosak]

The one scene that I think should have been included is when Ginny is trying to tell Harry about the diary in the Great Hall but Percy interrupts her. Okay, one scene instead of "some" but I do think it was important.

They did to a good job with how Ginny ended up with the diary. I don't believe that happened until much later in the book and it would've been harder to fit in with having to back track and considering run time.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

They are VERY explicit about how much he consults with her to make sure that nothing important in later stories is cut from the films in his effort to compress time.

In this case, it isn't so much important stuff for later books, as it it within this book. Since Ginny was the many (though unknowing) antagonist of the story, it would have made sense to include more footage. Still, I personally thought enough was there to get the point soundly across.


The third movie will be the trickiest, however. Since it is much more about the emotional trauma of Harry's past rather than about the set pieces of the story, it will require a more liberal adaptation of the book. My biggest complaint about Kloves' scripts is that it sacrifices character development to cram everything in. Hopefully, the drama will take center stage this time around. That said, I came out of the DVD interview with Rowling and Kloves done by that insufferable guy from CBBC with a more hopeful view of things. He sounded like he had the right idea about stuff, and that it was more of Chris Columbus' doing that the dramatic stuff like the whole mudblood storyline was trimmed more than the action oriented stuff. Considering Cuarón's track record, I'm guessing he'd lean the other way.

In summation, I'm really really psyched for POA!

 

[Ron-P]

Equally enjoyable as the first. My only problem was the length, cutting 30 minutes off this would have done wonders for the overall enjoyment. It really dragged at times.


Peace Out~

 

[Dan Kaplan]

Since Ginny was the many (though unknowing) antagonist of the story, it would have made sense to include more footage. Still, I personally thought enough was there to get the point soundly across.

Not being familiar with the story beyond what I've seen in the two movies thus far, I thought this aspect was particularly weak. The last minute plot wrap-up seemed too cheap and convenient; one of those directorial u-turns that serve no purpose other than to prove they can do something you didn't see coming... I assume it plays out differently in the book, but it left me with a rather unsatisfied feeling at the end of the movie. Sort of a, "gee, that didn't resolve much." Still, I found it enjoyable for the most part.

Like many, I also think it would have done well to be a lot shorter. It really does lose a sense of purpose at times. Might have allowed for better audio quality, too.

Dan

 

[Roberto Carlo]

Is anyone else having problems with the layer change in this DVD? At approximately the 1:31:00 mark, the picture freezes and will go nowhere else -- not even to the menus. The same happened with another Warner DVD, "Murder By Numbers." I have a Zenith progressive-scan player and it's never done this before.

 

[David Lambert]

Not being familiar with the story beyond what I've seen in the two movies thus far, I thought this aspect was particularly weak. The last minute plot wrap-up seemed too cheap and convenient; one of those directorial u-turns that serve no purpose other than to prove they can do something you didn't see coming... I assume it plays out differently in the book...

Yes, as indicated there are many more hints and forebodings in the book that something is up with Ginny. The fact is that she's got a crush on Harry - an aspect barely acknowledged in the film, and then only when he first arrives at The Burrow (the home of Ron and his family...the film doesn't much acknowledge the home's nickname, either). Anyway, because of the crush, Ginny's odd behavior is able to be sloughed off by the reader as being part of all that. But there's more to it, as you see in the film.

Explaining that and looking back on it, I now must agree that there should have been a few more minutes devoted to the Ginny subplot, so it wasn't a big surprise at the end. Perhaps less time spent on Lockhart, eh?