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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Announced (1 Viewer)

Brian Ford

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Jun 16, 1999
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April 11th, eh? I expected a late May release like the last one, but I am not complaining.

THE GOOD

19 additional/extended scenes

That could be anywhere for 30 to 60 minutes of more scenes!

Interviews with J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and other cast members.

Whoa! They even got Rowling to join in for this time around! I know that should be a given, but she is not one to come out and do interviews time and time again. I would also like to see Jason Isaacs and his whole take on the movie.

Lockhart's Galleries

Hopefully this is a nice set of production photos that we have never seen, along with the standard press release photos.

DVD-Rom interactive Hogwarts timeline.

Could be an interesting read, or it could just be a bunch of older footage from the two movies, time will tell.

Self-guided tours which include background characters.

This was a fun yet slow addition to the first DVD, here is hoping they take those small tours from the website and speed them up.


THE BAD

Fun-filled activities allow viewers to escape the Forbidden Forest, sneak into the Chamber and more.

A slider puzzle challenge featuring motion video.

Printable magic trading cards to collect and share with friends.

Jigsaw puzzles, matching challenges, downloadable screensavers and much more!


Blah. All of this is a waste of disc space that could be used for better features. Between the the backlash to the first DVD and the success of the FotR : EE DVD, I think Warner Bros. could learn that simple menus are the ONLY option. If this release is a major improvement over the last, then I hope Warner will re-release the original movie on a new DVD as well. I would buy it in an instant.

April 11th should be an interesting day.
 

Joel C

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Oct 23, 1999
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I do like the cover art, and that it matches that for the first disc. But why change from "special widescreen edition" to just "widescreen"?

This will be a nice hold-over until the release of the fifth book in June. The movies aren't great, but they are fun. The last certainly played better on video.
 

Qui-Gon John

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They'll probably make a box that includes both. Like Fox did when AOTC came out, I saw double packs that had AOTC and TPM.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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The Leaky Cauldron is reporting that the interviews, atleast in part, were conducted by Lizo from CBBC Newsround.:thumbsdown: Ugh. While I've only had limited exposure to him (being across the big ol' pond and all), he's always come across as the worst of the pandering Entertainment Tonight-types: asking the most standard questions that don't pry any deeper into anything. Let's hope this is a rumor that doesn't pan out.
 

Chris S

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Well I really can't tell by looking at the features if this is just as "kid friendly" as the first. The extended scenes make me think not, but I am hesitant after the trouble you have to go through with The Sorcerer's Stone. I never did (or will) pick up that disc and I may not grab this one either if it turns out to be just as lacking. I'll admit I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, and it will take more than just the film and a few EPKs to get me interested.

Chris S.
 

James Reader

Screenwriter
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Interesting to note that this time, Warners will not be releasing a Full Screen edition in the UK!

Yay! Widescreen only baby... all the way!
 

oscar_merkx

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that is a surprise indeed about only widescreen and a very good one indeed.

Looks like I will be getting both dvds


:D
 

Chad R

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5 1/2 hours of which has been covered on disparate DVD docs dealing with efects heavy movies. There was an interesting bit about JRR Tolkien, and maybe a bit on the computer program that makes everyone fight differently--but overall if you're familiar with filmmaking you were familiar with the tricks they used.

Until the next renaissance in filmmaking comes along, the docs on DVDs are going to continue to be repetitive and boring.
 

Qui-Gon John

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Chad, I agree. I like extra stuff to some extent. But I would have been just as happy with a 2 disc, movie only version of the Extended Edition of FOTR.
 

Matt Butler

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Todd S,
Go to dvdreview.com and their hidden features page will tell you how to get to the deleted scenes. Its kind of a bitch to get to them if you dont know what youre doing.

I am a Harry Potter nut so I will be picking this up no questions asked. Kid Friendly or not; Im loving the extras..deleted scenes and all. :D
 

andrew markworthy

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At a glance, it looks like another disc for kids
with not a single thought put into what adults
might like.
Good - glad to see that so much effort has been put into something with kids in mind.

Do we *honestly*, *really* need yet another director's commentary saying how wonderful the actors were (like they're going to say anything else) or which bits were done with special effects (well **** me, and I thought it was a real basilisk)? I've also had it up to the eyeballs with 'making of' extras. They are all the same.

The LOTR one is perhaps the exception, but an exception that proves the rule. It was different simply because the LOTR has a huge back story to it, and there was plenty of 'extras' material. Harry Potter (and indeed most other movies) don't have this back story. However, even with LOTR, I found the reminiscences got rather tedious after a while, and since many of the recollections were pretty generic, I suspect that the extras for TT and ROTK are going to be repetitive.

I think it's also worth noting that if my memory serves me correctly, JK Rowling made it a condition of filming the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone that there wouldn't be any 'making of' specials that gave away too many special effects secrets, so that the 'magic' remained for the youngest kids watching the film. I guess the same rule may hold for the other movies as well.

Incidentally, 2004 as the opening date for the Prisoner of Azkhaban has been widely touted in the UK press.

BTW, I was reading a mediaeval bestiary (as one does ;) ) the other day, and it said that the basilisk is a foot and a half long and covered in white spots.
 

Dan Brecher

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I side with those pleased enough with the specifications for this second Potter release frankly. We've reached a point in DVD now where almost any movie can be loaded with supplements but only a handful of those that do carry so many extras carry any of significant merit.

My interests in home theatre and DVD have evolved and taken new directions over the past twelve months specifically. I see a lot of people frustrated over lack of certain audio support, lack of extras or extras but not the kind they’d like, right down to rants about things as trivial as cover art and that’s really not me. Chamber of Secrets, in 5.1 EX meeting Warner’s consistently brilliant anamorphic transfers? That’s really all I need, anything else is just as it should be, a bonus.

Dan
 

Beast

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Looks and sounds ok to me. While I would love more special features, the movie is the thing. Besides, didn't Chris Columbus at one point make comments in regard to a possible future SE with more in-depth features and commentary? I'll gladly doubledip these movies. :)

The only thing that I don't really like is the cover art. It looks like Dobby was a last minute addition to the cover, and they just stuck him in wherever he would fit.

Not to mention that Harry looks insane and evil with that expression and weilding the sword. And looking down at poor dobby's sad face, makes me think that Harry's about to decapitate him. Especially with Ron and Hermoine gasping in shock in the background. ;) :D
 

Travis D

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Hey, I like the the Struzan art. Too bad it wasn't used.

The only thing I don't like aboutit is the over use of stars.
 

James Reader

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I hope people expecting this new release to have more satisfying content are not disappointed - the BBFC have classified the first round of CoS Supplements and they seem somewhat... weak:

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS: ADULT INTERVIEWS
When submitted to the BBFC the work had a running time of 9m 6s.

00:00:55:16 | HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS: ADULT INTERVIEWS - HARRY POTTER 2: ADULT INTERVIEWS - ALAN RICKMAN (PROF SNAPE)
00:00:44:20 | DAVID BRADLEY (ARGUS FILCH)
00:00:35:01 | FIONA SHAW (PETUNIA DURSLEY)
00:00:49:00 | JULIE WALTERS (MRS. WEASLEY)
00:00:51:04 | KENNETH BRANAGH (GILDAROY)
00:00:51:23 | MAGGIE SMITH (PROF. MCGONAGALI)
00:00:36:15 | MARK WILLIAMS (MR. WEASLEY)
00:00:38:05 | MIRIAM MARGOLYES (PROF. SPROUT)
00:00:49:16 | RICHARD GRIFFITH (VERNON DURSLEY)
00:00:38:00 | RICHARD HARRIS (DUMBLEDORE)
00:00:26:23 | ROBBIE COLTRANE (HAGRID)
00:01:08:24 | JASON ISAACS (LUCIUS MALFOY)
 

James Reader

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Mar 10, 2002
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David, for 38 seconds I wouldn't even call it an "Interview". They could easily pull 38 seconds from one of any number of promotional pieces filmed during the shooting of the film.
 

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