As a fan of the J.K.
Rowling’s novels, it is a foregone conclusion that I am really going to
like the subject matter of the movie adaptations and be more than partial
to the movies themselves. Okay, putting on my film critic cap, I can
honestly say that I enjoyed HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
($30) more than the film version of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S
STONE. Being the first movie adaptation of the enormously popular book
series, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE had heaps of
exposition to get through, which would set up the story and characters for
a film audience that had never read the novels. Additionally, since the
Harry Potter books are so popular, the filmmakers seemed afraid to make
any major cuts in the novel’s narrative for fear of alienating Harry
Potter’s legions of fans.
Although HARRY POTTER
AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS closely follows the storyline as laid out
in the novel, it doesn’t do so in the slavish fashion of the first film.
Additionally, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS isn’t mired
down in an avalanche of exposition, which allows the film to hit the
ground running. For this reason, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF
SECRETS is a snappier, better-paced movie than HARRY POTTER AND THE
SORCERER’S STONE, which is probably why I found it more enjoyable
than its predecessor.
As the film opens, we find
young boy wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) ready to begin his second
year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, a house elf
named Dobby warns Harry of an evil plot against him, and that he must not
return to the school. Unfazed by Dobby's warning, Harry is soon reunited
with has best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger
(Emma Watson) and the three of them make their return to Hogwarts for
their second year of study. One evening, shortly after their arrive at
Hogwarts, a dire message is written on a school corridor wall in blood
announcing: "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, Enemies of
the heir, Beware!" From one of their teachers, our three intrepid
heroes learn that the legendary Chamber of Secrets is said to contain a
horrible monster, which begins preying on the students- leaving them in
stone like petrified condition. With the faculty unable to protect the
student body, Harry, Ron and Hermione take it upon themselves to find the
Chamber of Secrets and what lies waiting within. The superb supporting
cast of HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS features Richard
Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Branagh, Tom
Felton, Jason Isaacs, Julie Walters, John Cleese and Miriam Margolyes.
Warner Home Video has made HARRY
POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS available on DVD in a very
good-looking 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. A separate full screen version is also being
released, for those not interested in trying to recreate the theatrical
experience. Unlike HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, which
looked pretty awful theatrically, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF
SECRETS started with a much-improved theatrical presentation that
translates into a noticeably better transfer and DVD. Perhaps not as crisp
and finely detailed as some other new movies- HARRY POTTER AND THE
CHAMBER OF SECRETS still delivers in terms of image resolution. Colors
tend to be quite vibrant and generally favor the warmer side of the
spectrum. Flesh tones appear quite natural or intentionally unnatural,
depending on the circumstance. Neither chroma noise nor signs of smearing
are present to detract from the viewing experience. Blacks are perfectly
deep, whites are clean and contrast is smooth. For some reason, shadow
detail isn’t always up to snuff, with some sequences coming across as
murky and less dimensional than the better-lit portions of the film. The
film element used for the transfer appears pristine and there is very
little by way of a noticeable grain structure. Digital compression
artifacts always remain in check throughout.
While HARRY POTTER AND
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS comes with a very good sounding Dolby Digital
EX 5.1 channel soundtrack, the sound mix isn’t what I would call
demonstration quality. The mix isn’t as aggressive as I would have like,
especially in terms of surround usage. This isn’t to say that the rear
channels are underutilized, just that the mix lacks that "gee
wiz" maelstrom of sounds from the rear channels that surround junkies
like myself eagerly look forward to. Fidelity is very good and the forward
soundstage creates very nice stereo imaging, especially where John William’s
score is concerned. Dialogue is always cleanly rendered and completely
understandable. The bass channel is full bodied; although there is only
one or two sequences in which I would call it ground shaking. A Spanish
5.1 channel soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD, along with English,
French and Spanish subtitles.
Full motion video,
animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s nicely designed
interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene
selection and set up features. Very little by way of supplemental material
is included on disc one of this two disc set, with almost everything being
relegated to the second DVD. Contained on disc one is a theatrical trailer
for HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, a theatrical trailer
for HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, plus a cast & crew
listing.
Moving onto the second DVD,
one will find it to be much more "adult friendly" than the
supplemental disc included with HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE.
While the majority of materials still seem primarily geared towards a
younger audience, the much disliked necessity of have "solve
puzzles" to view the supplements had not be implemented on this DVD.
I should also mention that the supplements are a bit more balanced,
offering some featurettes that will actually appeal to adult viewers.
Starting things off on disc two are nineteen deleted scenes, totaling
seventeen minutes, have the options of being viewed individually or all
together. Some of the deleted scenes and scene extensions are worthy of
being incorporated back into the body of the film, while the others were
cut for good reason.
The section marked Behind
Hogwarts offers the real meat of the supplemental section with a
number of interesting programs and other errata. A Conversation With
J.K. Rowling And Steve Kloves offers a sixteen-minute discussion
of adapting the book to the cinematic realm. Build a Scene:
Dumbledore's Office offers a sixteen-minute look at the creation
of the movie's most elaborate set, as well as a glimpse at the movie's
props, wardrobe, FX work and even the musical score. Tour
Dumbledorf's Office is a 3D virtual tour of the headmaster's
office. Interviews With Students, Professors And More offers
brief interviews with various cast members, who talk about their roles in
the movie. The Gallery of Production Sketches is broken down
into subsections, but offers well over one hundred images to peruse.
Other supplements are
geared towards the younger viewers, so I didn't spend too much time
sampling them. In the Activities area one will find
interactive features such as The Chamber Challenge, The
Forbidden Forest Challenge, Colin's Darkroom and Tour
Diagon Alley. Spellcaster Knowledge is another
section, which tests the viewer's memory of particular spells that were
cast in the film. Lockhart's Classroom is a mildly humorous
recap of the career of the film's vain and self-absorbed Defense
Against The Dark Arts teacher. The Extra Credit section
is where the set's plentiful DVD-ROM content resides. Also included is a Game
Preview for the Electronic Arts game that bears the film and
book's title.
HARRY POTTER AND THE
CHAMBER OF SECRETS is a delightful film that lives up to this fan's
expectations of a movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novel. Personally,
I found this second film to be superior to its predecessor in almost every
way. Not being bogged down with exposition, HARRY POTTER AND THE
CHAMBER OF SECRETS is a snappier and better-paced movie. As for the
Widescreen DVD, it is a total winner. It looks great, sounds very good and
offers more accessible and worthwhile supplements for an adult audience.
Bottom line, Harry Potter fans are going to buy this DVD no matter what I
say about it. But isn't it nice to know you are getting your money's
worth?
As a fan of the J.K.
Rowling’s novels, it is a foregone conclusion that I am really going to
like the subject matter of the movie adaptations and be more than partial
to the movies themselves. Okay, putting on my film critic cap, I can
honestly say that I enjoyed HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
($30) more than the film version of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S
STONE. Being the first movie adaptation of the enormously popular book
series, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE had heaps of
exposition to get through, which would set up the story and characters for
a film audience that had never read the novels. Additionally, since the
Harry Potter books are so popular, the filmmakers seemed afraid to make
any major cuts in the novel’s narrative for fear of alienating Harry
Potter’s legions of fans.
Although HARRY POTTER
AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS closely follows the storyline as laid out
in the novel, it doesn’t do so in the slavish fashion of the first film.
Additionally, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS isn’t mired
down in an avalanche of exposition, which allows the film to hit the
ground running. For this reason, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF
SECRETS is a snappier, better-paced movie than HARRY POTTER AND THE
SORCERER’S STONE, which is probably why I found it more enjoyable
than its predecessor.
As the film opens, we find
young boy wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) ready to begin his second
year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, a house elf
named Dobby warns Harry of an evil plot against him, and that he must not
return to the school. Unfazed by Dobby's warning, Harry is soon reunited
with has best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger
(Emma Watson) and the three of them make their return to Hogwarts for
their second year of study. One evening, shortly after their arrive at
Hogwarts, a dire message is written on a school corridor wall in blood
announcing: "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, Enemies of
the heir, Beware!" From one of their teachers, our three intrepid
heroes learn that the legendary Chamber of Secrets is said to contain a
horrible monster, which begins preying on the students- leaving them in
stone like petrified condition. With the faculty unable to protect the
student body, Harry, Ron and Hermione take it upon themselves to find the
Chamber of Secrets and what lies waiting within. The superb supporting
cast of HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS features Richard
Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Branagh, Tom
Felton, Jason Isaacs, Julie Walters, John Cleese and Miriam Margolyes.
Warner Home Video has made HARRY
POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS available on DVD in a very
good-looking 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. A separate full screen version is also being
released, for those not interested in trying to recreate the theatrical
experience. Unlike HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, which
looked pretty awful theatrically, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF
SECRETS started with a much-improved theatrical presentation that
translates into a noticeably better transfer and DVD. Perhaps not as crisp
and finely detailed as some other new movies- HARRY POTTER AND THE
CHAMBER OF SECRETS still delivers in terms of image resolution. Colors
tend to be quite vibrant and generally favor the warmer side of the
spectrum. Flesh tones appear quite natural or intentionally unnatural,
depending on the circumstance. Neither chroma noise nor signs of smearing
are present to detract from the viewing experience. Blacks are perfectly
deep, whites are clean and contrast is smooth. For some reason, shadow
detail isn’t always up to snuff, with some sequences coming across as
murky and less dimensional than the better-lit portions of the film. The
film element used for the transfer appears pristine and there is very
little by way of a noticeable grain structure. Digital compression
artifacts always remain in check throughout.
While HARRY POTTER AND
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS comes with a very good sounding Dolby Digital
EX 5.1 channel soundtrack, the sound mix isn’t what I would call
demonstration quality. The mix isn’t as aggressive as I would have like,
especially in terms of surround usage. This isn’t to say that the rear
channels are underutilized, just that the mix lacks that "gee
wiz" maelstrom of sounds from the rear channels that surround junkies
like myself eagerly look forward to. Fidelity is very good and the forward
soundstage creates very nice stereo imaging, especially where John William’s
score is concerned. Dialogue is always cleanly rendered and completely
understandable. The bass channel is full bodied; although there is only
one or two sequences in which I would call it ground shaking. A Spanish
5.1 channel soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD, along with English,
French and Spanish subtitles.
Full motion video,
animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s nicely designed
interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene
selection and set up features. Very little by way of supplemental material
is included on disc one of this two disc set, with almost everything being
relegated to the second DVD. Contained on disc one is a theatrical trailer
for HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, a theatrical trailer
for HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, plus a cast & crew
listing.
Moving onto the second DVD,
one will find it to be much more "adult friendly" than the
supplemental disc included with HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE.
While the majority of materials still seem primarily geared towards a
younger audience, the much disliked necessity of have "solve
puzzles" to view the supplements had not be implemented on this DVD.
I should also mention that the supplements are a bit more balanced,
offering some featurettes that will actually appeal to adult viewers.
Starting things off on disc two are nineteen deleted scenes, totaling
seventeen minutes, have the options of being viewed individually or all
together. Some of the deleted scenes and scene extensions are worthy of
being incorporated back into the body of the film, while the others were
cut for good reason.
The section marked Behind
Hogwarts offers the real meat of the supplemental section with a
number of interesting programs and other errata. A Conversation With
J.K. Rowling And Steve Kloves offers a sixteen-minute discussion
of adapting the book to the cinematic realm. Build a Scene:
Dumbledore's Office offers a sixteen-minute look at the creation
of the movie's most elaborate set, as well as a glimpse at the movie's
props, wardrobe, FX work and even the musical score. Tour
Dumbledorf's Office is a 3D virtual tour of the headmaster's
office. Interviews With Students, Professors And More offers
brief interviews with various cast members, who talk about their roles in
the movie. The Gallery of Production Sketches is broken down
into subsections, but offers well over one hundred images to peruse.
Other supplements are
geared towards the younger viewers, so I didn't spend too much time
sampling them. In the Activities area one will find
interactive features such as The Chamber Challenge, The
Forbidden Forest Challenge, Colin's Darkroom and Tour
Diagon Alley. Spellcaster Knowledge is another
section, which tests the viewer's memory of particular spells that were
cast in the film. Lockhart's Classroom is a mildly humorous
recap of the career of the film's vain and self-absorbed Defense
Against The Dark Arts teacher. The Extra Credit section
is where the set's plentiful DVD-ROM content resides. Also included is a Game
Preview for the Electronic Arts game that bears the film and
book's title.
HARRY POTTER AND THE
CHAMBER OF SECRETS is a delightful film that lives up to this fan's
expectations of a movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novel. Personally,
I found this second film to be superior to its predecessor in almost every
way. Not being bogged down with exposition, HARRY POTTER AND THE
CHAMBER OF SECRETS is a snappier and better-paced movie. As for the
Widescreen DVD, it is a total winner. It looks great, sounds very good and
offers more accessible and worthwhile supplements for an adult audience.
Bottom line, Harry Potter fans are going to buy this DVD no matter what I
say about it. But isn't it nice to know you are getting your money's
worth?
