I didn't remember that this second film was more exciting than the firts one. It is longer and darker but I think it's better. I really enjoyed it.

Harry and friends return for a second term, where they're quickly caught up in a long-standing plot to rid the school of so-called "impure" students. Between the celebrated, absurdly deep cast, the charming, nuanced world at large and the constant manipulations of a shadow-clad foil, this picture had an awful lot going for it right out of the gates... so why does it feel like we're just treading water? A large swath of The Chamber of Secrets seems inessential and redundant, which isn't to say it's without merit, just that it could be using this time to fry much larger fish. Did we need to reinforce the idea that Harry's adoptive parents are cruel people? Didn't our hero avoid an attempt on his life on the Quidditch pitch last time around? For that matter, wasn't the entire endgame eerily similar in the preceding installment? Too much time smelling the roses when there's a fire down the block. Of course, it's not all bad news. The CGI, though still not without the occasional hiccup, has vastly improved since the last picture. That doesn't excuse the force-fed inclusion of an all-digital supporting character, but at least these appearances are kept mercifully short and to-the-point. Although it's the longest installment in the Harry Potter franchise, this chapter skims along at a strict pace and feels much shorter than it actually is. Though seemingly inconsequential as a whole, the plot does drop frequent hints at a darker side of the Hogwarts mythos before, ultimately, allowing such things to continue lurking in obscurity. It shows promise in spades, and will certainly capture the hearts and minds of the younger audiences it's primarily there for, but more demanding viewers will likely find it too thin and sugary for serious digestion.

Not the best Harry Potter movie but very enjoyable still!

not too bad, book is still much better

The pacing isn't particularly good, Ron is a total idiot, the special effects show their age, and some of the acting is atrocious - but then it's all worth it for Lucius Malfoy, Gilderoy Lockhart and Draco's "I didn't know you could read." impressed face. Also, there's a lot of movie-overdramatisation going on in this, such as in the [spoiler]car trip to Hogwarts[/spoiler], but I think the best (or worst?) example of this is [spoiler]Lucius Malfoy whipping out his wand and straight up starting to say the Death Curse right in the middle of Hogwarts, 10 meters away from Dumbledore's office[/spoiler]. And here I thought he was basically a coward - that's the ballsiest move I've ever seen.