In the event you ask the typical Potterhead what their favourite “Harry Potter” film is, there is a respectable probability they will say “Prisoner of Azkaban.” That is the Alfonso Cuaron-directed one the place the cinematography’s superb and everybody’s hair seems their greatest. (In /Movie’s official rating of the collection, “Azkaban” reigns supreme.) In the event you ask them about their least favourite “Potter” film, they could say “Goblet of Hearth.” That is the one which tries and fails to cram as a lot of the 700+ web page supply materials right into a single film, plus it is the one the place no one bought a haircut.
If not “Goblet of Hearth,” followers may choose “Half-Blood Prince,” the film that performs it quick and unfastened with its supply materials. Additionally they may choose “Deathly Hallows: Half 1,” accusing it of feeling like half a narrative. However in keeping with IMDb not less than, there’s one clear reigning loser amongst the “Harry Potter” movies, and that is the second: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and techniques.”
With a 7.4 out of 10 ranking, “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” is considerably under the collection’ excessive of “Deathly Hallows: Half 2” (rated 8.1). So, why is poor “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” so unpopular? Nicely, it is sophisticated. Allow us to clarify.
‘Chamber of Secrets and techniques’ is arguably too lengthy
“Chamber of Secrets and techniques,” which is adapting a 300-paged e book, is a full 2 hours and 41 minutes lengthy. It is the longest within the collection, which feels unusual contemplating that later, shorter “Potter” motion pictures had been adapting books that had been greater than double the dimensions. One motive for that is that these first two motion pictures had been principally the load-bearing installments of the franchise; they established the tone and a ton of worldbuilding, explaining all the pieces viewers wanted to know in order that the later motion pictures would not should. The unlucky result’s that the pacing in “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” feels a bit sluggish.
What makes “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” worse is that it would not have the contemporary new really feel of the primary film. The “Harry Potter” collection grows darker, extra mature, and extra formidable because it goes on, nevertheless it’s probably not till “Prisoner of Azkaban” that this development turns into clear. “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” feels prefer it’s on the identical degree as “Sorcerer’s Stone,” whereas “Azkaban” is an simple step up. There’s additionally the difficulty that composer John Williams wasn’t as concerned within the rating for this film, though he’d return triumphantly in “Azkaban.” The soundtrack for “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” is notably worse than the soundtracks instantly earlier than and after it.
This film additionally options Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones), probably the most controversial characters within the collection. Typically in comparison with Jar Jar Binks from “Star Wars,” Dobby exams the viewers’s endurance together with his fixed meddling and fretting. He certain would not assist with the complaints in regards to the film’s size; when Dobby’s on display screen, it is laborious to withstand the urge to fast-forward. What’s worse for “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” is that the later motion pictures (outdoors of “Deathly Hallows: Half 1”) do not function Dobby in any respect, which as soon as once more renders this second movie because the odd one out within the collection. For some followers, this film is the Dobby film, and that is unforgivable.
Why ‘Chamber of Secrets and techniques’ continues to be well worth the watch
Full disclosure: after I was a child I had a small TV in my room and one good VHS tape, and that VHS tape was this film. The outcome was that I watched this film a number of dozen instances over a couple of months, to the purpose the place I had each single line memorized. For some motive, I discovered Rupert Grint’s supply of the road, “Oh no, the invisibility booster should be defective!” actually humorous, and would quote it in conditions the place it did not apply.
Needlessly to say: I like this film. And I can testify that its spooky, mysterious tone hits laborious whenever you’re eight years previous. It is the “Potter” movie that greatest capabilities as a homicide thriller story, with the principle trio all serving as three hardened detectives fixing an important case. Certain, you may argue that each one Potter movies are thriller tales, however the query of who’s inflicting all these petrifications is well the juiciest whodunnit premise the collection has to supply.
However the most effective a part of “Chamber of Secrets and techniques” is that it is the final “Harry Potter” film that does not ignore Ron or painting him in a unfavorable mild. Rupert Grint was the most effective of the principle three youngster actors (within the first few motion pictures not less than), and this movie took full benefit of that. The fandom at massive could not love this second transfer, however the Ron followers not less than had been having a blast.
