Cody's Review - Overall Rating 9 Out of 10

Warning: Contains Severe Spoliers

Acting: 9/10

Special Effects: 9/10

Writing: 10/10

Quidditch Scene: 9/10

Portrayal of Book: 8/10

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second installment of the planned seven. It is centered around Harry Potter and all of the events that lead up to the Chamber of Secrets scene in which he defeats Tom Riddle(Lord Voldemort) and his loyal basilisk. Throughout the movie, Harry is being accused, by most everyone, of being the allegged suspect of the dreadful acts. He seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which isn't something new for Harry and Ron. All of the facts point to Harry as being the only logical wizard who would be responsible for the attacks.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a step up from its prequel, the Sorcerer's Stone. It is much more dark and suspenseful, and is the result of one movie's worth of experience. The Sorcerer's Stone was, to me, like a 'practice film', now that the cast and crew have some experience they can, and have, proved that they can awe the world with a magnificent piece of work.

I saw a huge improvement in the acting skills of all of the child actors, they seemed more confident and more in character. Their acting was great, they portrayed their characters well. Once again, I was amazed by Richard Harris's portrayal of Albus Dumbledore, it was brilliant. He is irreplacable and will be utterly missed. I was also awed by Maggie Smith(Professor McGonagall), Robbie Coltrane(Hagrid), and Alan Rickman(Professor Snape) as well, they did another great job with a little more improvement than the last movie, which is hard to believe. I saw a really big improvement with Maggie Smith, I can't really say what she improved on I don't know, its just my instinct, I liked her better and enjoyed her scenes more. It is impossible for Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane to improve, they were perfect in both movies.

Moving on to the new actors, Gilderoy Lockhart(Kenneth Branagh), Sprout(Miriam Margoyles), Madam Pince(Sally Mortemore), Mrs. Weasley(Julie Walters), Tom Riddle(Christian Coulson), Moaning Myrtle(Shirley Henderson), Mr. Weasley(Mark Willams), Lucius Malfoy(Jaason Isaacs) and Dobby. I didnt expect much from Gilderoy Lockhart, I thought he would be decent, but I think he did a fantastic job and was a great asset to the movie. Mrs. Weasley did a pretty good job from the time she had on screen, same with Mr. Weasley. Tom Riddle was excellent, he was more cunning that I predicted he would be. I loved Moaning Myrtle, she was funny and sometimes scary, which is a great thing, she was portrayed well. I was never much of a Lucius Malfoy fan, but after seeing him in action on the big screen I think he is one of my favorite characters(no hate mail please). He was awesome, I can't wait to see him in the Goblet of Fire. Dobby was also a good character which I enjoyed watching, he was funny and he obviously has some awesome powers that will probably and hopefully come into play later.

The special effects were incredible, I was actually scared of the Basilisk. I think the Chamber of Secrets(the actual chamber) was fantastic. The chamber itself was scary, it was dark, damp, and ancient, it couldn't have been portrayed better. The basilisk was very frightening, I enjoyed the action scene with Harry and the basilisk very much. I also was delighted with the spider scene, it was very hair-rasing and one of the most tense parts of the movie. I was looking forward to the Quidditch seen when going into the movie, and I was very satisfied with it. I loved the Snitch Chase with Malfoy and Harry, it was a thrill. Moaning Myrtle was good, the opening of the chamber was also good, but I thought the polyjuice potion scene could have been better. I was pleased with the Ford Anglie flying seen but not very impressed, but I did enjoy it. The Diary was impressive, they interpreted it very well.

I enjoyed the Chamber of Secrets entirely, it was a great portrayal of the book. I was disappointed about the Deathday party being cut, and a lot of other details, but I try to accept them without complaining, I just tell myself they have to, lol. I loved a lot of the new characters acting and was satisfied with most everything. It is a great movie, I recommend it to anyone who loves a good, exciting, well-made movie.