Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets:

Before I talk about this movie I'd just like to mention that I saw the trailer for the next Star Trek movie and it sure whetted my appetite for more but why oh why do we poor souls in Britain have to wait till next year for this movie, when they will watch it this year in America, huh?

Well on to Harry Potter...

Synopsis: It's Harry's second year in Hogwarts and he has to face even worse dangers than before, what has been freed from the chamber of secrets? How is it connected to Harry? and what will he do about it?

This will be the last of the Harry Potter movies that I go and watch on the big screen, as long as Chris Columbus is helming these movies I will wait till they come out on DVD, I have been underwhelmed by his last two.

I am not saying that  this was a bad movie because it was not but it wasn't a great movie either. Chris Columbus direction of this movie lacks any flair or imagination, there is absolutely no interpretation of his own, just as he did in the first Potter movie. For anyone who has read the books you will not surprised by anything at all in this movie which is a shame.

What we have here is a page by page translation of book to movie with no filters or enhancers in between at all. This led to the film being way too long at about 2 hours and 40 minutes and as a result it dragged in places.

One improvement in this movie is the acting, the Daniel and Rupert are not as wooden as before, and Hermione is as excellent as always. I wished there was more of Kenneth Brannagh as the narcissist superstar wizard, his character was a potential humour goldmine but was not exploited as much as it should have been. Other welcome additions are Jason Isaacs as Malfoy's dad and the young actress portraying Ginny Wesley.

Another beef I have with this film is its rating how on earth did this pass as a movie for kids? I distinctly felt this film was not fit viewing any under 10's as it was much darker than the first what with dead bodies, giant spiders and massive snakes getting stabbed it seemed slightly gory for a kids movie to me. I asked a few parents around me and they felt the same.

Can I start a petition to spin of Hermione Granger in her own series? I think she is brilliant in these movies and wish she was the focus of them and not Radcliffe.

John Cleese, man what are you doing? what a waste of one of our greatest comedians? I must say though the choice for Ron welsey's dad is inspired, I just loved him, more of him in the next movie please. Oh before I forget more Quidditch, I love those scenes!

In all it is a by the numbers rendition of the books that is not bad but should have been better.

My movie rating is grudgingly given: 6/10

See ya later,

Shazam!