Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

In his second big-screen outing, J.K. Rowling's world-famous adolescent wizard Harry Potter is blessed with enough cinematic magic to overcome several of the very same problems that left last year's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone feeling a little protracted and rambling. Yes, just like its predecessor, the sequel spends twice as much screen time on atmosphere and adventure than plot and character, but this time around every episode seems relevant, which is a vast improvement for director Chris Columbus, who retains the enchanted ambiance as Harry struggles to discover who or what is turning students to stone in the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Fleshing out their roles considerably are Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (as Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley), who hold their own against the film's fantastic adult cast, including Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Miriam Margolyes, Robbie Coltrane, the late Richard Harris, and Kenneth Branagh, taking absolute delight in his role as a comically conceited dandy who teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include 19 additional scenes, a 17-minute featurette on production design, interview segments with cast members, a 16-minute interview with author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves, detailed tours (of Dumbledore's office, Diagon Alley, and the Chamber of Secrets--many of which are self-guided and include narration), a spellcaster knowledge trivia game, “The Chamber Challenge” trivia game, “The Forbidden Forest Challenge” (to get out of the forest), a “Colin's Darkroom” gallery with the option to make your own “wizard gallery” slideshow, “Lockhart's Classroom” (including a narrated photo gallery, certificates, and required reading summaries), a production sketch gallery, a preview of the EA video game with six brief segments, a brief preview of DVD-ROM features, a two-minute “Year One at Hogwarts” recap featurette, a cast and crew list, and a trailer. Bottom line: A fun and extensive extras package (that is sure to keep younger viewers busy) for one of 2002's highest grossing films.] (R. Blackwelder)