A year has passed since Harry Potter discovered he was a wizard and attended Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now returned home with the Dursley’s for the summer vacation Harry finds himself unhappy as the Dursley’s do everything to make his life miserable. But on his Birthday he gets a visit from a house elf named Dolby who warns him he must not return to Hogwarts because an evil plot is underfoot. But when Harry refuses to not go back Dolby does everything in his power to stop him from ruining his Uncles dinner party, to locking the gateway for the train to Hogwarts. But with the help of a flying car stolen from Ron’s parents Harry and Ron still manage to make it to the school where they are once again teamed up with the brainy Hermione Granger their cohort in crimes from the year before. But soon after they return to school the chamber of secrets is opened in a plot to kill all those who are not pure blood (those without muggle born or non magic ancestry), Now its up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione once again to solve the mystery and save the day.

In the sequel to last years hit movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone the entire cast is brought back to tell the story again with Harry being one year older now. Much of the magic of seeing the Harry Potter movies for the first time is now gone as the anticipation sometimes makes a movie more enjoyable the first time through, but the second installment should last the test of time longer as it is much better done and will be better for future viewings. The second movie casts a lot darker elements this time and packs the movie more with action, as we don’t need to introduce the characters this time, as we are already familiar with them. This allows for a much better movie as the story seems to flow better and they are able to do more action scenes rather then character development scenes the first movie needed. Also the acting is better done as the actors have had a chance to fit better into their roles with the familiarity of already having done them. Emma Watson who plays Hermione does the best job of the trio of actors, as she seems to fit better in the role. Also the late Richard Harris again does a superb job as Dumbledore and will be hard to replace for the third installment. Chris Columbus the director even used Rupert Grint who plays Ron changing voice to add humor to some scenes as he squeaks his way through puberty. And some of the new additions this year like Lockhart, Moaning Myrtle, and Ginny Weasly add some new spice to the movies, although Ginny didn’t get near as many scenes as she should have considering she had a bigger role in the book. That is one change made for this time as it differs from the book a little more to be able to improve the flow of the movie. By far the best improvement on the original is the far more spectacular Quiidich scenes this time, which are head and shoulders above the scenes from Stone. Most people will enjoy this movie more than last years as it is done better and to a grander scale with better action, more cinematic effects, and improved acting. While some of the scenes are a little darker the movie is still for the kids just like their book counterparts, while allowing adults to also enjoy the wonders of the magical world of Harry Potter.
4.5 stars out of 5