Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets film review

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

Running time: 161 mins
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Jason Isaacs, Miriam Margolyes, John Cleese, David Bradley, Tom Felton, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Julie Walters, Mark Williams

They're back! Another school year has passed and Harry, Ron and Hermione are up to their old tricks again. After the worldwide success of the first film, the big question is can Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets match it for mood, fun and excitement? The answer is a resounding YES!

The whole set-up now has a familiar feel. The film opens at the Dursley house, Harry escapes to Hogwarts, the trio have wonderful lessons with magical beasts, there's a game of Quidditch and finally there's a mighty foe which Harry must defeat to bring peace to the school. On the face of it not dissimilar to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone you might think. But you'd be wrong. Very wrong.

Director Christopher Columbus has learned from the low points of the first film. The Quidditch match is much more realistic and as a result our pulses are set racing as Harry tries to dodge a wayward bludger AND Slytherin's new seeker Draco Malfoy.

The computer effects all work well this time out. It's a confident director who'd choose to create Dobby the House Elf in the computer world rather than use a small actor. The fact that the character will be one of the best loved of this film and not just another Jar Jar Binks is a testament to how far CGI has come in just a year.

We already know all about the lives of Harry and his gang and so, unencumbered by character introductions, the story was given more fluidty and screentime was spent with the main action set pieces. Anyone with a fear of spiders or snakes is going to be spending plenty of time covering their face.

Cinema goers may be surprised just how little we see of characters like McGonagall, Snape and Hagrid but the introduction of two new characters, Lucius Malfoy, played with a masterfully evil sneer by Jason Isaacs, and Kenneth Branagh's Gilderoy Lockhart mean that they aren't missed as much as you'd think. Branagh deserves a special mention as his hilarious portrayal of the egocentric wizard author steals the show.

Much has been made of the new darker edge to the film, but the whole magical world is the better for it. These are kid's films for the the new millennium and, whether we like it or not, this is the sort of fare they crave. It's menacing, it's packed with suspense and action, but ultimately good prevails over evil. And isn't that what it's all about?