Tuesday, 22 November 2005 18:00
So, the latest installment of J. K. Rowlings’s Harry Potter franchise appears poised for world domination.
It has received two thumbs up from Ebert and Roeper and critical acclaim from coast to coast. Children across the globe are losing sleep in anticipation. Toy and bookstores are overflowing with merchandise. So, the latest installment of J. K. Rowlings’s Harry Potter franchise appears poised for world domination. Undoubtedly, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will win at the box office and the checkout counter this holiday season. But can this movie win converts to Harry’s world of witches and wizards?
As someone who could not tell you the difference between Hogwarts and Orange County High School (home of the fightin’ Warthogs), I feel qualified to comment here. I had never read the Potter books, watched the movies, or purchased any of the aforementioned merchandise. This fact seems to put me into the minority these days. Demographically speaking, single males age 18 to 24 do not typically fall under Mr. Potter’s spell.
Honestly, before seeing this movie, the thought of entering a theatre full of hood-wearing, bespectacled children gave me the creeps. The theater-going experience that surrounds a Harry Potter film, though, makes one realize what “going to the movies” should be all about. As the lights go down, the theatergoers transform from bustling with activity to focused with anticipation. Children and parents alike clap as the opening titles appear out of the clouds.
In the opening sequence, the camera swoops from the sky to the muggle (non-magical, for those unversed in Potterspeak) world in the London suburbs. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) has turned from being top dog in his world of magic to an unwanted outsider in his uncle’s home. The movie’s first action sequence ensues as Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Potter’s oafish sidekick, comes to Harry’s rescue in his father’s enchanted car. The movie shines in scenes such as this, where director Chris Columbus blends special effects wizardry with live action. The cast and filmmaker combine to create an enchanted landscape where it is easy to suspend disbelief.
Once back on the Hogwarts campus, members of the student body are found mysteriously petrified. Harry and friends are early suspects. They must find who has opened the Chamber of Secrets and save Hogwarts and themselves. Sadly, the delightfully cocky Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) falls victim to the evil plot and spends a third of the movie as statuary. Hermione’s absence and the presence of the digitally created house-elf, Dobby, are the movie’s only real shortcomings.
Thankfully, the plot twists and vocabulary were not enough to lose this Harry Potter newcomer. In fact, it is the plot’s level of sophistication that reveals the secret to J.K. Rowlings’s overwhelming success: children are respected in this world. The adult cast brings a refined presence to this character-based saga, particularly Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Moreover, Richard Harris’s final film role, as Headmaster Doubledorf, gives the movie a mystical quality. Though Harris’s ailing health prevents him from matching his Arthurian majesty, he plays an able support role to the real stars: the children. My suggestion to anyone with a secret desire to see this movie is to offer to take a niece, nephew, or godchild to the movies. As you do your sibling or friend a favor, you will make it easier for yourself to face the diminutive hood-wearing masses.