James Proclaims!

The second Harry Potter movie came hot on the heels of the first, meaning that it largely had all the same charm and many of the same flaws as the first movie. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is about as good as the first movie. Which is pretty good, all things considered. The CGI looks of its time, and the main trio are still children, which means their acting (while undeniably good for their age) is occasionally wooden. The addition to an already accomplished adult cast of Kenneth Branagh and Jason Isaacs is impressive, and both shine in their respective roles.

The film is definitely too long, and a little self-indulgent at the end, but it’s a pretty credible second outing for the Hogwarts cohort.

Score for Christmasishness

Having finally included the first Harry Potter movie in my annual countdown last year, I am potentially doomed to include all entries in the series as I think they probably all have a Christmas scene or two in them. Certainly the first sequel does. It is only visibly Christmas on screen for a brief scene or two (albeit spectacularly Christmassy for those scenes) but the subsequent mini-adventure does take place during the Christmas holidays. You wouldn’t necessarily know that if you hadn’t read the book. But I have. And I think that makes this outing about as Christmas(ish) as its immediate predecessor.