Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is not one of the best films in the series. It is arguably one of the lesser books as well, although I enjoyed that book more than most. But both the book and the movie accomplished the same feat: they made me feel right at home upon arriving back at this world, and reaffirmed that I would be returning again and again. But looking objectively at the second film, there is a distinct lack of an emotional core. It lacks the thrill of introduction and it lacks the highly personal stakes that start to reveal themselves in the next installment. As a result of these comparative deficiencies, it is far-too long a film considering how little ground it has to cover (to be fair, I watched the extended cut, which runs nearly 3 hours long). Of all the films in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets most closely resembles 'just another episode' for Harry and his pals. In X-Files terms, it was a 'standalone', as opposed to a 'mythology' episode. But it remains an entertaining romp in good company, and it represents a genuine leap in terms of visual effects and intensity of action.
