Butchered. Review on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Movie

Harry Potter was a huge phenomenon for us the new generation. We have never been more delighted than to read a story, so simply done and easily read but complex with its own mystery and humour. A rarity nowadays in the literature industry, never have I read a story written wonderfully by the famous author J.K Rowling.

It is hard to get children to read, due to the unnerving fact that the mass media have literally reduced them into zombies and reading is considered quite a bane towards the western audience.

When Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets came out, the world was once again thrown into the golden age of reading and for once I was happy of not being called a nerd for that one particular hobby.

So like any reader I was quite appalled upon hearing that they were making a movie about it. Rarely has any book adaptation have made most of us purists happy. And like any purist, once I left the cinema feeling very VERY angry. Never, since the horrendous movie Queen of the Damned came out have I seen a lovely story and amazing characters butchered to a point of oblivion.

And never again has my heart ever been so open to the movie's saga. But time does wonder's to a mind so I opened myself up again and put up with the long queue just to see the second movie, from which after reading comforting reviews that could be quite promising.

And was I ever disappointed that it didn't. The second book and the second movie was on the point of all right. It wasn't too bad but not exactly at the par of great. More of a sequel-syndrome sufferer. The movie could be separated into two halves, before the attack and after it.

Before the attack

Now before the attack we were introduced with Harry, once again acted by that terribly wooden actor Radcliffe, whom I believe was quite a mistake to begin with. His acting may have improved, a little, think tiny, and has done quite a number of damage during the movie's pivotal scene. The plot is simple, Harry was warned, Harry got punishment, Harry escapes and Harry gets into another adventure and was punished, again.

The first part of the movie was fast-paced and quite choppy if you ask me, with little or no emotional attachment towards any character. If you haven't read the book, then none of the first half of the movie will make any sense, and neither will the second half either.

Second Half

Now the second half takes place after the attack upon the cat, Mrs. Norris and of course as though by sheer coincidence, Harry was caught loitering around the crime scene. It was at that moment did, the movie slips into a crawl. The movie took on a detective mode with Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione trailing behind him and helped him along the way. Now again, if you're a reader then it won't be so bad to call this part of the movie, choppy, terribly edited and won't make any sense at all once the villain is exposed through the end.

Take my advice...read the book, watch the movie...and prepare to grumble...