![]() |
Image found here |
I’ve been
working my through my Harry Potter reread and rewatch at the pace of an
arthritic tortoise. The reread was
supposed to get done before the last movie came out, and the rewatch when the
boxed set of movies come out on DVD.
BAHAHAHA! Anyways, as I watched The Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I found myself utterly delighted.
The acting may have been a little cheesy at time, but the bones of the
story and characters I adore are still there. I also kept noticing how young
all of the actors are in this film (Daniel Radcliffe’s voice hadn’t changed!),
which made me feel nostalgic for my middle school years when this movie was
first released.
One of the
reasons I love Chamber of Secrets so much is because it’s our chance to get to
know the Weasleys better. I absolutely
adore how eccentric and busy they are, and I love the way the flying car and
the Burrow are portrayed here. I really am dying to live in the burrow—despite
the lack of personal space, how awesome would it be to get to know the
Weasleys?! I especially love Arthur’s
serious yet hilarious to us questions about Muggle life.
We also see some
more of some of Rowling’s other awesome characters—Hermione really starts
coming into her own, and as for McGonagall, all I wrote in my notes when I
watched the movie is EFF YEAH MAGGIE SMITH, which is all that really needs to
be said when she comes on screen. Plus, we also see the awesomeness of Fawkes.
I can see some
people saying that this movie is totally overacted. Throughout this movie, I think a lot of the
characters have personalities that are naturally over the top (Gildeory
Lockhart, Colin Creevy) or just react to situations in ways that feel extra
dramatic (Dobby, Petunia, Malfoy). Plus,
there’s Ron’s reaction to the Whomping Willow, which is really in a league of
its own. You have to remember that while
these movies have appeal for everyone, they were probably made with kids and
teens in particular in mind. And you
also have to remember that actually? The Chamber of Secrets has a really dark
storyline. There is blood on the walls
and spiders, both of which would make me scream with terror in real life. Plus, Ginny is essentially possessed. SO
CREEPY. Rowling’s comedy combined with
the acting was a really nice way to make sure that this movie still had lighter
moments and was suited towards a younger audience.
Overall, I was
pretty pleased with the effects here. Special effects in movies are constantly
changing, so it’s hard to draw any kind of comparison. Everything felt believable, and I think the
tone that the whole team was going for was always achieved. Let’s not talk about how scary Aragog is,
mmmkay? That said the effects definitely get stronger as the films continue
on. My favorite, and maybe you couldn’t
really call it an effect, was Moaning Myrte.
Plus the voice acting was so well done that I really believed that
Myrtle’s life and ghost were just filled with angst.
Another thing I
kept noting as I was watching? Hogwarts itself. I loved seeing it and
Christmas, in the snow, and just continually seeing new parts of it. And I think that’s why I love the Harry
Potter movies as well as the books: they always take me back to one of my
favorite fictional places, a place I wish so badly could be real, and give me a
compelling story with favorite characters to follow along the way. Plus, it takes me back to the magic of discovering this
series in middle school, and reminds me why I plan to push these books and movies on my
children, if I ever have any.
I love Christmas Hogwarts LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteIt's been years since I've watched this film, I think I've only seen Chamber of Secrets twice. Love the idea of doing a re-read and a re-watch. I also think it's okay to go at it slowly, life happens, ya know?
Also, agreed, Eff yeah Maggie Smith. IN ALL THE THINGS.
I agree that all the HP movies are fine adaptions of the books. Of course, the books are better, but that's my personal opinion. I have actually been banned (by my dear husband) from watching film adaptions of books because I tend to annoyed the crap of him by pointing out all the things the movie got wrong. Sigh.
ReplyDelete