Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

A rash of petrifications and the opening of the ominous Chamber of Secrets greet mop-top wizard-in-training Harry Potter (Radcliffe) when he returns for his second year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As ever, the most electrifying aspect of the film adaptations is the visual realization of Rowling's many-splendored inventions, like the Whomping Willow tree and the airborne Quidditch matches. This effort from returning (and retiring) director Chris Columbus (Home Alone) is better than the last, but Chamber of Secrets never consistently thrills like its source novel. Columbus can't quite capture the depth, the rich complexities of Rowling's novels. The HP books are quite rightfully beloved, children's books that have leapfrogged that particular assignation to win the hearts of adults. The same can't be said for the HP movies thus far.