Seriously ... - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Reviews

First off, this is a children's movie, and I believe movies should be reviewed for what they are, not for what the viewer wants. All too many of the viewer "pans" of this movie are centered on whether or not they personally like the movie, and not on its merits. A movie may be very well done, yet leave any number of viewers disatisfied, even as others rave. This is the case here. Another error is comparing a movie with a book. The two are different media, and rarely translate back and forth well. It is far better to review the movie in its own right than to burden it with the impossible. This is a very well crafted movie, based upon a story likely to be regarded as a true classic of literature. The adult actors give flawless, though not Oscar-worthy, performances, and the children do quite well, as they grow into the fine actors they will be. The visuals are superlative. The script/direction/editing may be faulted, in part for pacing, and also for selections and deletions from the book, but still it is a strong performance.