Part Two in the adventures of the pre-teen wizard. This time he is summoned back to magic school to solve the mystery of a secret chamber that could kill everyone in the school.

I was again impressed with Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, in fact the whole cast seems more at ease this time around and it shows in a positive way through their performances. However I was again disappointed in the film as a whole. The special effects are still not up to snuff. The plot and dialogue are weak and many of the characters are truly unnecessary. I felt pulled around by the film too; at one instance we're focusing on important plot elements then we're dragged to the sporting field in a scene that means nothing. (Although effects in this particular scene are much improved over a similar scene from the first film). There are too many instances like this that make the film very uneven.

I know, I know. I'm just about the only reviewer who doesn't flip for these films but I find them lacking in both technical and artistic merits.

I do recommend the Harry Potter films for children. The characters are easy to relate to and will surely get a child's imagination grooving. They really should be in the collection of every household with kids. For these reasons I must recommend both movies.

Directed by Chris Columbus.