|
 Movie
B+ |
Video A- | Audio A
| Extras A+
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson,
Kenneth Branagh, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard
Griffiths, Richard Harris, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith,
and Julie Walters
director Chris Columbus | Warner Bros. Pictures
2002 | Supernatural - Mythical - Adventure | PG | 161 minutes
Region 1 | DVD-9
anamorphic
widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio
(available in full screen)
Dolby Digital EX 5.1
Summary: Harry
Potter and his friends return in J.K. Rowling's second installment, Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry is at home during the
summer after his first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
and is anxiously waiting for the start of his second year. First, he
must first try to stay out of trouble at home. That's easier said
than done, especially when a mysterious elf by the name of Dobby visits
him to warn him against coming back to Hogwarts. Of course, being
the determined and curious young Wizard-to-be that he is, Harry Potter
looks forward to his return to Hogwarts that much more. When Ron and
his brothers rescue Harry from his home, the
gang returns for another unforgettable year at Hogwarts. In their
second year,
we get to know the narcissistic and pompous Professor Lockhart (Kenneth
Branagh), and the
down-to-earth Professor Sprout and her crop of
potentially life-saving Mandrakes. And of
course, we get to find the Chamber of Secrets (and experience all of the
adventure that awaits us)!
If you or your children have not seen the first Harry Potter film, Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I strongly suggest you pick it up
first and view it in sequence. The Sorcerer's Stone
establishes some basic understanding of the characters and rules about
the mysterious world of witchcraft and wizardry. Unlike some movie
sequels, The Sorcerer's Stone
does not recapitulate anything from the first movie, it simply picks up
where the first movie left off. Read our review of Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone here.
Like The Sorcerer's Stone, I think young kids can watch this
film with some parental guidance. Though there are many good values
(such as friendship, loyalty, team work, and good study habits) instilled
in the first film, I didn't find nearly as many new
good values in this film as compared with the first. The Chamber
of Secrets skipped these "formalities" introduced in the
first film and quickly gets on with the story and the fun -- uh, I meant
mischief. But on a good note for younger children, I think this film
isn't quite as frightful as the the first.
That isn't to say that the visual special effects
aren't as good. The DVD picture quality is impeccable in this
Widescreen Edition. And to please the mainstream consumer, Warner
Home Entertainment is also releasing a Full Screen
Edition as a separate product. Both the Widescreen Edition and
the Full Screen Edition are 2-disc sets with the same bonus
materials. In either version, the
sound design is marvelous, with an aggressive and engaging extended surround
sound presented in Dolby Digital EX 5.1.
The Chamber of Secrets is a good film, even
for a sequel. But ultimately, I found it a far cry from The Sorcerer's Stone.
As far as the DVD goes, the 2-disc Chamber of Secrets is very
collectible, thanks to the rich set of bonus features. Warner Home
Entertainment seems to have cooked up the perfect potion (again!) for
another successful DVD release!
Special Features: There's a lot of bonus
materials here, folks. It should keep your Hogwarts
"cadets" busy until the next school year: 
Disc 1: (feature film)
- Cast & crew (listings only)
- "Year One at Hogwarts" teaser trailer
- "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
theatrical trailer
Disc 2: (bonus disc)
- Additional Scenes: 19 additional/extended scenes, including more Dobby mischief, more
flying car adventure, a frightening encounter with the Malfoys in Borgin and Burkes
- Lockhart's Classroom: visit Lockhart’s class, and get a closer look at his
photo gallery,
certificates, required reading list, and memorabilia through the use of still
galleries
- Behind Hogwarts:
- Conversation with author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves about rendering the
adventure to the
screen
- "Dubledore's Office": tour via:
- "Build A
Scene" featurette, or
- "Tour Dumbledore's
Office" interactive tour option
- Interviews with Students, Professors
& More: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint
(Ron), Emma Watson
(Hermione) and other cast members who talk about making the
film, favorite scenes, what their friends think and
more
- Gallery of Production Sketches: photo
gallery and concept sketches
- Activities:
- The Chamber Challenge: try to sneak into the Chamber
of Secret, an interactive quiz
game
- The Forbidden Forest Challenge: try to escape the Forbidden
Forest and get back to
Hogwarts, an interactive game
- Colin's Darkroom: an interactive game
- Tour Diagon Alley: an interactive tour
- Hogwarts Grounds
- Spellcaster Knowledge: test your knowledge of spells used
throughout the movie
- Game Preview: 6 demo clips of of the "Harry Potter and
the Chamber of Secrets" Electronics
Arts game
- "Extra Credit" preview trailer of DVD-ROM
features
"Extra Credit" DVD-ROM features (requires a computer with a
DVD-ROM drive) include:
- The One VoiceDVD technology will allow users to navigate through the DVD-ROM features
and access set top features using only their voices, giving kids the illusion of a magical
experience interacting with the
DVD
- An animated, interactive Hogwarts timeline provides important dates in Hogwarts history
with mini pop-up videos from the Harry Potter
films
- A slider puzzle challenge featuring motion
video
- Printable magic trading cards to collect and share with
friends
- Jigsaw puzzles, matching challenges, downloadable screensavers and much more!
DVD released on 4/11/2003 | Reviewed 4/2/2003
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Additional Notes: Unless we specify otherwise, the
video and audio quality are very good when their grades are "A-"
or better. Only the highest number of channels of surround sound
format is listed (e.g., Dolby Digital 5.1). If there are both Dolby
Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks, then both are listed. All
DVD-Video discs are backwards compatible with stereo-only playback
systems.
Let us know what you think about this DVD review, write to us at
Staff@TimeForDVD.com.
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony
DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony
KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four
B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers
and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster
Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable
Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable
Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug
connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio
rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones. Our home theater equipment was calibrated
with the Video
Essentials DVD.
Be sure to check out our Top 10 DVDs of the year
2001 and our list of this year's Oscar winners on DVD.
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