Not originally a fan of this series (really, not interested),I've got to say that I now see the widespread appeal of these Harry Potter movies! I actually first saw GOBLET OF FIRE (2005) when it premiered on cable the year after it's release and liked it enough to want to start watching this series. Then when ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007) came out 2 years later, I liked it, but it seemed to get really dark and serious more so than GoF and I really needed perspective in understanding the trajectory of these HP films. I went out and bought the 5-disc collection of SORCERER'S STONE, CHAMBER OF SECRETS, PRISONER OF AZBAKAN, GOBLET OF FIRE, and ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. It's apparent these films are purposefully getting darker as they move along, some staying very true to the source material, some taking liberties.

Of the 5-disc set, I actually think this film, CHAMBER OF SECRETS, may be the best! I still like the other 4 for different reasons, but here's some reasons why I rate this one so high:

*Daniel Radcliffe, as Harry Potter, improved immensely from the first film to this one! In SS, you could really tell the 12-year old youngster was a bit nervous and awestruck at having to carry the load of this franchise on his shoulders! Radcliffe, while adorably cute along with his co-stars Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione) in SS, really needed to step it up in CoS and he did in spades! In CoS, 13-year old Radcliffe obviously established that he IS Harry Potter!

*The film's length is not a bother! When a film this long (over 2 1/2 hours?) can sustain itself and hold your attention without ever devolving into boredom or tedium, that is saying something! Especially when it's led by 3 kids! Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson deserve all praise!

*Kenneth Branagh's delightfully fun performance as new Defense Against the Dark Arts Prof. Gilderoy Lockhart! This is the role that gets changed from film to film and Branagh's Lockhart is probably the best!

*Christian Coulson as 16-year old Tom Riddle! This young actor was my favorite villain in all the films, even over Voldemort!...Uh, don't worry, I know what the big surprise was at the climax! Still, young Riddle was such an elegant, charming, devious, cold sort that I couldn't help but be enthralled by his commanding presence.

*The climactic showdown between Harry and Tom was suspenseful and epic! Who'd have thought a scene between two teenagers would be as involving, deep, and exciting as any showdown between two adults? And they used words as weapons just as much as action and never sounded preachy or boring! An accomplishment indeed!

*Of course, the adult cast the late great Richard Harris (Prof. Dumbledore, played by Michael Gambon in the later films),Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall),Alan Rickman (Prof. Snape),and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) carry their loads in professional, brilliant fashion and allow the young actors to have their shining moments. Jason Isaacs was a great addition as Lucius Malfoy, a new foil for Harry Potter and the father of little Draco Malfoy (reliably malevolent Tom Felton, who has played the role since the beginning with his contemporaries Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson).

*Moaning Myrtle! Special mention also goes to Shirley Henderson as the newly introduced character in this film. A great comic relief (but still essential to the plot) character!

CoS is the one Harry Potter film where one can say that it follows the source material AND does not bore the viewer!

Having done a good job with the first Harry Potter flick, one shouldn't be surprised Chris Columbus was asked to direct the sequel as well. And the second film actually improves on its predecessor, getting a little edgier and less children-friendly (two factors that raise exponentially with each new installment),even though it does repeat an old mistake in certain places.

So, what about the plot? Well, it's Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) second year at Hogwarts, and everything should be fine, given he defeated Voldemort in the previous film and there are no other threats lurking in the magical world. Or are there? A mysterious house elf named Dobby seems to think so, as he repeatedly tries to prevent Harry from returning to school and keeps asking him to leave when students start being attacked by a supernatural, unknown foe. All this seems to be connected to the Chamber of Secrets, but that isn't of much help, especially considering the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, famous writer Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh),is a complete idiot.

Darker and faster, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets repeats the Philosopher's Stone's mistake of being slightly too faithful to the literary source, but Columbus manages to compensate this flaw with better visuals, some really creepy set-ups and improved acting from the younger cast members (Emma Watson in particular). He has also made interesting choices when it comes to the new faces in the adult group: Branagh is very, very funny as the ego-fueled Lockhart (a role originally intended for Hugh Grant),but the most interesting addition is Jason Isaacs (whom I can't wait to see again in the fourth film) as Lucius Malfoy, an intriguingly sinister wizard who is as racist and arrogant as his son, Harry's arch-nemesis Draco. As for Dobby, a CG creature voiced by Toby Jones, he is interesting at first but rapidly becomes annoying, his masochistic antics being repetitive and a little dull.

Finally, a special mention for Chamber's best element: Richard Harris, who sadly passed away a few weeks before the movie's premiere. He was, and is, incredibly good as headmaster Dumbledore and despite a worthy replacement (Michael Gambon),in the purists' hearts he will always be the one and only greatest wizard of all time.

Verdict: good, but they could have done better. Thankfully, they did with number three...

I thought this was better than the first Harry Potter movie because it didn't overdo the action scenes as the first film did, and the special-effects were better. It's not "Lord Of The Rings," of course, but it's still decent entertainment, even for us older folks. It got even better with the third installment, which has been my personal favorite of the four I've seen now.

I don't buy into all the occult baloney and black magic stuff, just enjoying the special-effects that go with it with these stories. It also was interesting to see how the three young stars - Daniel Radcliff ("Harry"),Emma Watson ("Hermione") and Rupert Grint ("Ron") have physically matured since the first movie. All of a sudden, the boys have reached puberty and their voices are changing. "Ron" squeaks half the time he talks!

As with many modern-day, big-budget films, the visuals, the special-effects and the surround sound are all astounding. Definitely entertaining for all ages with no worries about language.