Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 4K + BD Screen Caps

THE MOVIE — 3.0/5

Plot Synopsis: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets finds young wizard Harry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) and his friends, Ron (RUPERT GRINT) and Hermione (WMMA WATSON), facing new challenges during their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as they try to discover a dark force that is terrorizing the school.

Quick Hit Review: This second entry is perhaps my least favorite of the 8 films, not because of the cast as it would seem Radcliffe, Grint and, to a lesser extent Watson (since she spends a fair amount of the third act petrified), have grown into their respective roles. Instead, this to me was a tad too long clocking in at around 2 hours and 40 minutes. Still, the film has a lot of fun to it including the newest defense against the dark arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, a media and attention whore as portrayed brilliantly by Kenneth Branagh soaking up the part so well.

Chris Columbus returns to the director’s chair and at the very least Chamber of Secrets is a dark turn for the mostly light-hearted filmmaker and on that front, I do appreciate the darker aesthetics especially now that the world has been further developed and the franchise gets more into Lord Voldemort.

In the end, while I didn’t care for this entry into the franchise, no doubt there is some entertainment value and seeing the young cast grow into their own really makes it enjoyable even if the running time could’ve been streamlined a bit more, as it is, not at all terrible viewing experience, this probably being my third time.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.5/5

This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy.

Disc 1 (4K UHD):
No features. This disc contains the theatrical version.

Disc 2 (BD Movie):
Extended Version (2:54:24; HD) – This cut contains about 13 minutes of footage and as I recall, it was nothing all that extraordinary, in fact it mostly contains deleted scenes re-inserted in the film.

In-Movie Experience – Director Chris Columbus offers his insights into entering the world and delves into the casting and how certain scenes were shot all with some picture-and-picture images.

Disc 3 (Bonus Features):
Creating the World of Harry Potter, Part 2: Characters (1:20:03; HD) explores how the cast and creative team of directors and designers take the characters’ descriptions on the page to the actors’ performances on film.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Revealed (13:02; SD) was probably some TV special that aired back in 2002.

Additional Footage:

• Screen Tests (11:53; HD) for Daniel Radcliffe and Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
• Deleted Scenes (17:02; HD) — 19 scenes were cut down or complete excised. As in Sorcerer’s Stone, many were re-inserted into the extended version.

Trailers & TV Spots:

• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• 17 TV Spots

VIDEO – 4.5/5

AUDIO – 4.75/5

OVERALL – 4.0/5

Overall, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite of the series yet it’s still entertaining with a compelling enough mystery surrounding the plot and it was nice seeing the young cast becoming comfortable in their respective roles while the addition of Kenneth Branagh gives the darker tone, compared to Sorcerer’s Stone, some levity. This 4K release by Warner offers good/great video and audio transfers and a good selection of bonus material.