Barnes & Noble

The hotly anticipated sequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone didn't disappoint the millions of fans who eagerly awaited its release. Even more imaginative and elaborate than its predecessor, Chamber of Secrets abounds in magic, mystery, and adventure. Chamber now comes to DVD in a deluxe two-disc edition that teems with special features, and the film itself has been beautifully transferred to the digital medium. As the story begins, young wizard-in-training Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) embarks on his second year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his loyal friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). But something's not quite right: Harry constantly hears a mysterious voice that warns him of impending danger, and while investigating a series of attacks bedeviling Hogwarts he uncovers a sinister, dangerous secret. Kenneth Branagh is a colorful addition to the Hogwarts faculty, and his blustery, egotistical instructor fits right in along with Harry veterans Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, and Alan Rickman. Although they've tried to keep Chamber of Secrets lighthearted with a full quota of humorous episodes, director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steven Kloves have actually made this sequel a darker, more grimly suspenseful tale. Very young fans should watch the film with their parents, as its vivid depiction of fanciful monsters and perilous combat makes for an occasionally intense viewing experience. Watching the DVD edition could easily be an all-day affair: The film is accompanied by no fewer than 19 deleted or extended scenes, conversations with cast and crew members, interviews of Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling and screenwriter Steven Kloves, and a wide variety of interactive special features that include self-guided tours of the Chamber of Secrets itself, Dumbledore's office, and Diagon Alley. There are also some 15 animated puzzles, sliders, and screen savers to be accessed. All told, these two discs will provide families with countless hours of entertainment. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Youthful wizard Harry Potter returns to the screen in The Chamber of Secrets, the second film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's wildly popular series of novels for young people. Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) return for a second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Headmaster Dumbledore (Richard Harris), Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), and Hagrid the Giant (Robbie Coltrane) are joined by new faculty members Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), a self-centered expert in Defense against the Dark Arts, and Sprout (Miriam Margolyes), who teaches Herbology. However, it isn't long before Harry and company discover something is amiss at Hogwarts: Students are petrified like statues, threats are written in blood on the walls, and a deadly monster is on the loose. It seems that someone has opened the mysterious Chamber of Secrets, letting loose the monster and all its calamitous powers. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to find the secret chamber and slay the beast, speculation is rife that one of the heirs of Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of the school, opened the chamber as a warning against the presence of "mudbloods" (magic-users of impure lineage) at the school -- and that the culprit may be fellow student Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets featured Richard Harris' second and final appearance as Headmaster Dumbledore; he died less than a month before the film was released in the United States. Mark Deming

Chicago Sun-Times

Brimming with invention and new ideas, and its Hogwarts School seems to expand and deepen before our very eyes into a world large enough to conceal unguessable secrets -- What a glorious movie. Roger Ebert

Variety

Darker and more dramatic, this account of Harry's troubled second year at Hogwarts may be a bit overlong and unmodulated in pacing, but it possesses a confidence and intermittent flair that begin to give it a life of its own apart of the literary franchise, something the initial picture never achieved. Todd McCarthy

Product Details

• UPC: 883929074853
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Time: 2:41:00
• Sales Rank: 22,698

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Harry Potter Years 1-3
• Harry Potter Limited Edition DVD Collection: Years 1-5
• Harry Potter Limited Edition DVD Collection: Years 1-5
• Harry Potter Years 1-6