With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald coming out this November, I figured this was as good a time as any to revisit the Harry Potter films. And it’s the 20th anniversary of the release of Sorcerer’s Stone the book, so even more reason. I’ll be looking at the original eight one at a time, before finishing with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. These won’t be regular reviews per se, but more of a review/reflection combination.
The review and subsequent rating will be based on the movie by itself; I won’t take into account how it compares to or differs from the accompanying book. But if there are notable people, scenes, etc. left out of the movie, I might make mention of those as more of something that I wish had been included simply due to my personal opinions.
And in the spirit of honesty, these look-backs won’t necessarily have the same structure. Some might be long and in depth. Others might be shorter and more light-hearted. Whatever I feel the day(s) I’m writing will be what comes out. Should make it fun. Keep it spicy, I like to say.
I don’t have any sort of release schedule planned for these. Just know that I will be done before Crimes of Grindelwald is released on November 16. These are also not in conjunction with Chris’s revisiting of the Harry Potter book series (as of this blog being published, he has written about Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban).
Rest of the movies
Sorcerer’s Stone
Prisoner of Azkaban
Goblet of Fire
Order of the Phoenix
Half-Blood Prince
Deathly Hallows Part 1
Deathly Hallows Part 2
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
*It shouldn’t be necessary given how long the movie has been out, but this will contain spoilers.*
Ah, the one that would have been the worst had Deathly Hallows not been split into two movies. Before I go on, let me be clear. As you can see from my rating, “second worst Harry Potter” is far from equal to “bad movie.” And to be fair, the main reason I rated it this low is because there are so many individual scenes, along with a few dumb plot points, that just add up over time.
To begin with, Dobby is unbearable throughout the entire movie (up until the very end, at least). Dobby ends up being a great character, and that transition starts with his actions at the end of this movie. But up until he’s freed, he is one of the most obnoxious characters in the series. Normally when I rewatch Chamber, I actually skip past the cake scene with Dobby at Privet Drive. This time, however, I did watch it. And it was as terrible as I remembered it being.
Speaking of terrible characters, how about Moaning Myrtle?
Yes, she has a tragic backstory and all that, but still. Myrtle is probably as annoying as any character in the series. I’m just glad she ended up playing an important part in the overall story, so that her inclusion at least had some bearing on the main trio and the ultimate resolution to the plot.
The whole Platform 9-3/4 nonsense is simply ridiculous. It simply makes no sense. First of all, Arthur and Molly get everyone through – including themselves – leaving Harry and Ron to go through by themselves? What kind of parenting move is that? And then Harry and Ron apparently forget that Arthur and Molly will have to go back to the car once the train leaves. They can explain what happened and get something figured out. Harry also has Hedwig, an owl whose main purpose is delivering messages from one person to another. Didn’t occur to the genius to maybe use his trusted pet here? I get it, they’re kids, they’re young and dumb. But come on, two pre-teens whose first instinct is to commit grand theft auto? And you can argue all day with me about how it sets up the Whomping Willow and its importance in the Prisoner of Azkaban, but there could have been countless other ways to do that without including the car.
That’s really it for the negatives. But to me, they’re so frustrating and annoying that it’s hard to look past them. There are some other questions that stick out, but they’re more just interesting things to think about, rather than to count them against the movie. I talk about a few of those at the end.
For a little intermission if you will, before getting into some of the better aspects of the movie, you can’t talk Chamber of Secrets without at least mentioning Harry’s floo powder fiasco.
Come on, kid. As many good qualities as Harry has, there are quite a few examples of him also being a complete dunce. They’re hilarious and entertaining and you can be sure I will call out as many as I can remember.
Alright, we can finally talk about what’s good in this movie. Chamber has all the same general characteristics that all the movies do. Great, engaging story. Good (for the most part) acting. Awesome visuals. Fantastic characters. Those are all common themes seen throughout the series. So what is there about Chamber specifically? For me there are two main, larger points that happen during this movie.
First and foremost, it previews and starts to set up the darker tone the series will take. Sorcerer’s Stone had its darker moments, but overall, and especially when compared to the rest of the series, it’s a much lighter movie.
The other part is helps develop is Harry’s character as a human being. Sorcerer’s Stone laid the groundwork for this already with Harry immediately gravitating towards Ron and the Weasleys, as well as turning down Malfoy’s offer of “help.” Chamber takes this idea even further, specifically focusing on Harry’s willingness to trust and be loyal. Most of this happens in the Chamber of Secrets. By this point he knows Hagrid innocent, and knows Tom played a part in Hagrid’s expulsion from Hogwarts. And yet, when he sees Tom in the Chamber, he greets him almost as an ally, asking for his help with Ginny, warning him of the Basilisk. Tom is clearly indifferent at best to all of Harry’s pleas, and it takes Tom picking up Harry’s wand for him to realize maybe Tom isn’t exactly a good guy.
And of course there’s Harry’s level of loyalty to Dumbledore calling down Fawkes with the Sorting Hat – and ultimately the Sword of Gryffindor. Harry has had enough interactions with Dumbledore to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. But to already be showing such strong, intense loyalty as to have Fawkes come to his rescue? I’d have to imagine most would not have that level of strong of loyalty yet. And when you consider he’s only a kid, it’s even more impressive.
And perhaps the best indicator of who Harry is as a person is how he reacts to being infected with the Basilisk venom. He’s just sitting there with Fawkes, like, “Well, at least I killed the Basilisk.” He doesn’t seem overly concerned with his impending death. Harry shows throughout the series that he’s willing to put himself in danger if it benefits the greater good. But seeing how okay he is with his own death, as a sort of self-sacrifice, is something that can’t be overlooked.
Lingering Questions
These aren’t so much problems with the movie, more so just questions that never get any sort of answer (though the first one is a combination of both)
How in the world was Ron allowed to keep his damaged wand?
This one really bugs me. It was clearly damaged beyond repair. The teachers obviously had to know that, Snape even makes specific mention of it. With how valuable wands are, wouldn’t it make sense for the school to have some spare wands for students to use? I can’t believe this was the first ever instance of someone’s wand breaking at Hogwarts. Or they could at least inform Ron’s parents. Beyond Ron not being able to perform even the simplest of spells, you’d have to think a malfunctioning wand would be impossible to predict, putting everyone else at some degree of risk whenever Ron attempts any spell.
How did Hermione explain her transformation into a cat?
Maybe Madam Pomfrey simply doesn’t ask questions. But Hermione also would have had to get from the bathroom to the hospital wing. You’re telling me nobody saw her? There could have just been a 5 second throw-away scene of Harry giving Hermione his Invisibility Cloak so she could get herself there unnoticed.
Why was Lockhart hired in the first place?
Anyone who sees him perform (or attempt to perform) magic can easily tell right away that this guy is a terrible wizard. Even the students can see it right away. And I don’t see Dumbledore being tricked by this clown. There’s even a quote from Mr.. Weasley earlier in the movie. When Harry’s book list arrives at the Burrow, he says:
“Dumbledore must know you’re here. Doesn’t miss a trick, that man.”
If that is indeed true, and by all accounts we’re led to believe it is, then he surely would have known the truth behind Lockhart and his so-called “achievements.” So then did Dumbledore hire him in an effort to expose him as the fraud he is? That doesn’t really seem like a move Dumbledore would make. And to waste an entire year of such an important subject? Not exactly the best decision, I’d say.
In the end though, Lockhart ends up being a pretty fun character to have around for one movie. How he ended up with the job (maybe he charmed/tricked the Board of Governors into hiring him and Dumbledore had no recourse) isn’t a point I get hung up on. It’s just an interesting little wrinkle.
When Harry frees Dobby, was Lucius really about to kill Harry?!
Come on, man! Yeah, Lucius if a scumbag, but he never comes off as a stupid scumbag. Murdering a student while in Hogwarts while Dumbledore is maybe only a few hundred feet away? And then Harry is just so chill about it all? Doesn’t freak out in the slightest or think to tell Dumbledore that another student’s parent just tried to murder him? I know, I know, “snitches get stitches” and all that. But I think an exception could have been made here.
So that’s it for Chamber of Secrets. Overall it’s a fine movie. It just suffered from more cringe-worthy and dumb moments than the rest of the series. Prisoner of Azkaban of course is next. And it’s a great one, though it’s not without some fair criticism. I’ll be sure to get into all of that. Stay tuned…
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