Way Back Wednesday - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in 2002, is the second film in the popular Harry Potter series, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling. The collaborative team of director Chris Columbus, screenwriter Steven Kloves, and producer David Heyman, all came together to make this 2nd film.

Because most people have either seen the movie or read the book, I'm not going into a lot of detail about the plot. I will say this was a close adaptation of the book and I enjoyed the movie very much. I was surprised at how closely this film followed the book. The only deviation I noticed - and I've watched the film and read the book numerous times - is in the effects of the Polyjuice Potion. In the book, the Potion causes the drinker to assume the exact appearance of the target, including their voice and any disabilities. In the film, while the potion alters Harry and Ron's appearance, their voices are left unchanged to reduce confusion. This alteration is not present in subsequent Harry Potter films, i.e., Harry's eyesight remains unaltered.

The following actors reprised their roles for this film:

• Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Now entering his second year at Hogwarts, Harry faces the accusation that he is the Heir of Slytherin, and responsible for the attacks on fellow students.
• Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, one of Harry's best friends. He takes his father's flying car to Hogwarts after he and Harry miss the Hogwarts Express.
• Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends. She investigates the cause of the attacks on students, only to be petrified herself.
• Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster and one of the greatest wizards of the age. He is removed from his position as the attacks increase. Harris died shortly before the movie was released.
• Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, and a former Death Eater.
• Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper, who is initially blamed for the attacks and sent to Azkaban. Martin Bayfield plays him in the flashback scene.
• Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts deputy headmistress.
• Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, the Hogwarts potions master.

Newcomer, Kenneth Branagh, played Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts; he was found to have lied about his accomplishments in the wizarding world.