Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets {Book + Film}

I'm going to say that this post will probably contain spoilers, and possibly not just ones from this specific book but also from later on in the Harry Potter series. You've been warned! :) I tried to keep the last review spoiler-free, but that gets more difficult the further you get into the series.

I enjoyed rereading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets more than I remembered. :) The series really does just keep getting better as it goes! This book, at its heart, is a mystery novel. And you guys know I love a good mystery (even if I already know how it turns out).

Realization: it was pretty stupid of Harry and Ron to take the flying car to Hogwarts. I know they were panicky and people do dumb things when they're panicky, but still...wouldn't they have thought to wait for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to come back? It's not like you'd get expelled from school if you were a little late, especially if it was due to something that was out of your control! Anyway, the car does prove rather important in the Aragog situation, so I guess I should be thankful that they did take it. :)

Also, this was the first time I noticed how incredibly suspicious it was that Harry is at the scene of nearly every attack. No wonder people were thinking the worst of him! I probably would have, too, to be honest. He really does have a knack for getting in trouble and for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (And all of the suspicions and whispers against Harry feel like they're foreshadowing when that happens later on in the series...in the Order of the Phoenix, I guess?)

Speaking of foreshadowing, I realized this time how Ron takes up for Hermione, even this early in the series. Maybe even more than Harry does, even though Ron and Hermione were also a lot more likely to disagree and be angry with each other than Harry and Hermione. Also, it's sweet that Ginny has a crush on Harry. :)

Professor Lockhart is one of the most hilarious and obnoxious characters ever. The more we get to know him, the more obvious it is that he's bluffing, so I've never really understood why Hermione continues to look up to him. She's usually the first one to notice little things like that.

Of course I love Dobby so it's awesome to meet him, and I absolutely love the way this story ends for him. :) I've also always loved the Polyjuice Potion parts, for some reason.

One thing I was wondering, though I had never thought about it before...exactly how old are Voldemort and Hagrid? I mean, if they went to school together when the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, then they have to be in their early-to-mid-60s, and I just can't comprehend that. I've never really thought about Voldemort's age because he was so messed up anyway, and it's not like he would look his age. But Hagrid?? 62 or 63 years old? I just don't see that! I always thought he was about 50 at the oldest, or even closer to the age of Harry's parents. I guess it's not really a big deal, but it bugs me a bit. :) {I did some poking around online and apparently in the HP world giants have a longer lifespan, so since Hagrid is half-giant, I guess maybe he ages more slowly than humans. Hm.}

Like the first film, I think this one is pretty accurate to the book. After the second book, it seems like the movies vary when it comes to how good the book-to-film adaptation is, though I still find them all really entertaining. Maybe it's because after these two, the next couple of movies had different directors?

I feel like Mrs. Weasley in the movie was a little more lenient about the boys rescuing Harry in the flying car. Instead of being angry she was sort of...bemused? Also, the scene with Harry eavesdropping on the Malfoys in Knockturn Alley doesn't even happen in the film, so what was the point of having Harry even go there?

The kids all look and sound so much older than they did in the first film! Especially Draco- he looks unusually tall in the scene in Flourish and Blotts, compared to the other kids (so much taller that I almost wonder if that scene was filmed later on in the production, after he hit a growth spurt or something?). Ron is the master of looks of terror and high-pitched sounds of fright. Ha. :) It seems like in every other scene in this movie, he looks horrified about something. Another thing I appreciate about the HP films is that they basically kept most of the same actors playing the students through the whole series. I love watching all of the classmates grow up through the films. :)

I liked the subtle little mention of Percy's girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. She's focused on a bit more in the book, but in the film you see Percy walking down the hallway with a girl who he refers to as Penelope. (Is she even petrified in the film? I don't remember it happening...if it did, it must have been brushed over quickly.)

Having recently finished watching the first season of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, of course I recognized Phryne's aunt as Professor Sprout in this movie. :) The guy who plays Lockhart is perfect in that part. Apparently the first choice for Lockhart was Hugh Grant? Hm...that seems weird to me.

As with the first film, the end scene in the Chamber of Secrets is embellished a bit to make it more dramatic onscreen. :) And of course the absolute end, with Hermione and Hagrid coming back makes me all teary-eyed. I can hardly stand the idea of teddy-bear-ish Hagrid at Azkaban!

How do you feel about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?