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The Daily OrangeReview: Adolescent cast adds quirks to Harry Potter film
By Rachel Chang
Posted: 11/18/02, 1:39 AM EST Section: Feature
There’s one thing even Harry Potter cannot control — adolescence.
Voices crack and leap between octaves, and growth spurts come and go throughout the second film installment of the universally popular book series, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
The problem with casting the more-than-perfect young actors to play the protagonists Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, is that they grow faster than the speed of movie production. Since the movies are filmed out of sequence, the relative heights of the three kept changing throughout the film, with Ron (Rupert Grint) towering above Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) at the beginning of the film, but closer to Harry’s height later on.
The flying car joy ride scene, especially, looked like a flashback from pre-adolescence, perhaps because it was the first scene filmed last November, just as the first movie hit theaters.
But the magic of the trio’s sophomore year at Hogwarts clouds the pre-teen actors’ physical appearances, transporting the audience out of their sticky movie theater seats and into the picturesque and even-more-magical-than-the-first setting of the wizard’s world.
With far more special effects than its predecessor, each successive scene offers a new overwhelming visual spectacle including an aerial car chase, screaming mandrake plants, bouncing pixies, an eye-numbing Quidditch match and a creepy cave overflowing with spine-chilling spiders. These effects make the sequel scarier and more action-packed than the first, transforming the weaker book into the more exciting of the two films.
Having already won over audiences with his dedication to the original text in the first book, director Chris Columbus took liberties to add bits of humor to the scenes, including a snippet after the credits roll, without taking away from the essence of the books.
Although the film drags just a tad during parts of its 2 hour and 41 minute run, the quick-cutting scenes, not always critical to the film’s plot but essential to staying true to the books, help guide the film through its numerous sets. All are beautifully built, down to the most minute decorations of the Chamber of Secrets.
Voices crack and leap between octaves, and growth spurts come and go throughout the second film installment of the universally popular book series, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
The problem with casting the more-than-perfect young actors to play the protagonists Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, is that they grow faster than the speed of movie production. Since the movies are filmed out of sequence, the relative heights of the three kept changing throughout the film, with Ron (Rupert Grint) towering above Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) at the beginning of the film, but closer to Harry’s height later on.
The flying car joy ride scene, especially, looked like a flashback from pre-adolescence, perhaps because it was the first scene filmed last November, just as the first movie hit theaters.
But the magic of the trio’s sophomore year at Hogwarts clouds the pre-teen actors’ physical appearances, transporting the audience out of their sticky movie theater seats and into the picturesque and even-more-magical-than-the-first setting of the wizard’s world.
With far more special effects than its predecessor, each successive scene offers a new overwhelming visual spectacle including an aerial car chase, screaming mandrake plants, bouncing pixies, an eye-numbing Quidditch match and a creepy cave overflowing with spine-chilling spiders. These effects make the sequel scarier and more action-packed than the first, transforming the weaker book into the more exciting of the two films.
Having already won over audiences with his dedication to the original text in the first book, director Chris Columbus took liberties to add bits of humor to the scenes, including a snippet after the credits roll, without taking away from the essence of the books.
Although the film drags just a tad during parts of its 2 hour and 41 minute run, the quick-cutting scenes, not always critical to the film’s plot but essential to staying true to the books, help guide the film through its numerous sets. All are beautifully built, down to the most minute decorations of the Chamber of Secrets.
