Critic's Grade: B

If "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was comparable to the scope and grandeur of George Lucas' "Star Wars," then its plot-progressive follow-up, "The Chamber of Secrets," could easily be the most ambitious sequel of the genre since "The Empire Strikes Back." Much like that popular sequel, this new entry takes the loose ends left by the first film and expands on them, adding new characters and creatures, new settings and locations, and more magic tricks and elements of sorcery. The movie is also big on mystery and remains as elusive as its predecessor, while also taking things a little more to the extreme than was dared before.

To be honest, the new film is basically a carbon copy of the first, with a few new waves of the magic wand used as needed; it just so happens that this sense of familiarity adds to the experience while also acting as a deterrent. In his attempt to recapture the magic that was "Sorcerer's Stone" while also remaining true to the source novel, director Chris Columbus has transmuted rather than transformed author J.K. Rowling's world into another children's fantasy crowd-pleaser, one that earns its own marks for craftsmanship and creativity, but can't quite hold a candle to the first.

Right from the get-go, we're introduced to the repressed home life of young wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), who has returned to the negligent care of the Dursleys after saving the day at Hogwarts the previous school year. This time around, Harry receives a unique visitor, a floppy-eared creature named Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones) who refers to himself in the third person and pleads with Harry not to return to school for the upcoming semester. Ignoring the warning, Harry once again arrives at the school of wizardry, along with his pals Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), who all become enshrouded in an intricate puzzle surrounding a hidden room known as the chamber of secrets, which threatens the safety of the school and the students.

In addition to the former roles, new additions keep popping up here and there to keep things lively. Reprising their roles, Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson are able to once again find that camaraderie that is essential to their characters, with Grint stealing the show with his facial expressions and mannerisms. Richard Harris and Maggie Smith are always spot-on as the school's headmasters, and Alan Rickman fills his scenes with sinister, supercharged wit and humor. Newcomer Kenneth Branagh plays the boastful buffoon wizard Gilderoy Lockhart, and Jason Isaac is a completely delicious villain as Lucius Malfoy, who practically promises the audience that he'll be back for another round.

As far as differences go, those just described in the plot summation above pretty much cover it. The process by which the clues relating to the mystery are unveiled follows a pattern not unlike that of "Sorcerer's Stone," as does the story, which includes everything from scenes of life in the classrooms of Hogwarts, to another rip-roaring Quidditch match that makes the one in the previous film look mild by comparison. In terms of bringing the book to life both visually and emotionally, Columbus has done a respectable job of achieving the same charm and childlike quality he bestowed upon the previous movie, and for the most part, it pays off.

So what is it about "Chamber of Secrets" that didn't completely sell me on the sum of its parts? I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I liked the characters and the story, and the production values and special effects retain just the right hint of artificiality to keep our imaginations fully energized. Perhaps the fact that the new wonders to behold aren't so new is what's bugging me: scenes like the Quidditch match and big reveals of rooms, corridors, and expansive interior spaces, are well-executed and nice to look at, but very much akin to those that came before it. I remember marveling wide-eyed over the sheer scope and size of "Sorcerer's Stone," whereas with this film, there were quite a few times when all I could muster was a smile of appreciation.

Undoubtedly, the film is assured a successful life at the box office, will do excellent business in a home video release, and admittedly, it has many attributes and moments of fancy. I just got the feeling that some of these moments were working to detract from others that make us feel as if we're watching both the fly in the ointment and the ointment itself.

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