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Film, Video, Music, Theatre
The latest in the Harry Potter series has arrived to our screens, but is it any good?
I had a private viewing of this film on Saturday (just me and a bunch of 60 other cinema goers) in Mayo Movie World on Saturday night.
Not having read the books, I didn't know what to expect. Overall impressions are quite good. We see development of existing characters and introduction of new ones and, generally, it moves the story along very well. It's worth thinking of the first film as an introduction and this as a continuation (think Star Wars Episodes 1 and 2).
Young Harry is a prisoner in his Uncle's home. He receives an unexpected visitor in the form of a House Elf - a servant type for Wizards. A warning is issued not to return to Hogwarts as the elf's owners are planning something bad for Harry - but he can't say which family he works for.
Harry eventually hooks up with his good mate Ron Weasley and we meet Ron's family who all attend Hogwarts (his youngest sister Ginny having just started) and his dad (The Fast Show's Mark Williams) works as some sort of low-ranking Civil Servant for the Ministry of Magic. Money is tight for the family, but they manage.
Away they go to Diagon Alley to get their school books for the year where we meet Hermione Granger and the most excellent Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane works wonders as this guy). We also meet the infamous celebrity wizard Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) who gives Harry a copy of all his books (because Harry is also such a celebrity). The gang come across Lucius Malfoy, Draco's dad, who is an upper-class snob and hates all wizards who aren't pure bloods (i.e. don't have magic families). He makes a point of insulting young Hermione because her parents are "Muggles" (regular mortals) and Mr Weasley cause his job sometimes has him associating with Muggles. We're meant to go "boo hiss" here. Jason Isaacs plays this part perfectly - he looks eeeevil.
Eventually, Harry and Ron are forced to take a detour to get to Hogwarts and when they get there, mad things start happening. People and Pets are being pertrified (like being turned to stone) and blood-scrawled messages talk of the Heir of Slithirin and the Chamber of Secrets. It's clear there's a mystery to be solved - which family does Dobby the House Elf work for? Who is the Heir of the Wizard lord Slithirin (who was one of the founders of Hogwarts)? What and where is the Chamber of Secrets? What is Hagrid's involvement in all this?
That's enough on the plot - go watch the film for more.
Anyway, it's a very enjoyable film - I do have a few faults. The CGI was sometimes a little less than perfect, which, while still fantastic, in a world with Episode 2 and Lord of the Rings, needs to be better.
The film didn't quite grab a hold of me in the way I'd have liked it to - but it's easy to discount that because it's targeted at an audience ten years my junior.
It's definitly more "grown up" than the last one and darker. They're not afraid of scaring young ones this time round which only adds to it's atmosphere.
With the weather as bad as it is and the children only dying to go see it anyway, you'd do worse!
© Copyright 2006 by the author(s)/photographer(s) and www.castlebar.ie
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