'Potter' sequel surprisingly dark

The first of many blockbuster films planned for release this holiday season, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is an interesting, if surprisingly dark, film.\nHarry (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself beginning his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after enduring a miserable summer break with his adoptive parents. Yet, Harry quickly finds himself dealing with a number of bizarre (even for a wizard) events in his life, from a self-abusive house elf named Dobby (voice of Toby Jones) to a series of mysterious attacks on students at Hogwarts.\nFrom the outset, this film has a considerably grimmer feel than the original "Harry Potter," but considering that the tone of the books also grows notably darker as the series progresses, this should be no great surprise.\nDirector Chris Columbus handles these darker elements well, but the fact that certain terrifying creatures are now brought off of the page, projected onto the silver screen and accompanied by booming surround sound was frequently too much for several small children at the screening I attended. If you have younger brothers or sisters who are interested in seeing the film, you may want to screen it beforehand, or at the very least stay with them to watch it.\nAdditionally, Columbus seems infatuated with computer-generated characters, and while the animation of characters in this film is considerably better than that of the troll in "Sorcerer's Stone," it is still a bit jarring, conjuring up memories of Jar Jar Binks or the computer-animated Yoda of "Star Wars: Episode II" (the character of Dobby is particularly guilty in this regard).\nAlso of note is the length of the film, which weighs in at a hefty 161 minutes, which, for comparison, is only 17 minutes shorter than the first "Lord of the Rings" movie. I mention this because at several points in the movie, the narrative pacing slows considerably. Some of this is due to the sheer amount of information the movie is throwing at you, since exposition in a movie is considerably trickier than in a book, where a quick paragraph can fill a reader in on back-story. There are at least four places where characters are forced to go into a bit of excessive detail in order to ensure the audience is following, and it is a bit jarring.\nIt is important to remember, though, that the target audience of Harry Potter is primarily children, and while certain parts of the film are rather intense for that age group, the film is very clearly geared toward them. Older viewers might have a little bit more difficulty getting into the film, but as a piece of escapist fun, the movie is definitely worth your time.