Harry Potterhas been a part of children’s lives for many years now. Some might not have noticed how long ago exactly these stories came to the big screen. November 2022 saw the 20th anniversary of the release of the franchise’s second movie,Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. The book is a bit older, having been released in 1998, and is soon having its 25th anniversary.
When a story reaches an important anniversary, as has happened withThe Chamber of Secrets, fans can’t help but be nostalgic. It is surprising that this story has continued to be so popular, even after all this time. There have been controversies surrounding the author, J.K. Rowling, especially regarding transgender issues, and for many this has tarnished the franchise’s image. While discriminatory behavior won’t be tolerated, it is still interesting to go back and dive into this story once again.
Here is a look back at the movieHarry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, as well as why the franchise was so popular and unique.
The Harry Potter Franchise
For over 20 years, the boy who lived has been a part of children’s and adults’ lives. Stories with children as the targeted audience were always around. However,Harry Pottercompletely changed the game: it showed the literary market (and later on cinema) how profitable they could be. Now, this fantastical tale has not been forgotten - on the contrary. With theme parks at Universal Studios, spin-off movies, and a play, the wizarding world has never been stronger.
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TheHarry Potterbooks are thehighest-selling series of novelsby a long shot. It is estimated that the author sold at least 500 million copies in research done in 2020. This equates to over 150 million more than any other series of books. What was accomplished is ridiculously impressive, and the faithful adaptations of these stories certainly helped enhance the popularity. Due to the recent anniversary of the second movie, it is nice to go back and see the highlights of the movie and why it still stands apart from all others.
The Second Harry Potter Movie Is a Dark Story
Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secretswas released in November 2002. The wizarding world and its characters have been immortalized by the movies and the novels, creating a true legacy that will surpass generations to come.
A surprising element in the second movie, though, is how dark it is. Granted,Harry Potteris not known to be lighthearted at all times, especially in the last couple of films. However, the first three are the lighter ones regarding tone and storylines. Nevertheless, in this movie, things start to take a much darker tone than in the previous one and arguably even the third movie. The narrative has some dark and truly scary elements in it (along with someterrifyingHarry Pottercreatures), from the Basilisk creepily whispering that it’s “time to kill” in a voice that only Harry can hear and scribbles on the wall made with blood, to gigantic spiders and their millions of children in the Forbidden Forest. These are elements taken from thehorror genre and placed in a PG movie.
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But the movie goes beyond scary elements: it shines a light on dark matters such as discrimination. Malfoy calls Hermione ‘mud-blood’ introducing the idea of superiority among the wizards. Those who have muggle parents or parents (who are not witches or wizards) are seen as inferior. So much so that Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts, wanted to ‘clean’ the school: so he created the Chamber of Secrets and placed a monster inside. Death is not unusual in this world, but they discover that a kid was murdered inside the school. There is even a grim scene set in the past, where a body beneath a white sheet is escorted out of the school; who ends up being Moaning Myrtle. These are some of the best elements of the movie, and why it still feels fresh even 20 years later.
Harry Potter Doesn’t Dumb it Down for Kids
A great misconception is that for kids to be able to understand a story it has to be simple and direct. However,Harry Potter’s whole franchise is built on the exact opposite. This is especially noticeable in the second movie. The mystery is complex and has no easy way out. Yes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes, at the final battle appears ‘out of nowhere’ and enters the Chamber of Secrets. However, Harry still has to fight the Basilisk (and ends up with one of its teeth stuck in his arm); the mythological bird only helps him. Multiple storylines interconnect, informing one another and creating a deep spider web of narratives that enhance how well-constructed the world is.
Most young adult and kids fantasy stories that came afterHarry Potterare not able to recreate or have an ounce of the popularity this wizarding world still has, and that refusal to dumb things down for kids is one of the main reasons why. The movies and novels continue to be enjoyable even after growing older. Maybe a kid won’t truly comprehend Dumbledore’s commentary on Lucius Malfoy threatening to curse the wizards on the Ministry of Magic if they didn’t agree that the director should step down, but they feel the outrage of the characters and know that this way of thinking is not right. This happens with the storyline of Dobby, the house elf. A child may not be able to fully understand the circumstances that Dobby is in as he is a slave for a wealthy family, but they capture the essence of how bad it is.
In a broader sense,Harry Potterdoesn’t underestimate its audience, no matter their age. It tells its story beautifully in all aspects and combines magic with real-life issues that need to be discussed – and should be introduced, in this ludic way, to children as they will grow up and quickly understand them.
