First of all, the acting skills of our three heroes have greatly improved for this film (although it wasn’t terrible in the first movie by any means). Like Richard Griffiths commented in the Special Features of this film, the way Harry has “blossomed” is “really quite beautiful”, or something to that affect. I, personally, found it rather strange coming from the man who plays Vernon Dursley, but it’s too true all the same. The tone of this film also varied much more than the first. At some parts, the film had a much darker feel, and other parts were much lighter.
However, considering their acting again, some scenes did leave some more to be desired. I do understand that Dan is acting in front of a stick with a ball on top of it during the first Dobby scene, but the acting there really wasn’t that stellar. Harry and Ron in the Flying Ford Anglia while stuck in The Whomping Willow was not the greatest acting, mostly, I suppose, because they had to do so many cuts and takes that it lost its intensity.
Not only was the tone more varied, more little things were added that weren’t in the book. Most of what was added effectively helped to keep the movie upbeat and more humorous than the last, even though Hogwarts was much darker and scarier as a whole. For example, the scene where we first meet Dobby leading up to the cake on Mrs. Mason’s head made me laugh, along with the mandrake biting Draco’s finger (that one was truly precious), and much more. Directors can feel free to add little bits to these movies, but overall, the basic storyline was again, not changed much at all for this film either.
Despite the fact that Hogwarts becomes darker and scarier in this film, as previously mentioned, it at least starts out feeling more like home than even in the first film. Ron tells Harry as they’ve finally arrived at Hogwarts on their Flying Ford: “Welcome home, Harry”. Again, too true. That castle feels so much more like home than Privet Drive ever will for Harry, I’m sure. Also, Quidditch was great to see again, although it wasn’t much different from the first film. The fade-in to the game already in progress was nice, though.
One line that I enjoy from the film is: “Well, just leave him there”, which Madam Pompfrey says after Neville faints. It’s not very Hufflepuff-like, though, I wouldn’t think, but it’s still a humorous line, which makes her an even more enjoyable character.
Some details I didn’t like, though, are: Hermione’s parents, who are Muggles, are in Diagon Alley. Wait, what? Muggles in a Wizarding Shopping Center? Say it ain’t so! How about turning animals into water goblets during Transfiguration? It’s not a bad lesson, except for the part where Ron’s rat, Scabbers, isn’t actually a rat, and doing that spell with a “wand that needs replacing” should have had disastrous effects on Peter Pettigrew. Finally, A PROPER WIZARD NEVER DROPS HIS WAND. It just doesn’t make sense that Harry would drop is wand, running to save Ginny, leaving it in a perfect location for Tom Riddle to pick it up later. Also, does Lucius Malfoy start to say “Avada Kedavra”? It doesn’t seem right…
