Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Critic Reviews

91%

MovieWeb: 16 reviews

83%

RottenTomatoes: 203 reviews

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Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly (Top Critic)

75

An improvement on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Full Review » 10 years ago
A.O. Scott New York Times (Top Critic)

60

A little better than Sorcerer's Stone.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Peter Bradshaw Guardian [UK] (Top Critic)

60

For the time being, the Harry Potter thrill ride is whizzing along very satisfactorily indeed.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Claudia Puig USA Today (Top Critic)

88

Just as there is more magic conjured up in Chamber of Secrets the book, Chamber of Secrets the movie weaves a more powerful spell over its audience.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Desson Thomson Washington Post (Top Critic)

Most viewers, especially the younger ones, will reap its joys.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Stephen Hunter Washington Post (Top Critic)

Big, dull and empty.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Ty Burr Boston Globe (Top Critic)

75

Entertaining and moves nimbly enough to keep your way-back seat from turning to stone.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Ed Park Village Voice (Top Critic)

Chamber's charm lies in the sheer visualization of Rowling's weirder inventions.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Eric Harrison Houston Chronicle (Top Critic)

84

This movie, like the first, is more of a translation than an adaptation. It's the visual equivalent of an audio book, slightly abridged.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Philip Wuntch Dallas Morning News (Top Critic)

75

As The Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars, so Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is to last year's freshman introduction. In short, it's bigger and better.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Steven Rosen Denver Post (Top Critic)

88

Not only are the special effects and narrative flow much improved, and Daniel Radcliffe more emotionally assertive this time around as Harry, but the film conjures the magic of author J.K. Rowling's books.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Peter Rainer New York Magazine (Top Critic)

Represents a lost opportunity to give children, not to mention adults, a movie experience that would widen their eyes as the justly beloved Rowling books did.
Full Review » 9 years ago
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times (Top Critic)

100

The first movie was the setup, and this one is the payoff.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Mark Caro Chicago Tribune (Top Critic)

63

It remains an expertly assembled companion piece to its source material, with charms you can't overlook. But the great Harry Potter should be casting a more powerful spell.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer (Top Critic)

75

Darker, scarier and somewhat better than Sorcerer's Stone
Full Review » 10 years ago
Susan Stark Detroit News (Top Critic)

75

Dark, resonant, inventively detailed and packed with fleet turns of plot and a feast of visual amazement.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Arizona Republic (Top Critic)

80

Full Review » 10 years ago
Rex Reed New York Observer (Top Critic)

In all fairness, I must report that the children of varying ages in my audience never coughed, fidgeted or romped up and down the aisles for bathroom breaks.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Todd McCarthy Variety (Top Critic)

It is on every count a better movie than last year's first film installment.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Lou Lumenick New York Post (Top Critic)

63

Crammed full of labyrinthine plot twists, this second installment will delight Potter-crazy kids even as their parents grow restless at the 2-hour-and -41-minute running time.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel (Top Critic)

80

The whole Harry Potter thing may not be as fresh for moviegoers as it was last year, but thankfully Chamber of Secrets is well-crafted.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Roger Moore Orlando Sentinel (Top Critic)

40

Yes, it's the same movie as Harry Potter the First. The very same, save for the flying car. That they stole from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Peter Howell Toronto Star (Top Critic)

60

Much of what made the first film so enchanting remains firmly in place, from the strong ensemble performances through Stuart Craig's magnificent production design.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Rick Groen Globe and Mail (Top Critic)

75

Two-and-a-half hours of unadulterated fun.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Stephanie Zacharek Salon.com (Top Critic)

Despite terrific special effects and funnier gags, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets finds a way to make J.K. Rowling's marvelous series into a deadly bore.
Full Review » 10 years ago