Harry Potter meets expectations

Going to the theater to see a new release is like sugar - there's no real substitute. Nearly three years ago I watched my last movie at the theater. Back in those days it was, well, the same as now, too bloody costly. Infrequent visits have been made to the dollar theater over the last few years, where everything is cheaper, smaller and less thrilling. Only one person could bring me out of my penny-pinching ways: Harry Potter. Walking into this theater, I expected good things from this movie - maybe too much. It's asking a lot to follow in the successful shoes of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. After all, it's hard to beat the first one, but this one does just that. Like The Sorcerer's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets is an extremely close adaptation of J.K. Rowling's book. The Chamber of Secrets, however, spends less time setting up the story and more time on dramatic action, like Harry and Ron's exhilarating trip to Hogwarts in a flying car. Diehard Harry Potter fans have already read the books and know what to expect. But it's still a surprise to see how your mind's eye compares to the set-up of the books' events. And nobody - nobody - could possibly imagine what Dobby, the house elf who tries to prevent Harry from leaving the Dursleys, looks like. House elves aren't that common in Hollywood these days. Dobby is one of the new characters along with Lucius Malfoy, the father of Harry's nemesis Draco, and Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The old cast is still there complete with Harry's gang, Ron and Hermione, Draco and his buddies, Professors Snape and McGonagall and Dumbledore. The Chamber of Secrets is a section of the house built by Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. It can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, which many at Hogwarts soon believe is Harry after unfortunate incidents, like speaking to snakes in parseltongue. This movie is on the longer side, packed with nearly two and a half hours of action adventure. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is playing at Cinemark's Tiseltown, Farragut Towne Square, Foothills 12, Knoxville Center, Halls Cinema 7 and West Town Mall. Rating: A