Harry Potter Year 2 Ultimate Edition picks up right where the Sorcerer’s Stone left off – with similar production and packaging as the Year 1 Ultimate Edition (Read Year 1 Ultimate Review). As such, it brings the same great high-definition upgrade to the feature, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (actually, it looks slightly better than the first film, likely due to special features), and a wealth of features, but also comes with the same faults of recycled content and a DVD for the third disc when viewers are paying Blu-ray prices.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets sees Chris Columbus at the helm again, as the gang returns to Hogwarts for their second year of wizard training. This time though, Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) receives an urgent warning that bad things will ensue if he is to return. It wouldn’t be a movie if he didn’t go back though, and ginger troublemaker Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) shows up in a flying car to save him from his continually oppressive and misunderstanding family, and take him back to school.
Strange things begin to happen, with people becoming petrified and writing in blood discovered on the walls, and Potter is starting to look like the most probable culprit of the actions. A new, wonky professor comes to Hogwarts, while Draco’s father is eerily lurking about. All-in-all, Chamber of Secrets is a better flick than the first, being freed from the origin story burden. The action is more dynamic, the special effects look better and the actors start coming into their own, and the ending is pretty kickass for a PG movie.
Because of better visual quality overall, Chamber of Secrets looks even better than the first in high-definition. Once again, the theatrical version offers an “In-Movie Experience” packed with special features, while an extended version offers 16 minutes of additional footage spliced into the feature. But once again, that material is recycled two more times within the boxed set. And once again, the final disc of the three-disc set is a DVD, which is just unacceptable when the original list price is $10 more than just buying the DVD set.
The second part of the documentary focuses on the characters, and that material is supplemented by screen tests of the main children, which is fun to see. The included book, like the documentary, focuses on characters, offering cool photo strips of the characters from years 1 through 6. The character cards included in with Year 2 are Rubeus Hagrid and Severus Snape.
Year 2 is identical to the format of the Year 1 Ultimate Edition, so fans of Warner’s special hard box set will enjoy its sequel. The film is slightly better, and looks slightly better in HD. The documentary offers a wealth of interesting content for Muggles looking for a deeper look into the World of Harry Potter. But again, the Ultimate Edition is a pricey upgrade that doesn’t quite go full throttle. At this point, Warner is ultimately tied to the format to keep these things looking good next to each other on the shelf, as well as continue the documentary series and finish the card collection. And that’s fine; the Harry Potter Ultimate Editions have a lot going for them. But please, oh please, if it’s labeled as Blu-ray high-definition, please give us all of the content the full HD treatment on the rest of the series.
Special Features:
- The Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Blu-ray disc is presented in 1080p high-definition 16×9 2.4:1 aspect ratio video; with English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The theatrical version is presented with DTS-HD Master Audio English 6.1 and Dolby Digital French, Spanish and Portuguese 5.1 EX audio. The extended version is presented with DTS-HD master Audio English 5.1 and Dolby Digital French, Spanish and Portuguese 5.1 audio.
- The special features are partially presented in 1080p or 1080i high definition, and partially in 480p or 480i standard definition video; stereo audio; with English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles (select bonus material).
- In-Movie Experience (Theatrical Version)
- BD Live
- Screen Tests of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
- Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 2: Characters
- Over 16 Minutes of Additional Scenes
- HBO First Look Special: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Revealead
- Comprehensive Gallery of Trailers and TV Spots
- Conversation with Author J.K. Rowling and Screenwriter Steve Kloves
- Over 16 Minutes of Additional Scenes
- Production Sketches Gallery
- Build a Scene
- Tour the Chamber of Secrets, Diagon Alley, Dumbledore’s Office
- Student Yearbook Character Q&As
- Professors and More Character Snapshots
- 48-Page Photo Book with Rare Images from Years 1-7
- Two in a Series of Character Cards
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Studio: Warner Bros
Release Date: Dec. 8, 2009
Rating: 8.5 / 10
About the Writer
Bill Jones is the editor-in-chief of padsandpanels.com, a site dedicated to the coverage of comics and games.
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