Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Working in reverse, Warner Brothers has finally completed the Harry Potter transition over to 4K with the first 4 films as well as a complete 4K UHD boxset of the entire 8 film franchise a few weeks back. Thankfully Warner Brothers has seen fit to allow us to review all 4 of them and answer the question of WHY the reverse release. While the last 4 films were upscales from a previous 2K master, #’s 1-4 have been given full on 4K masters as well as extensive color correction and HDR encoding to make them the very best they can be for the UHD format. All of them replace some very weary VC-1 mastered Blu-rays that definitely could have used the facelift, and with that new comes these shiny new releases. The only caveat being that they are theatrical only editions, and left off the extended editions from the Ultimate releases a few years back (although the Blu-ray discs included in all 8 films are the Ultimate Edition cuts).

The Chamber of Secrets starts out with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) back in his home in jolly old England, just as he arrives on his 12th birthday. Just like the previous year, its time to get whisked away to Hogwarts, and is thusly transported thanks to Ron (Rupert Grint) and his father’s flying car. While last season gave us just hints of what was to come, the second year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry is going to be a bit of a doozy for the 12 year old boy. A little house elf by the name of Dobby (fan favorite by the way) warns Harry not to go back, but the young wizard does so anyways, and soon becomes the focus of a larger plot that will threaten the lives of everyone at Hogwarts, as well as reveal the story’s main villain (or at least a shade of him).

A dark force is terrorizing the school. Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) is seeing strange things, and blood soaked messages are appearing on the wall. As usual, most people are stumped, but Harry Potter and his inquisitiveness won’t allow the boy and his friends to sit idle, while people are magically appearing frozen in stone, and others seem to go missing. Not to mention the fact that Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is becoming an even BIGGER thorn in Harry’s side, and his malevolent father, Lucius (a scene stealing Jason Isaacs) is there with a much more imposing mission at hand.

The second film in the Harry Potter franchise is much darker and more viscerally scary than its predecessor. The film does follow much of the pattern of the first (Harry goes to Hogwarts, has to learn new spells and potions, then has a quidditch match and has to figure out a way to save the school), but the levels of exposition and ground work laying has been mostly done in The Sorcerer’s Stone, so the 2nd half of The Chamber of Secrets focuses in on the diary of young Tom Riddle, and the mysterious chamber of secrets that lies under the foundation of the school. At the same time, there still is quite a bit of ground work being laid, as we get to see the formation of what would become Harry Potter’s most iconic villain, and what his attachment to the school is (even though much more is to be learned in the sequels).

I’ve always been amazed at the fact that the Harry Potter films can come close to THREE hours without seeming like they are over stuffed, or go on for way too long. A couple in the latter half of the series get a little longer in the tooth, but The Chamber of Secrets clocks in at 20 minutes shy of 3 hours, and still feels like it could have gone on a while longer. No small feat in and of itself. I do admit, looking back, that the child actors haven’t really matured enough to make some of the dialog as well done as later films (some of Harry’s and Ron’s dialog is delivered rather poorly), you can see the foundation for what will become a much more mature and wizened wizard as time goes on.




Rating:

Rated PG for scary moments, some creature violence and mild language




Video:

Another 5 stars for Gryffindor! Yup, you guessed it. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets follows up with another stunning UHD transfer, just like The Sorcerer’s Stone. The film has undergone a brand new 4K scan, along with some very intensive color correction and HDR encode to make this the definitive version of the film, visually speaking. Like usual, the film is mainly in Hogwarts, with all the dimly lit corridors and underground chambers that you can imagine, employing the typical grey and light teal color grading that was typical of the first few films (before Yates took over and turned everything almost monochromatic). Textures and details stand out as viscerally impressive, with stone walls showing pores and crevices that I was never able to see with the sub par (at least by today’s standards) VC-1 encoded Blu-ray. The outdoor shots really show the most benefit though, with the Quidditch game showcasing the bright maroon shades of the uniforms, or the burst of spell from a wand tip. One of the biggest upgrades that I noticed was how distinct and clear each individual was in the great hall. Instead of a mass of people with our heroes in the foreground, you can actually make out individual and very distinct features of people in the background in the 4K version. Overall, I’m HUGELY impressed with the video upgrades these films have demonstrated thus far, and hope that #’s 3 and 4 show the same upticks in quality.






Audio:

The DTS:X mix is every bit as impressive as the other Potter films so far, and a very nice upgrade over the 5.1 PCM and 6.1 DTS-HD MA tracks of the varying versions of the Blu-ray by a decent margin. I’ve always liked Atmos over DTS:X in this new format (strange, since I rather liked DTS-HD MA over TrueHD in the Blu-ray battle), but these DTS:X object oriented tracks are a true delight to listen to. Sonic clarity is bar none, and the dialog is above reproach like all the rest, but the real joy comes from the directionality of the track. The quidditch match with Harry being chased by Draco is one of the biggest highlights of the mix, with Harry and Draco whizzing all over the sound stage after the golden snitch. It’s a sonic delight, with overheads engaged as actively as the surrounds and front speakers, and the LFE comes out to play with visceral power when called upon (the underground scene with the spiders and creepy crawlies is especially impressive).





Extras:

• Creating the World of Harry Potter, Part 2: Characters
• The Chamber of Secrets Revealed
• Screen Tests
• Deleted Scnes
• Trailers and TV Spots
• Feature Length PIP Commentary

Final Score: ​

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is another fun entry into the initial creation of the Potter lore, and is a definite upgrade over the decidedly aged Sorcerer’s Stone. The 4K UHD specs are on par with its predecessor, making it one of the single best UHD discs I’ve seen recently. I don’t like handing out 5/5 ratings on PQ for a fledgling format, but these 4K remasters of the original 4 films are proving to be worthy additions to that category. Like its predecessor, The Chamber of Secrets has only the theatrical version on the UHD disc, and not the extended cut that can be found on the Blu-ray included in the pack, which is a slight disappointment, but is made up for by the fact that the video and audio are incredibly well worth it. The same thing applies to the special features. The UHD disc doesn’t contain any new extras, so the extras on board will all be housed on the 2 included Blu-rays (minus the 3rd DVD disc of special features found on the Ultimate Edition Blu-ray set). All in all a very good buy for fans of the Potter films.





Technical Specifications:

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emily Watson, Rupert Grint
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Written by: Steve Kloves (Screenplay), J.K. Rowling
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS:X (DTS-HD MA 7.1 Core), French, Spanish DD 5.1, English DVS
Studio: Warner
Rated: PG
Runtime: 161 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: Own all eight Harry Potter films on Ultra HD Blu-ray on November 7th!

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Great Buy

 

[Todd Anderson]

You lucky duck... are you plowing through the entire Potter series in 4K HDR with DTS:X????

 

[Michael Scott]

Well. I am the first four. I already reviewed the final four about 6 months ago

 

[Todd Anderson]

Ah... right on.

Is this being sold as a set anywhere?

 

[tripplej]

Wow. What a great marathon to do..

Thanks for the review and the recommendation.

 

[Michael Scott]

Ah... right on.

Is this being sold as a set anywhere?

yup

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/harry-potter-collection-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray/6100141.p?skuId=6100141