Harry Potter: A Comparison, Vol. 2

So we come to book/movie two: Chamber of Secrets. Upon first reading it was my least favorite of the series because if felt like a rehash of danger we already encountered. I was not terribly impressed with the "Voldemort sort of comes back but not really, and he almost could do damage, but not really" way that Secrets dealt with the Big Bad. That meant it was never anything special to me.
There were some great parts to be sure. Lockhart may be the first completely comical character in the series. Certainly others have been funny, or had funny lines, but Lockhart was introduced as a fool from the beginning and only grows more ridiculous from there. We are never meant to take him seriously, and though we may not know why he is such a fraud, or how he is managing to keep his incompetence under wraps, we as readers know early on that he is more jester than true character. That and some nice interaction between Harry and the extended Weasley family are really all I took away from the second book.

When the movie came out, I actually liked it a bit more than I had remembered liking the book. No glaring plot omissions, solid casting, and the young actors were learning nuances (Rupert Grint in particular really learned the art of timing a sarcastic side comment quite well). The fourth book had been published by the time Chamber of Secrets the movie came out, so I was completely engrossed in the world, and it no longer matter that I felt like it was more of an extension of the first movie than a movie that could stand on its own. I was just glad to have another way to experience that world.

Because of my ambivalence, when I go back and reread or rewatch, I often just skim the second book or skip the movie entirely. This time however, I reviewed both. And was I ever in for a surprise! The second book comes alive in the rereading, once you know where the story is going. It makes the first awkward interactions between Harry and Ginny mean much more, and the introduction of Dobby so much more important than the "lead" new character of Lockhart. Most importantly though, it introduces the Horcruxes, even if you didn't know it at the time. It shows that JK Rowling knew exactly what she was writing, how to get there, and how much to reveal and when.

So while some things are best experienced the first time through, when everything is fresh and surprises still shock, Chamber of Secrets just gets better with each read and viewing. So whichever medium you decide to do again, make sure you don't skip over the Chamber of Secrets. You will be missing some important canonical moments you may have missed, along with the laughs that jumped out the first time.