Parents warned on Harry Potter

Parents have been warned by the director of the new Harry Potter film that it will be scarier and darker than the first.

The second Harry Potter film is almost here and this time it’s darker and scarier than anything that’s gone before.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a sinister force is terrorising Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the young wizard must use all his powers to discover its source.

The film stays faithful to author JK Rowling’s book and her legions of Potter fans won’t be disappointed.

Whereas the first film took time to set the scene and introduce the characters, this one jumps straight into the adventure.

It is crammed with spectacular set pieces and special effects, from a flying Ford Anglia to an ambush by giant spiders.

Director Chris Columbus keeps up the action, including a brilliantly-filmed high-octane Quidditch match, and the film is never boring.

This is just as well, because at two hours and 40 minutes it is very long and could prove something of an endurance test for younger children.

Daniel Radcliffe returns to the role of Harry, who is reunited with friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

His voice has broken since the last time we saw him, giving audiences a bit of a surprise the first time he opens his mouth.

Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane and Dame Maggie Smith are also back at Hogwart’s for a second time.

But the undoubted star of the film is Kenneth Branagh, who steals every scene he’s in as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart.

He does a glorious comedy turn as the flamboyant professor obsessed with his own image and desperate to disguise his lack of wizardry skills.

The Chamber of Secrets is unlikely to match the success of the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

The preceding hype helped it to become the second highest grossing film in cinema history, behind Titanic.

Potter fans privileged enough to have had a sneak preview are divided over whether it is better than the first.

But all agree it is a great film and a surefire hit, guaranteed to shoot to the top of the box office charts when it is released on November 15.

One word of warning, though. If you have a fear of spiders, give this film a wide berth. Otherwise you’ll be having nightmares long after Harry has hung up his broomstick.