Chamber of Secrets - first thoughts

So, it was off to see the wizards this evening. A packed cinema - with plenty of unaccompanied adults. Initial reaction: well, I left with a big silly grin on my face, so...

• Taking a leaf out of Peter Jackson's book, they've definitely taken more liberties this time around - large chunks of the book not central to the plot have been pared down, and various other sequences have been extended, I think this makes CoS work better as a film then PS was.
• Jar Jar Dobby - ho hum. Somewhat irksome, although not as annoying as he could have been, and he does get a couple of good moments.
• The kids - Harry & Hermione have more depth in this outing, and Dan and Emma are both great. Ron, however, is somewhat relegated to the "dumb sidekick" role. Ginny - considering her central role - is IMO somewhat underused. Draco is variable - plenty of good moments, but the Slytherin common-room scene in particular is pretty poor.
• The newcomers - Ken Branagh and Jason Isaacs are both fantastic, Lockhart and Lucius both stealing pretty much every scene they're in.
• The effects are much improved over PS - Quidditch in particular looked much more realistic, and there's nothing approaching the awfulness of the troll - the basilisk is much more impressive.
• The exteriors for Kings Cross are actually neighbouring St. Pancras station - a much more attractive building.
• There are moments for fans of pretty much every Ship in this movie. Even some of the more disturbing ones...

Oh, and a word to the wise - don't leave the cinema before the end of the credits.