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5 Plot Point Breakdown: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

By Pam Glazier · October 24, 2011

Screenplay Genre: Adventure / Family / Fantasy

Movie Time: 161 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

During a book signing for Gilderoy Lockheart (Kenneth Branagh), the new famous defense against the dark arts teacher, Luscius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) slips a book into Ginny Weasley’s (Bonnie Wright) cauldron.(00:21:00)

2. LOCK IN (End of Act One)

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) follows a mysterious voice that no one else can hear to Mrs. Norris—groundskeeper Filch’s (David Bradley) cat. Mrs. Norris has been petrified, and on the wall is written in blood: “The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir beware.” The groundskeeper accuses Harry, but there is a general consensus that Harry was in the wrong place at the wrong time. (00:42:24)

3. FIRST CULMINATION (Midpoint)

When Harry saves a student by telling a snake not to attack him, the whole school snubs him because they think he was actually egging the snake on. He is blamed again when he finds another victim, but Dumbledore (Richard Harris) believes him when he says he’s innocent.(01:13:10)

4. MAIN CULMINATION (End of Act Two)

After some close calls and wild-goose chases involving deadly giant spiders and magic diaries, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Harry discover where the chamber of secrets is and that the monster is a basilisk–and just in time too, Ginny Weasley has been taken to the chamber by the monster. All the adults are either gone or useless. It is up to Harry and Ron to save the day. (01:50:50)

5. THIRD ACT TWIST

Harry discovers that all the attacks were done by Ginny. She was under the spell of the book Luscius Malfoy put in her cauldron—Voldermort’s diary. It sapped the life out of her bit-by-bit as a way to bring back Voldermort (Christian Coulson). After defeating the Basilisk, Harry stabs the book, and it bleeds away all the power it had stored up. Voldermort is again defeated, and Ginny wakes from her unconsciousness. (02:09:07)


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