Release Year: 2002

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Director: Chris Columbus

Writer: Steve Kloves

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

If you're anything like us, then you've dreamed of getting your Hogwarts letter since you were eleven years old.

But—again, if you're anything like us—the owl probably lost on its way to your house. And your poor Muggle parents just didn't know how to get to Diagon Alley to buy schoolbooks or how to catch the train at Platform 9 ¾. So you had to settle for a regular school where they taught kids boring things like math and reading.

Sigh.

But after watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets maybe you should be a teensy bit glad that owl got lost.

Harry and his friends at Hogwarts watch in horror as someone leaves ominous messages in the hallways about a mysterious Chamber of Secrets. Students are being attacked and petrified by an unseen creature and there are whispers about an "heir of Slytherin" who's come to kill Muggle-borns. Also the bathrooms just flood constantly.

Still want to hop aboard the Hogwarts Express?

Sure, the year before Harry was all caught up in the magic of Hogwarts. He was finding out about his past and his new wizard powers, flying on broomsticks, and learning spells. It's was all so enchanting. But now, things are taking a really dark turn. Now students and the school are in serious danger.

Cue the ominous (and iconic) music.

Back in 2002, Chamber of Secrets was just the second in a blockbuster Harry Potter movie franchise that would earn mega bucks and turn into a global phenomenon. But this slightly more sinister turn was important because it set the tone for what moviegoers could expect for future movies to come. By the time we get to Deathly Hallows, we're looking at a body count. Chamber of Secrets isn't gonna go full murder…but it's going to hint at the mayhem to follow.

Okay, so we have a couple of bits of info to get out of the way.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was one of only two Harry Potter movies that was never nominated for any Oscars. It's the second lowest grossing Potter movie in the series. And it consistency gets ranked among the worst books and movies of the original seven.

But this movie is most definitely worth your time. In fact, if you miss this movie, you'll be missing a whole lot of stuff that will become really important in later films.

Chamber of Secrets introduces a lot of big-deal characters like Lucius Malfoy and Dobby. Aragog has a part to play later, too. Even a necklace in that creepy Borgin and Burkes shop comes up again.

Oh, and there's this kid named Tom Riddle. You might want to be on the look out for him.

We'll find out more about what the young Voldemort is up to in future films, but Chamber of Secrets starts planting the seeds. This is where all the murderous madness begins, folks. Even Riddle's diary will become a major plot point right around the time Harry is turning sixteen. Trust us. The whole stabbing-the-book-with-a-basilisk-fang thing makes a whole lot more sense once you've seen Half-Blood Prince. And you figure out what a Horcrux is.

Seriously, just give it a few movies. You'll be right there.

So, yes, Chamber of Secrets might not make the tops of the official rankings list. But don't dismiss it just because it doesn't get the same number of stars as The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Because this movie sets the stage for everything that follows—from the darker tone to backstories. That kind of heavy lifting doesn't always get rave reviews, but its attention to world-building (and story-building) detail is delightful, fascinating and, as always, more than a bit magical.