Green Phoenix - Fun and Fancy Free Review

Last time, I took a look at Melody Time, the musical anthology film released by Disney in 1948. The era of Disney animated films between Bambi (released in 1942) and Cinderella (released in 1950), what I call the Post-War Era, represents what I think is a truly unique time in the history of animation. Animated movies were still comparatively new (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had been released in 1937) and Disney was still basically the only company making full-length feature films.

The Disney Company during this period was dealing with the national obligations and immediate fallout of World War 2, as many Disney animators, writers, and actors found themselves drafted into the war effort, either through direct military action or in the use of Disney resources towards war propaganda and bond promotion. The result was the delay, re-imagining, or outright cancellation of many Disney projects in favor of releases that would be easier to handle on a wartime budget and immediate post-war reintegration of lost assets. This resulted in an era of Disney films that were almost exclusively anthology films, compilations of several shorts and cartoon segments, usually interconnected loosely by a common theme or thread.

Films like Make Mine Music and Melody Time focused on creating a Fantasia-esque experience utilizing popular music of the 30s and 40s. Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros served a socio-political function by promoting Latin American culture in the US to help garner allied support in Central and South America . But today's article is about a film which seems altogether different in vibe and energy, by focusing not on music or unique cultural experiences but a loose frame and focus of joy and optimism in face of adversity. A film that could only have come out on the heel of one of the greatest wars and atrocities in human history.

I am talking about the 1947 film, Fun and Fancy Free. I will not pretend that this film is anything other than an absolute product of its time. What I do wish to discuss below will be the unique nature of this film and whether or not it is worth watching in any capacity other than a pure fascination with this strange relic of a bygone cinematic time. 

***

Green Phoenix - Melody Time Review

 

In 1940, Walt Disney Productions released Fantasia, originally known as The Concert Feature. The idea behind Fantasia was to create an animated concert experience where animation would mix with classical and orchestral pieces to provide a unique entertainment experience, especially with the advent of surround sound in theaters (which Disney financed with participating theaters).

The ultimate goal, which went unfulfilled for many years, was for Fantasia to be a living experience, changing at every re-release. With every new release in theaters some new animated segments would be tied with old pieces or replace them to create a new and vibrant animated concert. Unfortunately, World War 2 and the audiences lukewarm reception to Fantasia left this idea of "the living animated concert" on the cutting-room floor (though in 2000 Disney would release a sequel film Fantasia 2000).

If Fantasia's living concert idea failed, the idea of an anthology film combining animation and music was far more prevalent, particularly with 1946's Make Mine Music (which provided content at a time when most of Disney's writers and animators were focused on the war effort) and the focus of today's review Melody Time, released in 1948.

But where Fantasia focused on combining classical music with animation, Melody Time is decidedly more "contemporary" (at least for the late 1940s). Does this modernity provide a unique feel or date the film?

Let's find out. 

***

Let's Talk...Avatar Legends

It is a rare series that can truly be considered revolutionary in the cultural zeitgeist. A show that can literally be the harbinger for transformation of an entire industry. A show like Avatar: The Last Airbender. Airing between 2005 and 2008, Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in a world comprised of four nations each based on the four classical elements (Earth, Fire, Water, and Air). In this world, there are people known as benders who are capable of manipulating one of the four elements based on their nation of origin. Only a single individual, known as the Avatar, is capable of bending all four elements at once. The Avatar's duty is to maintain peace between the four nations and the spirit world, a realm filled wit all kinds of strange

Beyond its cultural impact, I don't think it is too much of an exaggeration to say that Avatar: The Last Airbender also had a truly transformative impact upon my family growing up. It was the one "children's" show that my entire family would watch, oftentimes on replay as we had the entire DVD collection at home. We relished in the triumphs and tragedies, the beautiful music and themes, and I personally absolutely adored the expansive world-building presented to us.

And in the past 20 years, the Avatar universe has only vaguely been explored since The Last Airbender. Of course, there was The Legend of Korra, which was controversial within the community but otherwise until the last few years, Avatar seemed an abandoned IP. Thankfully, that is no longer the case and that is where today's article will be focusing. We are going to discuss the current lineup of Avatar properties, the upcoming projects and releases, and conjecture about interesting and fascinating potential areas to explore within the universe of Avatar, now more popularly referred to as Avatar Legends.

***

Green Phoenix - Inside the Enchanted Forests Review

You know, for all that I have been reviewing a variety of films and television programs whilst a part of this website, I haven't really taken advantage of all the streaming shows that are now available to me. I have occasionally perused Amazon Prime or Crunchyroll, but the variety of services has become almost saturated in recent years, giving me plenty of opportunities for new content to write about. Especially because I also want to start reviewing and recommending more nonfiction and documentary pieces.

I say all this to bring up the fact that Disney+ and Hulu have a wide variety of National Geographic nature documentaries available for viewing. I have absolutely adored nature documentaries and animal programming ever since I was a small child (thank you, Crocodile Hunter) and so when I saw the options for viewing, I was genuinely thrilled. The only question became, what do I review among the wide variety of nature documentaries?

Then I saw it. A six part nature documentary  series entitled Inside the Enchanted Forests, focusing on the vast array of forest and woodland biomes throughout the globe. A episodically light documentary with a light and whimsical tone was just the sort of thing to take a deeper look at.

***

Green Phoenix - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review

 

Watching a film. much like reading literature, is a deeply personal and introspective affair. Ones own personal experiences and history can have a profound impact upon the viewing of a work of media and this means that every film-going experience can be different and transformative in different ways. Especially if the content of that media presents subjects or situations which are deeply troubling for a viewing audience.

This can oftentimes result in the film becoming difficult to watch for some audiences, regardless of the overall quality of the piece in question. This is, I think, an apt descriptor for the experiences of triggering media on an audience.

I say all this because it's time once again to review the next entry in the Harry Potter franchise, the fifth film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the subject of triggering content is something that this film really touches on for me, as I will discuss later on.

Now, it's been a few months since I last reviewed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and a few years since I reviewed Prisoner of Azkaban, but now its time for me to take a look at the film that I would probably say is one of the most highly-regarded and structurally strongest films in the franchise. In some ways, I would say that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the golden standard and yet, as I will go over in the review proper, I also find this film the most difficult for me personally to get through and the one that I have probably watched the least as a result. 

***

Green Phoenix - Building Better Backstories VIII

It's been a while since my last edition of Building Better Backstories. In the past, I've discussed literary and cinematic alterations but this edition is both a first for me and something that I'm actually quite excited to discuss.

This eighth edition of Building Better Backstories will be the first to discuss the narrative of a video game. In particular the fourth and final game in the legendary Sly Cooper franchise: Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.

Released in 2013 by Sanzaru Games, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is visually and gameplay-wise, very similar to the previous entries of Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. However, where the game is almost universally disliked by fans of the franchise is in the area of story, as the fourth game in this franchise famous for well-established character-driven story moments feels almost lifeless and seems to even revel in making character twists and revelations that either hinder the games' storytelling potential and, at worst, make previous entries in the series feel shallow or worse because of the revelations.

With that in mind, I realized, after speaking with my sister who is also a huge fan of the series, that my mind had actually already come up with several solutions to this issue. So that is what I will do. I will go over the narrative problems in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and then lay out my solutions for fixing an average game and transforming it into what I would feel is a fantastic game.

***

Next Green Phoenix Article Delayed until February 14th

Hey Everybody!

 So I initially planned to release my next edition of Building Better Backstories VIII today. I was immensely excited for this article as it about a video game franchise that is quite near and dear to my nostalgia and childhood. However, my attempts to complete the article were delayed for a myriad of reasons, mostly involving work and my personal health.

As such, I have decided to delay the article's release for one week, in order to finish it properly and ensure that the article is at the level that I believe the subject matter truly deserves. I hope you will all return next week on February 14th, around 3PM for my next article when I will take a look at the story for Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and make the alterations to the story that I believe would've resulted in a better overall story.

 See you all then!

Green Phoenix

Green Phoenix - 8 Amazing Songs From Average Movies

Since cinemas very earliest beginnings, sound and music has played an essential role in enhancing the immersion and visual experience. Even in the age of silent films, music was often employed by the theater directly to better engage the audience and make us feel more, a quality that only increased in importance upon the introduction of films that produced sounds on their own.

Now usually, the role of a soundtrack or musical elements is to enhance the thematic or narrative presentation of the film, to better evoke an emotional reaction and to assist and aide in the entertainment experience. Music and sound is meant to enhance the viewing experience, not prioritize over it (as opposed to music videos, where the visuals enhance the music). Despite this general rule, there are times when a film is overshadowed by its soundtrack, or even a single song.

To start the new year, I've decided that these songs will be the focus of our first article. Those pieces in a soundtrack that completely overshadow the movie they were written for. Whether it is a particularly notable song in a musical or a song that was written as a tie-in piece for the credits, the only determinant for entry on this list will be a song that is arguably more well-regarded than the film it came on.

This isn't even to say that the film in question has to be terrible, just overshadowed by the quality of a superior sounding musical piece.

Perhaps that is a bit confusing but I think you all will understand the kind of songs I mean when you look at the list below.

***

Green Phoenix - Once Upon a Forest Review

There are times when you watch a film and it utterly transforms your life and fundamentally shifts the trajectory of your ambitions and dreams. It becomes the film you watch when things are at their best or worst, helping to refine what you consider good quality and oftentimes reflect the thematic aims of your own creative projects. As a professional film critic, I have been blessed to experience dozens of such films and TV shows, some considered legends and others guilty pleasures, but regardless remain a perpetual element of my memory. I could never forget such films.

Today's review, however, will not be on one of these films.

Instead, I will cover a movie that I definitely remember watching when I was a child, but only in the vaguest of terms and only when I happened to have that memory jogged by some particular mental trigger. Now I've mentioned films like that before, such as Rock-a-Doodle or the animated Dinotopia movie, but today's entry will be special; as it was a film that was born at the same time as FernGully: The Last Rainforest and even had a similar tone and thematic intention, but for some reason is not nearly as remembered (hint, its because of Tim Curry).

Today, we will discuss the 1993 animated adventure film, Once Upon a Forest. Based upon the children's book A Furling's Story by Rae Lambert, Once Upon a Forest is a strange blip in the animated zeitgeist, coming out at a time when animation was picking up in popularity due to the Disney Renaissance and the waning power of Don Bluth, yet it somehow managed to miss the strong nostalgic presence of some of its contemporary environmental films (like FernGully).

Is this forgotten nature deserved? Or is Once Upon a Forest a hidden gem that unfairly managed to slip into the chasm of obscurity?

 

***

Green Phoenix - Cats Don't Dance Review

This month's review is going to be very interesting, as 1997's Cats Don't Dance wasn't really a film that I was familiar with because I watched it a lot as a child, but rather because of the trailer. Growing up, my sister and I loved watching the 1996 sports comedy Space Jam (yes, the Michael Jordan/Looney Tunes project). Rocking out to the music (before the musician behind the best song in the film got revealed to be just awful), enjoying the slapstick comedy of the Toons and watching a decently weird game of basketball made it a thrill for any child.

 

As a result, we watched this movie a lot on VHS and consequently saw the trailers that started the film just as many times. The first trailer on the VHS (that is to say, the first thing we saw) was a great trailer for Cats Don't Dance (which you will be able to watch in the review below). I remember sometimes even rewinding Space Jam just to watch the trailer for Cats Don't Dance. Growing up, we just didn't really get the chance to actually watch the film until I was much older, and by then I think I wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I should've been (I was a pre-teen and thus "too good" for kids movies).

Now as an adult and no longer willing to tolerate an uppity teenager attitude towards movies (I will judge a movie on its qualities alone rather than how "cool" it is, thank you very much), I will reexamine this silent presence from my childhood. Is Cats Don't Dance a truly great underrated animated film, or is it the result of childhood nostalgia and a desire to relive simpler times?

***

Green Phoenix - Let's Talk...Sonic: Wonders of the World

It's time for yet another episode of Let's Talk..., where I go into a more free-form discussion about a specific subject of media or hypothesize about a specific theory or topic. Today, we actually have a request for collaboration. Cendoo is getting ready to release a new series called Video Game Classroom and he asked me to make an article parallel to his first episode. He is planning to discuss a cancelled Sonic the Hedgehog game from the mid 90s known as Sonic X-treme.

To promote his upcoming project and because of the recent Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer that just released, I felt it a fine time to discuss a tie-in movie that would've been released alongside Sonic X-Treme known as Sonic: Wonders of the World. In this episode of Let's Talk..., we will hypothesize about what this film would likely have looked like. How its plot would've likely developed, and whether the film would have been a financial or critical success, given the nature of the film industry at the time.

The answers might very well surprise you.

 

***

Green Phoenix - The Pagemaster Review

I think it is not controversial to refer to the 80s and 90s as the Golden Age of Children's television. This was the era where the transition from Saturday morning cartoons to 24 hour children's exclusive stations was in full swing. We had the glorious mornings of watching Transformers, GI Joe, My Little Pony, DuckTales, etc. It was an amazing time for children to enjoy shows that still entertain and enthrall over 30 years later.

Of course, I also think that it is no exaggeration to consider this era as the heyday of educational children's programming. Especially, ironically, the focus on teaching children to read and have an interest in reading. With shows like Reading Rainbow and Between the Lions, it was a great age for reading-oriented television programming, which I also think in hindsight was a shockingly selfless action. Television fundamentally wants you to keep watching so that you can be around for advertisements which make the TV studios and distributions channels money. To have a concerted effort to push kids away from television into the arms of their local library is frankly amazing, and I'm not certain in the current age of "banned" books that it would really fly anymore.

One of the films in this "inspiring literary interest" genre was 1994's The Pagemaster. For reasons I can only really go into in this review, this film has remained in my brain like a bad advertisement jingle. Between the film itself, the corresponding book that was released with the film, and the SNES video game that I played as a child, I was surprisingly saturated with what is generally considered a fairly forgettable 90s Macaulay Culkin vehicle. But returning my attention to the film, does it actually hold something special? Something that would enable it to remain within my mind, despite being only a slightly younger in age than I am.

***

Green Phoenix - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Review

I wish to apologize for the delay in releasing this review and my general lack of content lately. Life has been very busy and I have been having to prioritize other aspects. It is my hope that I can get back into the habit of writing more regularly, but with life you can't always be certain.

 The plan is for my writing to now at least come out once a month, on the first Friday of every month.

*** 

Of all the films in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the film which holds perhaps the strongest memories with him. I clearly remember going to the premiere of this film as a child, as it was the first costume contest I ever participated in (I was dressed as Harry Potter and won). I also remember the experience as being funny because I was wearing an outdated pair of glasses because they looked closer to Harry Potter's pair, and I had forgotten to bring my actual glasses to the theater, meaning I had to watch a movie with a fuzzy pair of old glasses.

At the time, I was frustrated because I genuinely wanted to experience the film in the best way and was limited by a dumb choice for a costume contest, but now I just laugh at the memory of watching Voldemort's ritual scene with my eyes squinting, asking what was going on? Suffice it to say, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a rare film that left an indelible memory of its initial viewing experience.

But does the film hold up over a decade later? Does the film stand as an equal to its immediate predecessor or is it a product of nostalgia alone?

***

Green Phoenix - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Review

Over the passed year, I have periodically reviewed different entries in the Harry Potter film franchise. Based on the bestselling book series by J.K. Rowling (who shall from this moment be referred to only as "The Author" for reasons that should fairly obvious for anyone not living under a rock), the seven Harry Potter books and the associated eight films had an indelible impact upon my childhood.

I know that I have discussed this relationship in reviews of earlier films, but I felt it was very important to restate the connection when introducing today's movie; the third entry in the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The film widely regarded by many as the best single film in the franchise and one that I think could easily take the claim as the most popular, Prisoner of Azkaban stands out as a transitional film within the franchise, fully transforming the series from the lighthearted self-contained children's films of the Chris Columbus era into the mature and multi-arced works of the later films.

But does the film truly deserve its status as one of the best entries in the series? Does it still hold up over 15 years after its release? And does it overcome the issues that I noted plagued earlier entries in the film franchise?

***

Green Phoenix - The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review

 

In the annals of video game history, few games hold quite the status and legacy of Super Mario Bros. Released in 1985, Super Mario Bros. quickly achieved a reputation as one of the greatest games ever made and is almost singularly responsible for not only putting Nintendo on the map, but even saving the entire video game industry following the video game crash of 1983.

With such a legacy, its little wonder that video game adaptations of such a beloved game would occur. Unfortunately for history, the first such adaptation was 1993's Super Mario Bros., starring the late Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi respectively. To say the film was poorly received would be a gross understatement. The film is almost as legendary as the game it was based on, but mostly for how absolutely, abysmally terrible it was for the cast, crew and audience to deal with. The film was so bad that it actually colored the general audiences perception of video game film adaptations for nearly a decade.

The view on video game adaptations has slowly been shifting thanks to the release of films like Sonic the Hedgehog, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before Nintendo threw their hat back in the ring and adapted their most popular IP. The public reaction at the time that The Super Mario Bros. Movie was announced was, if I recall correctly, hesitance at best. The casting of big named celebrities like Chris Pratt rather than professional voice actors (like Charles Martinet, the actual voice of Mario) drew criticism, as did the hiring of Illumination (the company behind Despicable Me and The Grinch) to actually produce the film; as the company isn't exactly known for its films being super risky or transformative.

So The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a great deal of weight and suspicion going into theaters. Having watched the film with my brother and his horde of children, was this reluctance on the part of the audience deserved or is the film far better than the legacy that the 1993 film placed upon it?

 ***

Green Phoenix - Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review

I'm sure it is little surprise to those of you out there who have read my work for a long time to know that I am a massive fan of the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. I have been playing for years with my friends and been following many of the most popular livestream games out there, like Critical Role and Dimension 20. I don't think it is much of an exaggeration to describe ourselves as living in a renaissance for the roleplaying genre and to acknowledge the sheer ubiquity in popular culture as of late, especially in terms of television and movies.

Dungeons & Dragons presence within the television and film spheres in the last few years was largely limited to The Legend of Vox Machina (which we have already discussed in previous articles) and with the abysmal Dungeons and Dragons movie from the early 2000s (a film that has rightfully earned a bad cult classic reputation). Beyond that, we've had small independent films like The Gamers trilogy, which was one of the first pieces of media that really got me involved in the community (thanks Dorkness Rising). And of course, we've had the occasional reference to the hobby in various pieces of media like Stranger Things or My Little Pony, though these references tend to focus on the fans of the hobby rather than the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons specifically.

Thus when I heard that Hasbro was working with Paramount to release a big-budget Dungeons & Dragons movie, I must admit that I was immensely excited at the prospect. Hoping for a humorous and well-written exploration of the Dungeons & Dragons, I eagerly anticipated the release of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

And then, the fucking Open Gaming Lisence debacle happened and I was stuck having to morally boycott the film until Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast got the idea that they could steal from their fanbase and microtransaction an improv game that I play with my friends on the weekend, when it is stupidly easy to make your own game system, was a terrible business decision. The loss of millions of dollars of revenue from boycotts, cancelled subscriptions to DnDBeyond and the irrevocable damage to relationships with previously well-regarded content creators; as well as the genuine threat of losing millions on a film that would otherwise have been a guaranteed hit finally made them back down, thankfully.

And thus, I was able to go with my sister and watch Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves safe in the knowledge that my cinematic hobby wouldn't financially contribute to the downfall of my roleplaying hobby. But was the film even worth the millions Hasbro risked in their series of poor business decisions?

 ***

Green Phoenix - The Legend of Vox Machina (Season 2) Review

 

Click Here to Check out my Review of Season 1 of The Legend of Vox Machina

Early last year, the world was blessed with Season 1 of the The Legend of Vox Machina, the culmination of a years-long Kickstarter project, based on the wildly popular role-playing live-stream Critical Role, that went on to become the largest Kickstarter project ever created. Beyond the Kickstarter itself, Critical Role has been a massive cultural touchstone that has begun to pervade countless other entertainment venues with even Hollywood finally recognizing the financial success of role-playing games with the release of film's like Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

Season 1 of The Legend of Vox Machina was a trial-run and a test of faith in the Dungeons and Dragons animated concept, one that I am thankful to say was incredibly successful. So successful that a guarantee of at least two or three other seasons was already achieved by the airing of the pilot episode. The fact that Season 1 ended on a massive cliffhanger that left fans of the streamed games chomping at the bit, only made excitement for Season 2 reach a fever pitch.

Was the excitement warranted? Did Critical Role manage to strike gold a second time and prove that The Legend of Vox Machina could be more than adult jokes and succeeded at multi-season long-form storytelling?

***

Green Phoenix - Reader Rabbit: 2nd Grade Retrospective

 

At the start of the year, I did a short retrospective on the Reader Rabbit: 1st Grade with the full understanding that I would continue the retrospective by looking at Reader Rabbit: 2nd Grade next. All of this has been part of a unofficial series of educational game retrospectives that I've been doing to reflect upon the computer games that had the most impact on me as a child.

As much as I liked Reader Rabbit: 1st Grade, I must make something of a confession. I never actually owned Reader Rabbit: 1st Grade, as the game I played was actually my sister's copy. I was a year older than her and thus didn't get 1st Grade from my school, but rather Reader Rabbit: 2nd Grade. As such, I had a much more personal connection to this game and the previous entry.

But is it better? Does it still hold up? What is it about this game that so tickles my nostalgia? In this short retrospective, I will seek to explain what I remember about playing this game, what I liked about, and what I still think works so very well. Like most educational games, its actually effectiveness might still hold up (though the technical qualifications for any modern system to play it is probably moot). So let's take a look at Reader Rabbit: 2nd Grade and wrap up my educational computer game series.

***

Green Phoenix - Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin Review

 

Growing up, I was a massive fan of the Winnie the Pooh franchise due to the indelible impact the entire franchise had on my early childhood. Not only the 1977 classic The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Tigger Movie (which I believe I have covered previously and if not, will definitely correct that), but also the wonderfully charming New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh TV show that aired on the Disney Channel originally from 1988 until 1991 (though it ran in syndication on various Disney channel properties until 2007). It all coalesced to form a strong nostalgic feeling whenever I watch anything associated with the lovable stuffed bear.

The Winnie the Pooh franchise was always notable in my book for its relaxed charm and surprisingly mature wit. While the franchise was undeniably accessible to children, as an adult I often found myself surprisingly engaged, especially with the original 1977 film.

With the recent release of a certain horror adaptation to this beloved franchise which has been universally panned and for which I will never willingly subject myself too, I felt it far better to focus my attention on another aspect of the franchise. One often underrated or rarely discussed, the direct to video sequels.

Now for most films, direct to video sequels have a not-undeserved reputation for low quality. But does the first direct to video Winnie the Pooh film, 1997's Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin fall into this same trap?

Let's find out.

***

Green Phoenix - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review

 

With my schedule now back to normal following my trip to HarmonyCon 2023, I feel it is the best to get back into my writing. Now a few weeks back, I did a review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Where I determined that the film is decent but certainly has been dated and is far more children-oriented than I had previously mentioned. How the film relied far more on Chris Columbus' unique style to tell what would otherwise be a pretty bare bone children's mystery novel, giving very little away as to the larger narrative at work within the franchise.

Now it is time to move on to the film that I feel is the shifting point. Where the youthful energy of Sorcerer's Stone meets the more mature overarching plots of the later franchise, the film that I think finally got the series going in the direction it was meant to, even if it took another film to finally get the tone just right. I am talking about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, based on the second book by the author that shall not be named, released in 2002 alongside blockbuster hits like Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. Does the film stand next to its fellow 2002 releases or is it a pale but necessary addition to the Harry Potter franchise.

***