Soundtrack Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Video Game (2002)

Posted by Jon Blough

July 21, 2009

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This is a review of the video game score Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by Jeremy Soule.

“With a larger orchestral presence and more charm it should make an acceptable listen”

I did not expect to like this score. After having to survive the Sorcerer’s Stone VG score, I was all set to abandon Soule’s remaining scores and skip straight over to Hannigan’s material. Curiosity got the better of me though, as I thought, “well, if Soule did three future Potter scores, I suppose they ALL can’t suck.” Thankfully, they don’t. Absent the cheap synths from this score’s predecessor, Chamber of Secrets is more fully realized than the Sorcerer’s Stone VG’s best material and less annoying than its worst.

Better Orchestration

With better orchestrations and a larger orchestral presence, the score’s Williams inspirations shine through much more vibrantly as a result. “Playful 2” sparkles with the same woodwind-based joy as “Platform Nine and Three Quarters”. Action tracks like “Willow Boss” and “Aragog Boss” mirror Williams’ modern action cues in some rhythms and instrumentation; they’re nowhere near the league of the action for the films, but it’s a step in the right direction. A few cues like “Anglia Flying” and “Action” (really? You couldn’t come up with a better name?) are still anti-vibrant, but they are thankfully in the minority.

Less Average

With the increased orchestral presence also comes a decided effort to be less…average. Perhaps the greatest failing of the first film’s game score was that it failed to leave an impression with any of its cues. Here we have swelling majesty in “Willow Level 3”, moments of pure joy in “Day” and “Flying”, bombastic action fare in “Draco” and “Stealth Pursuit”, beautiful choral parts in “Spell Atmos” …I think you see where I’m going here. You won’t even have to get halfway through this release to have almost completely forgotten Sorcerer’s Stone. As a bonus, this release is absent the horrendous edits and abrupt endings that doomed its predecessor. Sometimes 10-second pauses close cues, and one feels that whoever tailored this album may have been overcompensating, but “better safe than sorry” seems to have brought sanity to the Potter VG scores.

Conclusion

With all that raving you’d think we’d have a strong score on our hands. Alas, the score lacks thematic definition or stylistic cohesion. Soule’s new title mixes waltz-inclinations with powerful Williams-like brass and ominous choral chanting for a decided improvement on his Sorcerer’s Stone title cue, but it is barely applied to the rest of the cues. A lack of a prominent secondary theme or a cohesive rhythmic approach makes this score a bit too situational to sit in the ranks of any of the scores by John Williams or even Soule’s subsequent score for Quidditch World Cup. The album is a collection of mostly good cues that don’t create a definite identity. For some that should rank as a powerful deterrent, yet the competency and charm of this album should make it an acceptable listen for most.

Album (43:01)
1.   Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Title Theme (2:37)
2.   DADA Action (1:10)
3.   Playful 2 (2:13)
4.   Slug Chase/Broom Lesson (1:09)
5.   Willow Boss (1:16)
6.   Willow Level 3 (2:14)
7.   Night (1:36)
8.   Aragog Boss (1:11)
9.   Day (2:07)
10.   Day Follow (1:29)
11.   Draco (0:48)
12.   Flying (1:23)
13.   Willow Level 2 (2:16)
14.   Action (1:08)
15.   House Point Theme (1:00)
16.   Storybook (1:26)
17.   Washing (1:10)
18.   Anglia Flying (1:01)
19.   Cauldrons (1:12)
20.   Fred George (2:04)
21.   Spell Atmos (2:14)
22.   Spider Action (1:04)
23.   Library Enter (1:16)
24.   Snitch (0:32)
25.   Stealth Pursuit (1:15)
26.   Stealth Search (1:08)
27.   Diagon Playful (1:07)
28.   Library Tower (1:11)
29.   Ball Smash (0:29)
30.   Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Alt. Theme (2:32)