Analysis of an Action Adventure Film

Narrative
Equlibrium: The equilibrium doesn't last very long. The film begins with Harry back home at the Dursley's and he's miserable there as usual. He soon returns back to Hogwarts for his second year there.


Disruption: Shortly after the start of term, Harry begins hearing an ominous voice and a message is found saying "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware". Mrs Norris, who is Filches cat was first to be petrified, followed by Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchy, Nearly Headless Nick, Hermione Granger, and Penelope Clearwater. Then Ginny gets taken into the chamber.


Restoration: Harry finds Ginny and Tom Riddle appears. Riddle sends the basilisk to kill Harry but Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, attacks the basilisk's eyes. Fawkes gives Harry the Sorting Hat, in which appears the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. Harry kills that basilisk but its fang pierces Harry's arm. Harry destroys the memory of Tom Riddle by piercing the diary with the fang. Ginny regains consciousness and finds Harry dying, but Fawkes heals Harry's wound with his tears. Dumbledore is returned to the school and Hagrid is released from Azkaban.  Everyone who had been petrified is restored.


The narrative in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets follows the conventions of typical action-adventure films. It contains fight scenes, which is a common feature in action-adventure films and it includes a hero defeating the enemy which is another convention of action-adventure films. In this film, Harry defeats the basilisk in order to save Ginny. Rescuing a loved one is a convention of action-adventure films, as well as fast-paced music.


Iconography
The iconography used in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets also follows the conventions of action-adventure films. Props are very important in action-adventure films. Action-adventure films contains gadgets, weapons and the latest technology. In Harry Potter, there's the use of weapons, such as a sword which is a common weapon used whilst fighting in action-adventure films. Also, monsters and animals are used in typical action-adventure films, particularly in Harry Potter which uses key animals, such as the basilisk, a phoenix and a giant spider. Low-key lighting is also generally used in action-adventure films to make a scene look more scary and mysterious.


Characters
Hero - Harry Potter: He isn't a conventional hero as he's a teenage boy and he's quite geeky in his appearance. However there are more younger heros being used which is attracting more teenagers towards the film.
Villain - Lord Voldemort: He is a typical villain as he is very hard to defeat, just like the other villains in action-adventure films.
The false hero - Tom Riddle: Tom Riddle pretends to help Harry by showing him events from fifty years ago, but these events turn out to be made up in order to frame the wrong person. Tom Riddle isn't a conventional false hero because he turns out to be the villain as well as he is also Lord Voldemort but in his teenage form.
The donor - phoenix: the phoenix helps Harry by attacking the basilisk and giving Harry the Sorting Hate, in which appears the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, which Harry then uses to kill the basilisk. This isn't a conventional character either as it's an animal.


Settings
The film is mainly set in Hogwarts or around the school. It is also set in the forest in some scenes of the film which is quite a sterotypical setting for an action-adventure film as forests connote magic and adventure. Another setting of the film is an underground sewer system in the school which connotes danger and isolation as there's nobody down there and it's quite a dark, mysterious place. Other common settings in action-adventure films are planets, extreme environments, palaces/castles and cities (urban environments).