Average Rating: 
Rating:  - This Century's Peter Pan
"Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone," or as I understand it's released in Great Britain as "HP & the Philosopher's Stone," is a great DVD. Most critics feel if there's a fault to the film, it's that it's TOO faithful to the book. It'd been some time since I'd read the book when I viewed the film. I kept saying, "Oh, I remember that!" Chris Columbus has done an excellent job bringing this magical world to screen. I think Harry Potter, films included, will become as a part of our culture as Peter Pan. The actors are each wonderful in the movie, although action rather than character development is the strength. Daniel Radcliffe does a great job showing the innocence and bravery of Harry. Rupert Grint is a hoot as Ron. Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore gives such a calm wisdom to the part. Maggie Smith as McGonagall is as wonderful as she was in "Gosford Park." Robbie Coltrane who played a great buddy to Johnny Depp in "From Hell" does a great job as the half-giant Hagrid. Alan Rickman perfected screen villany in "Die Hard" and "Robin Hood"; so we love to hate his wonderful sneer. He also performed the great service of seeing Sean Biggerstaff who plays the Quidditch team's head Oliver Wood in a stage play, giving him his first screen break in "The Winter's Guest." Biggerstaff was my favorite of the supporting actors. Fiona Shaw is delightful as the spiteful Aunt Petunia. Tom Felton has come a long way since appearing with Jodie Foster in "Anna & the King" to his role as the hateful Draco Malfoy. John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander the wand salesman does a nice cameo too. The effects in the film are excellent. We really believe in Harry's invisibility cloak. It's such a hoot to see him at night in the restricted section of the library with his hand holding a lantern poking out from under the cloak, as if the hand wouldn't give him away! The three-headed dog, the plant that smothers and the flying keys are all marvelous effects. The DVD version's second disc takes you on an interesting tour of Hogwarts. Now, I have to go back and find those deleted scenes! Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone is thoroughly entertaining. Relax & have fun!
Rating: - Just like the book, but on the screen
Overall, it was a good movie. At no point did I find myself thinking, "That looks wrong." That seems to be to be an important criteria on which an adaptation should be judged. Sometimes scenes or characters didn't look exactly the way I remembered picturing them when I read the book, but that's to be expected. The best I could hope for is that nothing was too jarring, and that turned out to be the case.With a cast including folks like Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Zoe Wannamaker, Richard Griffiths, and, of course, Robbie Coltrane, it seems pretty pointless to praise the acting. I did feel that Rickman, as Professor Snape, seemed to be played a little too obviously sinister, but then, that's how he's written in the books as well. Truly impressive, however, were the three lead kids. Daniel Radcliffe is Harry Potter, no question, just as Rupert Grint makes a fantastic Ron Weasley. Here's hoping that the movies are successful enough that all seven books are adapted (which seems a foregone conclusion, but who knows?) and that it happens quickly enough that they can use the same actors throughout the whole series. The real surprise for me was Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. When I saw photos of her, she absolutely did not match the Hermione in my head. Seeing her move, hearing her speak the lines, I take back everything I said about her. Now I don't mind at all that I'll be picturing her every time I read future Harry Potter stories. And then there's Chris Columbus, the director. I had initially been disappointed to hear he was directing this film. (I had been rooting for Brad Silberling, husband to the lovely Amy Brenneman of Judging Amy fame, director of City of Angels and Casper.) I was afraid Columbus would be too light and superficial. Of course, what I was forgetting was that Chris Columbus didn't just make Nine Months and the weaker bits of Bicentennial Man. After seeing Harry Potter, I didn't feel like I needed to watch Young Sherlock Holmes, Only the Lonely, or Heartbreak Hotel to remind myself why I used to be a Chris Columbus fan. (Okay, he only wrote Young Sherlock Holmes, but if anything proves that he can handle an adventure movie set in a British school about much-beloved characters...) Yeah, okay, there were a couple of times when things seemed a bit too concrete, not quite magical enough. But more often than not, there were bits like the Quiddich match: breathtaking, exhilarating, and, well, magical. Hopefully, things will only get better with the second film. Is it a flawless masterpiece? Not at all. Perhaps the biggest problem is the film's struggle to get everyone's favorite bits in, sometimes at the expense of good storytelling. There are some awkward transitions where the filmmakers seem to be relying on the audience's knowledge of the book to explain how characters got from point A to point B. Even more frustrating is that some scenes were rearranged to help with the compression/adaptation from the page to the screen. So if that could be done in some cases, why not make other changes when necessary to make things flow more smoothly? On the other hand, maybe we'll see a director's cut on DVD with all the missing information. After all, the movie is 2 1/2 hours long as it is, so maybe some of that stuff was cut for time after being shot. But it was a fine adaptation, and a good movie in its own right. I'd pay to see it again in the theater, and that's about the highest praise I can give it.
Rating: - Magical and enchanting just like the books!
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is the first installment to the Harry Potter film series, based on the wonderful novels by J.K. Rowling. In "Sorcerer's Stone", we get introduced to Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), a young British boy of eleven who lives with his mean Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and spoiled cousin Dudley. The Dursleys try to be a perfectly normal family--they despise everything that seems out of the ordinary--but they also have a secret which Harry will soon learn. Harry is actually a wizard! He's just been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and this is where the adventure begins. Harry learns the truth about his past from the friendly Hogwarts Games Keeper named Hagrid, and during his first year at the magical school, Harry makes friends, arch rivals, and even mortal enemies as he starts his training in the magical arts. For anyone who loves the books, you must see this film. The acting is outstanding by the entire cast...most of the actors fit right into their roles. The special effects are superb and engaging. The storyline follows the first book pretty well, though they had to take out some of the book. The film is just about how I imagined it would be as I read the book. Daniel Radcliffe is the perfect Harry Potter! The DVD is OK with seven deleted scenes, a self-guided tour of Hogwarts, interviews with the filmmakers, behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Sorcerer's Stone", DVD-ROM extras, and more. The bad thing about the DVD extras is that, to get to the deleted scenes, you have to play a game every time and it gets a little annoying after a while. All in all, amazing film and I can't wait for the next one. I highly recommend "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". Score:
100/100
A+
|
