Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Reviewed: 11.2005

In order to successfully review Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I must separate the book from the film. Whereas the book takes you THROUGH the world of Harry Potter, the movie pulls you INTO the world of Harry Potter. Although two-and-a-half hour period is certainly not long enough to explore every nook and cranny at Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is beautifully done.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Dudley, the Dursleys. Having been told his parents were both killed in a car crash when he was very young, Harry is quite surprised to find out the truth on his eleventh birthday from a rather odd looking fellow. Harry is the orphaned son of a powerful witch and wizard. Besides the lightning bolt-shaped scar, Harry possesses unique magical powers all his own. He's been summoned from his life as an unwanted boy to enroll as a student at Hogwarts, the wizarding school for witches and wizards. Once there, he meets several friends who become his closest allies and help him discover the truth about his parent's mysterious deaths at the hands of a powerful adversary.

Daniel Radcliffe has the look, the mannerisms and the charm of Harry down pat. His strongest expressions are the bemusement that must be inherent at entering a world where science does not rule alone and the bravery that Harry shows in his achievements. He captures the pale innocents of his character with ease.

Emma Watson irritatingly overplays Hermione, but does so in a fully endearing fashion. By the end of the film, you understand her know-it-all ways and love her for it.

Ron Weasley delights. Rupert Grint has comic timing way beyond his years, hitting Ron's lines perfectly. He's everything I wanted as Harry's sardonic buddy.

Tom Felton makes for a stylish Draco Malfoy. Malfoy is perfectly sinister as Harry's nemesis. I'm looking forward to his, hopefully, continued character development.

Neville Longbottom suffers from character acceleration, so the finale does come as a slight shock. Fred and George Weasley are distinctively cheeky rather than proactive pranksters. Percy comes across with genuine authority. Oliver Wood is likable and an ideal Quidditch team captain.

Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) was everything I'd imagined. He is the single dominant adult character and his character is played for maximum laughs. The movie changes strongly exaggerates one side of Hagrid's nature and irritatingly so.  Argus Filch was a creepier personality than I had given him. John Hurt as Ollivander is an eccentric treat, giving a wonderful introduction to the Wizarding World.

The professors are uniformly excellent, though Richard Harris' Dumbledore comes off as disappointingly flat and labored until the end. Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) was unexpected, but certainly in a good way. Not overtly sinister, his character is delightfully understated. Wise choice. He brings life into the serious-toned teacher and he makes him sort of a borderline human being. Dame Maggie Smith was born to play Minerva McGonagall. Professor Quirrell was younger than expected, but it worked.

John Cleese (as Nearly Headless Nick) and Julie Walters (as Mrs. Weasley) have all-too-brief cameo roles. Let's hope for more from them.

Lord Voldemort, er, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named although only a crude face and creepy voice was much more menacing that expected. On the back of Prof. Quirrell, it was amazing. Can't wait to see this Dark Lord in human form.

The feel of the whole movie is everything fans could have hoped for. The dialog is intensely measured, the coloring is suitably epic, and the selection of what to leave in is really tightly considered. You get chills in your spine at the right places; you feel the triumphs as all-encompassing endorphin highs. It's clear down to the minute details that director Chris Columbus, writer Steven Kloves and the imaginative production team thought long, hard and lovingly went about the task of bringing Rowling's book to the big screen.

The Sorting Hat was by far the highlight of the CG. The harried Quidditch match was a disappointment. It felt off pace with the rest of the movie and looked downright crude. Overall, the film is just marvelous to look at. From the bustling wizard street Diagon Alley to the magnificently Gothic Hogwarts School and its Great Hall, to the dark and misty Forbidden Forest, it's a feast for the eyes.