So, the most talked about film of the year has hit our cinema screens. Harry Potter must now be a name known by all generations. How could the hype be avoided? The shops are full of Harry Potter toys, clothes, games, dolls, stationery and watches. But is the film just a piece of over-hyped forgettable twaddle – or is it much more? Read on and I’ll let you know what I thought of it…
I have never read a J. K. Rowling book and I didn’t go into the cinema as a fan. But three of my four kids love the books and have read them over and over, chit-chatting between themselves about these things I never understood – muggles, Quidditch, a whole other language I was excluded from.
It was for them that the six of us turned up at the 5:30pm advance screening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on a cold night in November. We had booked a week earlier, but hadn’t told the kids about it. They thought we were just eating out, but after the meal, we suggested we pop over to the multiplex to see if we could book seats for a future showing of the film.
When we went in and collected the tickets, they didn’t
believe it. It’s an old trick, but a good one. The joy on their faces was a delight, their enthusiasm was almost guaranteed – well, the older ones anyway (aged 8, 9 and 11). We weren’t sure how our five year old would take it and whether the two of us grown-ups would be interested or not.
For those that are still uninitiated, let me explain the basis of the story. Harry Potter is a rather strange child, born of two wizards and left with a zig-zag scar on his forehead. He is deposited at the house of the Dursley family as a baby, where he is brought up by his Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths) and Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw) and raised alongside Dudley (Harry Melling).
However, life for Harry is far from idyllic. He is forced to cook for the family and sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. He is treated as sub-human. But he knows there is something different about him, as does Vernon, who intercepts a strange letter addresses to Mr. H. Potter, Cupboard Under The Stairs, with a Hogwarts seal on the back.
However, magic has a way of prevailing and on Harry’s 11th birthday, it can be suppressed no longer. The wonderful Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) appears and whisks Harry off to his destiny, to Hogwarts, the school for trainee wizards.
That’s about all I’m going to tell you about the plot. It is filled with little touches of brilliance, witty lines, clever creations and – well – that little bit of magic that turns a good film into a great one.
The special effects are outstanding, but again, I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll try not to give too much away. The animals were my favourite – especially the bat, dragons and countless owls – but as you’d expect, there are plenty of spells, ghosts and flying broomsticks.
The film is refreshingly British, it seems to have thankfully escaped the ‘Hollywood Treatment’ and kept its innocence, its integrity. The cast is peppered with many familiar faces from British TV too, including John Cleese, Zoe Wanamaker, Richard Harris, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and even the ever-silky voice of Leslie Phillips!
It is quite a dark film throughout, the occasional light scenes making you blink a bit. It is haunting, moody, filled with ominous snatches of music and visions of dust motes dancing in a solitary strip of moonlight.
The entire cast (and there are hundreds of them!) is to be praised. The best performances for me were Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley. Coltrane brings a delightful warmth to his larger-than-life character, providing many of the moments of light relief. Grint, for me, stole the show with his natural charm and wonderfully expressive face.
Daniel Radcliffe seemed exactly right as Harry Potter, a schoolboy-cum-hero of the first degree. He looked great, sounded perfect and fitted the role as if Rowling based it on him.
There are few criticisms I can make of this film, but I will try. I thought Emma Watson was rather forced and over-acting as Hermione. It looked as if she was trying too hard and was definitely ‘acting’ – made especially noticeable by her co-stars, Radcliffe and Grint, being so beautifully natural.
The other disappointment was how little we saw of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) as the nasty schoolboy. He performed his role well, but his introduction promised much more than it delivered.
Overall though, a stunning film. An impressive cast full of very talented youngsters and a veritable collection of some of Britain’s finest established actors. An array of special effects that astonish, but convince, and a script that keeps the pace going throughout the film’s two and a half hours. The plot is exciting and keeps your attention throughout, with plenty of time and attention for character development and filling in the audience on their backgrounds.
My five year old sat through it all, entranced. My ADHD son sat still for the whole duration (!), even if he did quote several parts of it verbatim! My other two daughters were enthralled and intrigued. None of them found it particularly scary (though kids might, if they are sensitive or haven’t read the books) and everyone came out smiling.
And what did I think to it? I thought it was … MAGICAL ;-)
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Excellent review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - sorry I didn't read it when you first wrote it. Well deserved Premium Fund award. Mike
timmyotoole 22.12.2001 12:23
I too was similarly entranced by this masterpiece despite being apprehensive when dragged to see it. I'm desperately trying to borrow the books off various aquaitances (I can't get books out of the children's library :( ) as it was probably one of the best films I've ever seen... the whole concept was fantastically amusing. However I do disagree slightly with your overview of the acting... I thought Hermione was the best character and although all performances were very good I thought the the one playing Ron Weasley was unable to cope too well in the few parts when he had to break free of the stereotypical role. Anyway an excellent analysis so I'm glad you picked up the £20. Timmy.
niclemamy 19.12.2001 21:27
Excellent op Karen and well deserving of the PF prize :)) Nicola
To try and please all the fans of JK Rowling's novel was a challenge that the makers ... more
ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stonemet head on. The result of their efforts is one of the most lavish, beautiful and magical cinematic treats to hit our screens...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
As the first Harry Potter film of the celebrated series, this is a must for ardent fansand ... more
newcomers to the global fantasy phenomenon. An adaptation of J. K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel,Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone(known as the ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
To try and please all the fans of JK Rowling's novel was a challenge that the makers ... more
ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stonemet head on. The result of their efforts is one of the most lavish, beautiful and magical cinematic treats to hit our screens...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Superb Plot, Good Acting, Good Effects, Enjoyable for all sorts of people. Disadvantages: Can a film adaptation ever be as good as the book? (non-rhetorical question- your thoughts?)
Advantages: Not a lot really, No American Actors Disadvantages: Poor editing, no soundtrack to speak of, poor special effects, generally poor adaptation
Advantages: Offers freedom to watch all films so you can keep a continual track of the story. Disadvantages: Although enjoyable, the later films are more compelling to view than those before.
![Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Two Disc Widescreen Edition) [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78534968.jpg "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Two Disc Widescreen Edition) [DVD] [2001]")
![Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [2001] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78491628.jpg "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [2001] [DVD]")
![Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone [HD DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/77973745.jpg "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone [HD DVD] [2001]")
Nov 13th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
![Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/88350446.jpg)
![Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [DVD] [2001] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/84126628.jpg)
