Screen Two at the Ambassadors in Woking was silent. Eyes were transfixed on the screen, awaiting the start of the much-hyped Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The only sound was the biting of popcorn and the occasional cough from behind.
The advertisements were finished. Everyone had laughed at the man burping in the woman’s face advert for BT Cellnet. Now we could focus on the film; on what we were really there for. The screen came up: we were told that Harry Potter was a PG.
And the magical, enchanting music began. We felt like snakes being charmed; like patients being drugged as we entered the mystical yet much wonderful world of Wizardry. We knew that we were intruding and that muggles did not belong there.
But we could not help ourselves. Word had got out of America that there was going to be a wonderful film about Wizards, and to be honest, we all believed Harry Potter’s world to be real and true; but not the wonderful creation of the legendary JK Rowling.
The Hype…
‘Hmm, not a bad introduction,’ says Rachel peering over my shoulder. I look at her and frown! This film was most probably the most-awaited film ever apart from a few others, which I shan’t list to take away the limelight from young Mr Potter here and his friends.
We were all shown the best scenes of the film in trailers and in fact, from what we were shown beforehand, you could have probably pieced together the whole thing – a bit like a muggle thing they like to call a jigsaw – made up of lots of STILL pictures!
The Ambassadors in Woking here has been showing it up to six times a day. I went on the first weekend – last showing on Sunday – and it finished at 11 o’clock. But indeed, the cinema was full to the brim. I went with my wife: friends took the kids on Saturday.
Posters were everywhere
along with the occasional TV advert and heaps of Harry Potter ‘toys’ in shops as well as some mystical food at Marks & Spencer, some of which I must say is really and truly top quality, excellent stuff. But back to the film now…
Big Question: Is it better than the book?
Small answer: No. The excellent description and wonderful words and writing tricks used by Rowling in the text are simply un-creatable – the only thing capable of creating the perfect film as described in the book is your true and wild imagination – no more.
This film, I know, has disappointed children across the country. You see, it is not that the film is bad, but that the book set such a high standard that anything below that would no longer ‘be very good.’ Basically, the books are too good – problem found!
Value for Money…
And they are so cheeky that they take huge chunks of the book out in the film – how naughty is that?! So it’s clearly much better value to go and by yourself a paperback edition of the book and read that cover to cover in three hours and not watch the film!
These sound like harsh words coming from me (more harsh words in Community Points opinion) but I’m actually being rather kind as I really was rather disappointed by the film – it was nothing compared to the excellence of the book and should be burned.
Interval: Other Harry Potter Things…
The Lego set of Hogwart’s School has been whisked off the shelves and apparently the Lego factory in Billund, Denmark is producing 24 hours a day to keep up with demand. But they say that there will be lots of very disappointed children this year at Christmas.
This is because their poor parents can not find any Harry Potter goods to give to their children, and Santa Claus doesn’t have any time to make all of the nice Lego sets for all the ickle children, so there’s going to be lots of little cry-cries on Christmas Morning.
The Plot…
The basic idea of the film is that the Philosopher’s Stone – a gem which can make you live forever – is hidden at Hogwart’s School, and strangely enough Harry is a pupil there. But Harry thinks the evil Professor Snape is trying to steal it from Dumbledore.
And guess what? Harry gets really involved and has to go through a series of traps until he can get through to where the stone is concealed, where he has a nasty surprise, and a nasty fight too. Ouch, thank goodness it’s only computer magic creating that scene…
Extra Bits…
For a bit of fun, they’ve also thrown in a match of quidditch – and just for the sake of it it’s between Gryffindor and Slytherin – the first being Harry’s house and the second is Draco Malfoy’s – Harry’s evil enemy which is always trying to get him in trouble.
Don’t know the meaning of any of that? Read the book – it’s explained much better. We also get some interesting lessons and a quick peek in to the Hogwart’s library, as well as a giant troll going on rampage through the corridors of the building.
Why PG…
PG Means parental guidance – not free tea for all. This means that younger children should be supervised by an adult when watching this film and not instead be left on their own as they may find some parts of the film very scary indeed. Especially when the…
…I shall say no more! But I think this is an appropriate rating for the film – if not, a new one, called 8 should have been created – you must be under the age of eight to watch the film. But I did notice one thing in the late screening of the film – see the next bit…
Sneaky Adults…
I went to the late showing, which was basically full of adults who didn’t want anybody to know they were going, and they thought they’d be okay going to the late screening and that nobody would be there. I really think that they couldn’t be more wrong here!
These adults are the sort of sneaky people with no children (just to exclude myself) which are really big babies inside! They like to do everything childish and play with Harry Potter toys, I’m sure. I bet no-one’s reading this because they’ve given up…
What the kid’s think…
David, 0: ‘No comment.’ Natalie, 3: ‘It’s really good – I thought it was very funny.’ Max, 7: ‘I read one of the books and I really enjoyed them, but the film wasn’t as good and I think it could have been better. You couldn’t see Harry’s scar most of the time, and that’s not very good.’ Anne, 10: ‘Well I was quite let down by it. I think the books are much better and they could have done a much better job of the film.’
Special Effects…
There are some excellent effects in the film which help make it seem more magical, including the giant troll which rampages through Hogwart’s and also the fight in opne of the later scenes in the room with the Philosopher’s Stone, in which Harry survives.
Dubbing…
And yes, Harry’s voice is dubbed near the end of the film – and it’s quite obvious, too. Listen out for it – clearly Daniel Ratcliff is getting a bit too old to play Harry. But why couldn’t he be in the film with his voice breaking anyway, which would add realism?
Special Praise…
I must, however, praise Daniel Ratcliff, now more commonly known as Harry Potter throughout the land. He played Harry’s part excellently, just as we all imagined. He made every move and every line seem real to make the film come true to us here.
Also, praise goes to Robbie Coltrane, who played Rubeus Hagrid absolutely perfectly, without fault. His excellent height and outstanding actions added a whole new dimension to an otherwise completely boring and dull film. Hearty congratulations!
Humour…
We are tickled by some light elements of humour in the film. We have Hagrid’s constant slips of the mouth and Dudley, the Dursley’s son being given a pig’s tail. Hagrid’s job in the film is to add humour and to take some weight of the heavy plot.
The clumsy old man is always releasing pockets of information to Hermione, Harry and Ron, who decipher each single piece to solve the mystery. Each time he tells them something, he regrettably mumbles, ‘I really should not have told you that…’
Summary…
If you aren’t one of the millions who have already been to see it, then I say don’t bother – it’s not as good as the books. If you can’t be bothered to read, then go and see the film but don’t expect too much from it. There are some good bits and there are stunning special effects as well as some excellent acting, but apart from that half the book is missed out and it is a repetitive storyline. After all the hype, a serious let down.
Hi! I read the second book in English and the first in German.The movie was quite good!I saw it two times but the second wasn't planned.Greats Elfilein :-)
biccy99 14.12.2001 16:36
I couldn't agree more. I enjoyed the film, but only because of the book. I was forever comparing and I must say, I did find it lacking. It just wasn't long enough for me; they missed too much out.
danwilkie 07.12.2001 20:36
I'll wait till this is out to rent on video or to watch on Sky beforing watching and making my decision. As for the books, my brother is borrowing one so I'll give it a read. Good op, -Dan-
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 fans ... more
and 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: 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 29th, 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)
