OK I admit it. I must be one of the few people on the planet who has not actually read any of the Harry Potter books. This was just an oversight really – several times I’ve looked at them in bookshops and thought, “that sounds great”, but I’ve never got round to reading one. Anyway I’ve finally bought the DVD to make up for the terrible void in my cultural life.
The plot certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s a blend of CS Lewis and Terry Pratchett – a fantastical story with a modern twist. For those who may have missed it, it goes like this: Harry Potter is a young boy who lives with his Aunt, Uncle and cousin in a typical English suburb. They treat him terribly – he lives in the cupboard under the stairs while his cousin is treated like a prince. After several strange episodes involving owls and letters, Harry discovers that he is in fact a wizard and has been offered a place at Hogwarts , the school for wizards. Harry gladly leaves his cruel relatives and sets off
with Hagrid, the school caretaker who has been sent to fetch him. Here of course his adventures begin.
I won’t bore everyone with a more detailed description of the plot as I’m sure many of you already know it backwards. Suffice to say it’s a very well structured mystery/thriller in which Harry must prevent Voldemort (a baddy so bad that nobody can speak his name) from getting the Philospher’s Stone, which would give him back his stregth and allow him to terrorise the world once more .
The film generally is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The casting is superb, with Maggie Smith as a strict old school ma’am, Alan Rickman as the cruelly sarcastic “potions” teacher and Robbie Coltrane having a whale of a time as the bumbling Hagrid. The children are all reasonable actors (although none are outstanding) and are perfectly believable in their roles. Together with the magnificent sets and effects, we are really taken into the magical world of Hogwarts, from its majestic staircases (which “like to move”) to the phenomenal Quidditch pitch where the students whiz around on broomsticks.
Having said all that though, the movie is not without its faults. The director (Chris Columbus, of Home Alone fame) has clearly tried to stick as closely as possible to the book, in order to avoid being mobbed by the worldwide army of Harry Potter fans. This means that in places the film is a little hard to follow for the uninitiated. For example, near the beginning of the film, Harry and his family move to a remote house, but the only warning we are given of this is Harry’s uncle shouting “we’re getting away from here” in the previous scene – blink and you miss it. The film is also very long for a children’s film at nearly two and a half hours, although obviously if you buy the film on DVD it’s easy to watch it in two halves!
So that’s the film. The DVD is sold in a cardboard box with a fold out case inside. Now this is fine for us adults (and very attractive it is too), but I can’t help thinking that when my daughter is old enough to want to watch this three times a day – and I’m sure she will – the case will take a battering, and will probably be torn to pieces in weeks. Still, I can try to make sure the case is on a high shelf when the DVD is in the player(!)
It comes with an enormous array of special features, most of which are on the second disc and structured into a kind of simple puzzle game in which you can explore the world of Hogwarts and Diagon Alley (the wizards’ shopping centre) and (eventually) find the deleted scenes etc. I must admit, I got bored of this game after a while as on a DVD player everything is so slow and sometimes it’s not clear what you have to do. You have to buy a wand, for example, but even though you can go to the owl shop, you can’t buy an owl – we tried for ages and listened to the descriptions of each owl many times but in vain. Eventually my partner did all the problem solving for us and we were able to watch the deleted scenes, which I enjoyed (as I always do).
You can also use the second DVD in your PC for additional fun, but we haven’t got round to trying that yet!
In conclusion this DVD is well worth buying as I’m sure the film will become a classic. Kids may enjoy the additional features as they tend to have more patience with these things than me but I’d have been happy with the video.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Can't believe how old this film is now, great review, very helpful
KarenUK 19.10.2002 19:55
This is one of my favourite films, looking forward to HP 2 :-)
drunkenabby007 07.08.2002 15:31
I got this on the day it came out, and am yet to find the deleted scenes! I gave up! I'm 19, at a top 20 uni in the country, and I can't navigate a DVD deisnged for kids! Deary me! Abby xxx
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: wonderful, great special effects, impressive cast, Rupert Grint and Robbie Coltrane Disadvantages: Emma Watson, Malfoy is underused, a year's wait for number 2 in the series!
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]")
Jul 28th, 2002
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)
