American director Chris Columbus (HOME ALONE) brings the magic of British author J.K. Rowling's beloved best-selling fantasy novel to life in HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE.... more
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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...
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...
wonder, magic and fearful chills of JK Rowling's phenomenal bestseller in John Williams' outstanding score. Williams typically avoids the source material for the films he scores, but he reportedly derived great pleasure and inspiration from Rowling's first Harry Potter adventure, and created a perfect motif (fully expressed in "Hedwig's Theme") to dominate his score, first heard as a dreamy celeste waltz and embellished through myriad incarnations and moods, often with a sinister edge befitting the darker tones of Chris Columbus' direction. Fantastical allusions to Saint-Saëns and Tchaikovsky are evident (among others), while Williams' epic track is "Quidditch Match", a breathtaking frenzy to accompany the film's dazzling highlight. And while Williams occasionally flirts with self-plagiarism (with inevitable variants of hisHookandStar Warsthemes), this is nevertheless a richly regal score that brilliantly evokes the mystery and magic of Harry Potter's world. --Jeff Shannon
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, while most certainly created around the feature film's visualisation of the Harry Potter story, is actually very good, despite being too easy for most experienced gamers. It's a fun, colourful experience even for the few of us left on this planet who have neither read the books nor watched the movie.Electronic Arts thankfully placed a lot of emphasis on production value for this release instead of taking the cheap cash-in option. Aside from the occasional pop-up problem that makes walls vanish quite un-magically, the graphics are beautiful and fun. Chocolate frogs (an appropriate health power-up) and other elements and characters from the book and film are wonderfully animated. The sound effects and, particularly, the voice acting are top drawer, which helps draw the player into the Potter experience. Also, the gameplay is nicely varied throughout. Players go from learning a new spell in class, to retrieving fire seeds for Hagrid, to magic fights against the Slytherin bully Draco Malfoy, to riding the broom--which is especially fun. There's even a Quidditch level early on, but there's little to do and it's over very quickly.On the downside, the game suffers from some really odd control. Like a lot of adventure games, jumping is really important since many levels require you to clear obstacles or reach out-of-the-way items. But, unlike nearly every other game in the genre, there's no jump button. Instead, players automatically jump from the edge of a platform from either a full stop or while running. It takes a lot of getting used to because, if you're not at full run or full stop, it's easy to just walk right off the edge and fall. And, like too many other games, you can only save your game at predetermined locations in the game.Another fault of this game is its lack of challenge for experienced gamers. It's nice that they're trying to make it accessible to the entire cross section of PlayStation-owning Harry Potter fans, but without varying levels of difficulty, it's less of a game than a tour through Potter's magical world. Still, it is an interesting world, and even through it's easy, the action is still varied enough to be fun.--Porter B Hall
Advance version ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. For unlike the Game Boy Color version, the game kicks off with Harry already at Hogwarts, and with some fast learning to do. You step into Harry's shoes, initially moving from classroom to classroom learning new skills and spells, before indulging in activities such as sneaking out of your dormitory at night, fighting off trolls and having a quick game of Quidditch too. You certainly can't accuse the developers of trying to short-change the fans, as it seems they've tried to cram as much of the film into the game.Unfortunately, that's also at the root of the game's main problem. While it tries to cover all angles of the plot, it does mean that some segments of the game lack a little polish, and aren't always that enjoyable. Sure, there's some great fun to be had with the game, and the quality of the graphics means players will instantly relate it to the film. It's just that perhaps a little more development time could have paid dividends. Nonetheless, fans of both the film and books are likely to get some enjoyment out of the game, even if arguably it's inferior to the Game Boy Color version. And if you're not overwhelmed byHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, you can wager on one certainty--this isn't the last we've seen of Mr Potter on the Game Boy Advance... --Simon Brew
Advantages: Widescreen, therefore you see more Disadvantages: Not everyone likes Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2 Disk DVD Set (WIDESCREEN)
Because this is a widescreen edition it means you can watch it in 'letterbox' mode. Therefore the edges of the film aren't missed off. It is the same aspect ratio as originally shown in the cinema.
This set originally cost £22.99 but has since come down in price considerably. Amazon now sells this set for £9.97.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 Wide Screen
... ...who have read all the Harry Potter books and who hate this film, calling it disappointing and 'magic-destroying'. However for many people, including me, this was a gateway into the Harry Potter phenomenon. I found the books daunting as there was so many of them (the fourth book was already out if I recall) and so I never got into them. But after watching this film I was launched into the magic, and have since not lost the sense of wonder that it ...
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07.05.2005
(08.05.2005)
Harry Potter Review ofHarry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Wide Screen)by
jakes-mum
Advantages: Robbie Coltrane & Dame Maggie Smith Both Brilliant Disadvantages: Daniel Radcliffe Very Much Reading From A Script, Good scenes From Book Cut From Film
...huge fan of all the Harry Potter Books (OK the first couple were very much for kids, but they will always have room on my bookshelf) so waited with as much anticipation as any child for the release of the first film "Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone". I soon realised about 10 mins into the film with Harry being shoved into his cupboard for making the glass disappear at the zoo, and subsiquently trapping his cousin Dudley in a boa constrictors ... ...Right the Story: - Harry Potter lives with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley in a nice house in Privet Drive, Harry's parents were killed when he was a year old by the most evil of wizards, Voldemort (or He Who Must Not Be Named) who then turned his wand on Harry, but the killing curse that finished Harry's parents backfired and destroyed Voldemorts powers leaving him as less than mortal but not dead, and left Harry with no damage ...
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15.02.2006
Harry the potter... Review ofHarry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Wide Screen)by
mehmoou101
Advantages: great fun for kids-special affects-script and cast Disadvantages: nothing
Harry potter thinks he is just an average 11 year old boy celebrating his 11th birthday, but all changes when a giant man named Hagrid and tells harry important stuff about him, he is a wizard. His life gets more intense as he travels to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry to learn how to be a wizard. He meets his new found best friends named Ron weasley, a character who is not very brave and Hermione the intellectual friend, but all is not ... ...lord of the rings and harry potter harry, but lord of the rings is a timeless classic and will never be forgotten. Harry potter was a good movie but for entirely different reasons like it was mainly made for children and the whole movie centered around magic and myths.
First the book was made, which is one of the greatest books of all time might i say but i feel they could have done a bit more with the actual film than what is already there,don't ...
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06.10.2008
A charming experience Review ofHarry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Wide Screen)by
Reviewersaad
Advantages: Good special effects, interesting characters, strong plot Disadvantages: certain amusing things excluded
...I am a fan of Harry Potter books so forgive me if some of my opinions are little biased or if my expectations are too high. Philosopher\'s stone is a film that brings to life the magic of Harry Potter in a stunning way, setting your imagination free to roam the diverse world created by J K Rowling. The Philosopher\'s Stone is based on the first book in the harry Potter series. I shall now review some aspects of the film and rate them individually ... ...The film is about Harry Potter\'s first year at Hogwarts. Harry Potter, a seemingly ordinary boy who has been involved in odd occurrances (e.g. talking to snakes) finds out that he is the orphaned son of a wizard and a witch. So, Harry Potter begins his dark and exciting journey to find the truth behind his parents\' murder and thrawt the evil Lord Voldemort in another scheme to take over the world. The book provides us with an exciting, unique and ...
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