Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Director: Chris Columbus
Format: DVD
DVD Features: theatrical trailer, additional footage, Hogwarts tour, explore Diagon Alley, catch a snitch, DVD-ROM extras
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris
Trailer

Anyone who is just beginning to get into the Harry Potter series will need to start with this movie, or its literary equivalent. The Sorcerer’s Stone is the very first installment of Harry’s adventures and was very much anticipated by fans of J.K. Rowling’s novel. By now, there is hardly anyone who isn’t familiar on some level with the name Harry Potter. However, I resisted the pull of this franchise for years and I imagine there may be others who haven’t yet delved into the story of this child wizard.

Young Harry Potter (Radcliffe) is at the age of 11 when this tale begins. He was orphaned as an infant and left on the doorstep of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, his aunt and uncle. Rather than treating the boy with the tenderness and love a family should share, the Dursleys dote on their fat, spoiled son Dudley (Harry Melling) and force Harry to live under the stairs. One day, a letter is delivered via owl for Harry and although the Dursleys try their best to keep him from opening it, it finally reaches the boy. Much to his amazement, Potter finds that he’s been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Not only that, but he’s told that both of his parents were powerful magicians who died defending him from a notorious evil wizard. Amazed to discover that magic is real in the first place, Harry is greatly delighted to find that there is an entire magic society, carefully hidden from Muggles, or non-magic people.

Our young hero boards the steam train headed for Hogwarts and meets two fellow students. Hermione Granger (Watson), a studious know-it-all and Ron Weasley (Grint), a red-headed boy in hand-me-down robes, will be Harry’s two closest friends. Their first year at school brings several surprises, a few rivalries, and an adventure that sparked a phenomenon.

The magical world of Harry Potter is loaded with wonderful special effects. Pictures that move and speak, chocolate frogs that really hop, floating candles, transforming cats, and flying broomsticks are just some of the enchantments that The Sorcerer’s Stone has to offer. But all of the CGI in the world means nothing without a decent plot or cast.

That’s why it’s so important to appreciate the skillful actors in this film. Most of the main characters are played by young actors, who were relatively unknown before the Potter series began. Naturally, they lack some of the subtleties that the more seasoned cast has mastered and it is nice to have the two ends of the spectrum to balance out the performances. Professor Serverus Snape (Alan Rickman) and Professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) are two of the best played roles in the film. Rickman fits into the black robe of the snide, sinister (but not quite evil), professor like a snail fits its shell. McGonagall is prim and proper and sometimes severe, but nonetheless a friend to Potter. As far as the younger members of the cast are concerned, all three are impressive on the scale of child acting. I enjoyed Watson and Grint a bit more than I did Radcliffe. However, Radcliffe has become the face of Harry Potter and I’m not sure that I would readily accept a cast change for his position.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone should win an award for “Most Accurate Adaptation From a Novel”, because it is nearly possible to read along with the movie. I read the novel after I saw the film and I was actually a bit disappointed. I had been seeking something further from the book than I found in the movie, but it wasn’t there. Nevertheless, the series is addicting, despite its target age demographic. While this first film is not as entertaining as some of the later movies, it provides the necessary background to them all. So, if you’re looking to explore this world of wizards and witches, be prepared for a Potter jones until you get your hands on The Chamber of Secrets.

Overall Rating: 4
Hottie Rating: 1 (for Sean Biggerstaff and his adorable Scottish accent)

Alternate Viewing: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
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