Much better than I Imagined

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2002)

I must admit that I was completely baffled by the whole Harry Potter craze that has been stirring for several years now. I primarily viewed these books as for teenagers and thought it was strange that so many adults had started reading them too. It seemed to me that the whole witches and wizards at school things had already been done to death, especially in the UK. When the movie came out, I really had no desire to see it.
Last week, I finally decided to rent the movie and just watch it since so many people thought I was nuts for not having seen it sooner. To my utter astonishment, I actually liked it. The visuals are fantastic, the acting is top notch, and the music, well, how can you go wrong with John Williams. Daniel Radcliffe shines as the at first downtrodden, but spirited and ever helpful Harry Potter.
I did not find this movie disjointed or as some have claimed, wandering about going from story to story. There are three main story lines and I followed them clearly throughout the movie. It makes me wonder if some of the people writing these reviews every went to college. College is a sequence of going to class, walking the halls, going to watch games, sleeping, etc. If you have trouble following the scenes, I suggest you watch again and pay closer attention.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I hope to see the future films at the theater. I would also like to see Mr. Radcliffe in more roles and just hope he can escape being typecast as Harry Potter.