Surprised

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 2001)

I've never read any of the Harry Potter books, probably because they're considered the "in" thing, and if there's anything I've tried to avoid, it's doing something just because "everyone else is doing it." But my friend Scott wanted to get the gang together and go see "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on opening night, and I'm not one to turn down a chance to spend time with friends. I came away surprised that it was as good as it was.
The special effects are fantastic, and the story is interesting. I thought I might get a bit bored sitting through a 2-1/2 hour movie, but I was wrong. I was amused by Emma Watson's portrayal of Hermione Granger, all self-important and bossy. I was also impressed with Alan Rickman's performance. I'd seen him in "Galaxy Quest" and was hoping to see more of him.
Overall, this movie was better than I thought, and is worth seeing.
--- MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD ---
I was most impressed with Alan Rickman's performance as Professor Severus Snape. I figured out the ending to "The Sixth Sense" one-third of the way through the movie, so I didn't expect any major surprises from this film. But the screenplay and Rickman's performance do such a good job of convincing you that he's the antagonist, it really threw me for a loop when it was revealed that he was not. Very nice twist.