Visuals: 10; Story 6

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2002)

For me, the book was all about Harry overcoming his self doubt, which is a struggle that we all can identify with. The movie was faithful to the narrative, but it left out Harry's struggle with self doubt. That's like doing Gone with the Wind without the Civil War. I can see why kids loved it, but with a little effort, it could have been so much better. Still, I loved seeing Diagon Alley and Hogwarts brought to life, and the actors were all terrific. So in spite of the watered-down story, the child in me was very happy. But the adult in me (45 yrs) hopes the next ones will be better.