Good but too long and with few strong characters

Rating: Null/10 (30 December 2002)

Dropped with his aunt and uncle as a baby, Harry grows up in a loveless home and is made to sleep under the stairs. On his 11th birthday Harry learns the truth of his past when he is visited by Rubeus Hagrid and invited to attend Hogwart's school for wizards and witches. Whilst learning his craft Harry and his friends notice some strange things and begin to investigate, leading them deeper into a mystery that involves a dark wizard who killed Harry's parents and a quest for a powerful stone that brings immortality.
I had no strong desires to see this film. I have not read any of the books, nor do I have any plans to as they just don't interest me. Back in my family home one week I noticed they had bought a copy of this film on VHS and I decided to give it a watch. I knew little of the plot but it carried me along well enough. It did seem a little long and that the film was trying to cram as many effects scenes as possible where it should really have been developing characters instead. Don't get me wrong the effects are all good and hold the interest well, but without the characters I felt like I didn't care very much about the plot.
I know this is a children's film so characters aren't that important but that leads me to another point  the running time. At over two hours I struggled to care enough to sustain my interest. I don't have kids but I did wonder how many would be able to focus for that long  but I suppose that the reason for throwing in an effects scene every five minutes just to wake them up!
The cast is crammed with talent  most of which it fails to make good use of. In the lead Radcliffe is quite bland and didn't do too much with his role. Happily Grint and Watson who both are funny and have good characters  even if they are only sidekicks in the film, supported him. It is telling that recent publicity for the second film has put these two on a par with Harry  even giving them their own posters. Of the support cast only Coltrane is well used, everyone else just has cameos of one sort or another. Hart, Cleese, Harris, Rickman, Smith etc all have only a few scenes at most and (in the case of Rickman and Cleese) a few lines at most. This is annoying on two levels. Firstly, the fact that such talent is wasted and secondly the fact that none of them are allowed characters  only a chance to show their face briefly once or twice.
Overall it was enjoyable and will please kids even if only for the regular effects scenes. It has flaws and it is clearly aimed at those who have Potter fever already. N the strength of this I will not be going to see the second film until someone gives it to me to watch. It's a good film but it feels like it is made to see Happy Meals and start a franchise than to be a good film in it's own right. (as a side note  I find it hilarious that it had to be renamed for the USA as the studio felt that the word `philosopher' would confuse American audiences who didn't know what it meant!)