A fair first outing for the famous Boy Wizard

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2006)

'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' no doubt divided many fans of the 'Harry Potter' novels, of whom I am one. The film adaptation of a much loved book was never going to please everyone and, while it is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, there is no denying that it has both good and bad points.
For those who have just flown in from Pluto, the hero of PS is young Harry Potter, a bi-spectacled British boy who has lived with his brutish relatives since he was orphaned at the age of fifteen months. However, on his eleventh birthday, Harry's life changes forever when he discovers his secret legacy...that he is a wizard. He sets off eager to start his First Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making friends with fellow First Years, know-all Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, the sixth son of an impoverished but kindly Pureblooded wizarding family. Yet life is not destined to be all fun and games for as our young hero quickly adapts to this wonderful new world, he learns the disturbing truth behind his parents' deaths and that sometimes evil doesn't die easily.
The quality of the adult actors was just superb. Alan Rickman as Snape, Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid and Julie Walters and Mark Williams as Molly and Arthur Weasley were all destined to play these roles, truly bringing the characters to life in a way I didn't think would be possible. I was less keen on Richard Harris' Dumbledore, feeling he was just a shade too cold and stand-offish to play an paternal man who the neglected Harry came to trust with ease. That said, the adult cast were definitely the backbone of the film, especially in light of the rather mediocre child cast.
While Daniel Radcliffe may resemble the living embodiment of Harry Potter, it was evident from his lacklustre performance in PS that he was chosen purely on looks rather than talent. At the best of times, he portrayed Harry as a rather bland and uninspiring hero and, at his lower moments, he was just cringe-worthy (the scene where he discovers he is a wizard is particularly clunky). Devon Murray, who played Seamus, and James and Oliver Phelps, cast as the Weasley twins, were equally as wooden. However, there are a few gems in the group. Tom Felton was excellent in bringing the maliciously mischievousness of Draco Malfoy to life and he is, undoubtedly, the best of the bunch. Emma Watson's Hermione was suitably condescending and obnoxious as the character was aged eleven (sadly, come GoF, Emma didn't comprehend that Hermione had largely out-grown the conceitedness was an integral part of her character in PS). While Tom Felton was the best of the child cast overall, Rupert Grint, who played Ron, was the best of the trio, bringing to the character a quiet loyalty to his friend balanced with the boyish exuberance that was very much apparent to eleven-year-old Ron.
The script might be a tad too childish for those over twelve, with not enough focus on the more interesting adult characters, but I believe it suited the mood of the novel given Harry was eleven in PS so viewed the wizarding world in the very innocent, awestruck manner of a child. Director Chris Columbus nicely compliments this by capturing a wondrous, Disney-like feel to Hogwarts in a way that leaves the audience joining Harry in his delight at exploring the magic of the wizarding world. The special effects are acceptable with the exception of the cartoony Quidditch match, which seems to have been lifted straight from the Nintendo video game and awkwardly pasted to the film, and the hideously computerised centaur.
PS was a fair adaptation, enjoyable in itself although no-where near the epic of LotR. It does capture the innocence of the characters at a time when they believed the world was neatly divided into good and evil and magic could sort any problem, however, older fans will most likely find the faster, mature pace of the adaptations of the latter novels more suited to their tastes as, in comparison, PS seems to be directed mainly at little fans under twelve.