No where as near as good as the book

Rating: Null/10 (5 May 2004)

First of all, I would like to point out that I read the books prior to watching the films. From the moment I finished the Philosopher's Stone I loved the books however when I first heard that there were plans for a film I despaired. And when I was finally persuaded to watch it a year after it had been released it confirmed what I already knew. Films hardly ever live up to the books they are based on.
Personally, when I read a book I see the characters and the locations in my head. It was for this reason that I was most afraid of going to see the film. I didn't want to replace the great things I had imagined with whatever I saw on screen. When I finally watched the film I was very disappointed. I felt that the visual effects were poor (of course they would be compared to my imagination), the acting was stiff and that several actors had been miscast or did not simply look how I wanted them to look. I realize that this is a completely selfish statement but that is how I felt. Even though I knew that no film based on a book would follow its exact details I allowed myself to be disappointed when the film didn't start the way the book did or when the film didn't feature a certain character.
On the whole I think that the film was a disappointment and no where near as good as the book is. I have nothing against other people who perhaps prefer the films, however I do hope that this encourages more people to read the books as well as watch the films.