Entertaining and a good movie to boot.

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2001)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone) entertains and remains with the audience after the mere "pop-corn experience". Basically the movie is a very pleasing delight and it is magnified more so by the lack of quality movies in the summer (and early fall) of 2001. This (perhaps), along with the huge following of the books, led to its huge opening and then rather precipitous collapse at the box office.
Coming into the movie with no pretenses (i.e. 1:Not comparing it to The Phantom Menace (with is a good movie, but has flaws) or any other movie. 2: Not expecting Titanic-like box office numbers (Titanic was based off of a true event that entrals us, Potter is just great fantasy) 3:Not expecting anything specific out-of-it as I did not read the book beforehand and did not research into the characters before viewing)
I was very pleased. The casting is very good, with Hagrid and some of the older/wiser wizards topping the charts. I was a tad surprised that some name actors (or at least known actors had very small roles: Warwick Davis and Cleese to name a couple), and I for the most part like the use of special effects to enhance the story rather than override it (like most of the 2001 summer movies did).
The movie though is not perfect.
1-Some special effects shots are mind blowing (i.e. the candles at the dinner hall), but others are rediculously fake looking (mainly when kids are swinging wildly from trolls or brooms).
2-Some of the cuts just dont make sense. (i.e. when some of the kids get in trouble for having tea with Hagrid, Why do they get in trouble for being with Hagrid, his property is not off of school grounds? There is no basis for it).
Afterwards, I read the book and for the most part the movie is very faithful, yet-->
The movie also looses some of its magic in the last half, when it cuts out parts to quicken the story. More on the dragon would have been great, the other 2 challenges would have been good, and even only a few more minutes to clarify the current challenges would be better. Also, some of the differences seem to be made just for the sake of change, (i.e the movie and the book have some of the same punishments and rewards, but the points are changed).
However, the movie still entertains. The qualms are really just minor issues, but they do keep the first of 7 Harry Potter movies from being truely great. Instead its just really good and that "ain't" half bad.