Too close to the source material

Rating: 5/10 (6 May 2011)

The first film of the Harry Potter series is funny and all together, an enjoyable film. The special effects are great and the themes of friendship are good. It creates the world of Harry Potter that it is visually impressive. The cast, especially people such as Alan Rickman act very well and performances are underrated in my view.
My problem with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is that it is too close to the source material, preferring to please fans as opposed to risk taking. The director is such a people pleaser that despite the surprisingly violent finale, this film lacks grit, character and lacks any source of imagination. Of course, the fans will be pleased, like this film over the next films but it's dull and unimaginative. It's entertaining, visually impressive, well acted, so close to perfection but so inoffensive, lacking in anything. Maybe the director should stop caring about what other people think, follow artistic instincts yet still keep to the plot. It's hard to find any sense of magic in here. And I have read the novels, but I am an avid film fan and understand the difficulties of trying to turn a book into a novel. People pleasing just turns potential classics into uninspired movies.