wondrous adventure but long

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2001)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was a much-anticipated movie and not just for children but for adults. It's a fantasy story that created a world of magic and wonder for children and for adults it brought back something that many of us have lost; our imagination.
For those of you who have never read any of the books and have no idea what this movie is about (what rock have you been under?), this movie is based off the first book that J.K. Rowling wrote, `Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. The story revolves around a young boy that discovers he's a wizard. All throughout his life, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) has never been able to explain strange things that happen around him in times of distress. Living with his aunt and uncle, Harry was forced to be nothing more than a servant boy. Although they knew what the cause of these happenings were, they never told Harry and did everything possible to hide his origins. He was never given any kind of attention except when something was needed of him. In fact, his bedroom was the `room under the stairs' and if something strange happened that his aunt or uncle found out about, he would get locked in his room for days or weeks. On his 11th birthday he receives a letter indicating that he's been accepted into Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Magic. Up until this point, Harry had no idea that he was a wizard or that he was the cause of these `strange' happenings. From this moment on, his life changes dramatically as he begins a wonderful journey into the discovery of his abilities and the world of magic.

Harry Potter is distinctly British and the worst thing that could have happened is for Hollywood to get a hold of it and make it through their own eyes. So when J.K. Rowling rejected the idea of Steven Spielberg directing it without having British actors (especially the lead actor), it was the first step to a successful picture. Nothing against Spielberg and I'm a huge fan of his but this movie depends greatly on the atmosphere that it creates. And part of that atmosphere was having an old British feel to it. What really worked well for this movie was that it followed the book very closely. But then again, anything that strayed from it would have caused mass criticism from children around the world. However that has never stopped directors and producers before but in this case, this was a critical factor and they were true to the book.
I was quite surprised to find out that the three lead child actors are unknowns. In fact, none of them have ever acted and considering that this is their first movie, I think they did an admirable job. Radcliffe, who plays Potter, fits the physical description of Harry Potter to a `T' and his acting is not bad. The young lady who plays Hermione Granger (Emma Watson II) plays the `Miss Know-it-all' quite well although at some points she goes over the top a bit but that's something you have to expect from inexperienced actors. Rupert Grint plays Ron Weasley, the goofy, smart mouthed friend of Potter and Granger. I actually found him quite entertaining to watch. With the way the books are written and the success that this movie has had so far, we can all assume that there will be other Harry Potter movies so I'm sure we'll see these three actors again and only see better and better performances as they gain experience.

The rest of the cast is a `who's who' of actors. With seasoned actors like Robbie Coltrane, John Cleese, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, etc. it is near impossible to have poor performances. All of these actors played their parts beautifully and true to the characters developed by Rowling. It also helps that they looked like they really got into their parts and the world they were trying to create. I was especially impressed with Rickman's role as Professor Snape, the dark, brooding teacher of potions. The books description of this character is mysterious, moody and a bit slimy and Rickman pulls that off flawlessly.
The one last element that really made this movie was the computer graphics. This is one movie that really required computers to create this world. Like Star Wars, this movie is in a time and place that is unfamiliar to the audience hence its ability to create reality is imperative.

There is one thing about this movie that I have to mention. It is long. At two and a half hours, this will be a long sit for children so make sure they have gone to the bathroom beforehand. The other thing is that for those adults who have read the books, the movie will feel long. Because the movie follows the book so closely, you know exactly what is going on and how much further the story has to go before the movie comes to an end. I was watching this movie with my sister and brother in-law and their reactions to it were quite different. My sister, who read the book beforehand, while still enjoying it immensely, like I found it rather long. For my brother in-law who's never read the books, found the two and a half hours flash by. So my advice is that for you adults who haven't read the book but are thinking about it, watch the movie first before you read the book or else the movie will feel really long. It won't really matter for the children if they've read the books or not; they'll be fascinated by everything they've read about come to life on the see on the screen.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It was magical and wondrous and definitely suitable for children and adults. In fact the show that I went to was mostly adults. Happy wizarding!