Go for the kids

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2001)

After having just seen "Lord of the Rings", my judgement was clouded in the wake of the awesomeness of the special effects of the Tolkien story. I couldn't help but compare the two, but Harry Potter was fun, even though I found the young actor VERY wooden. Why did the director tolerate the soulless smiling and lifeless eyes from young Daniel? It's as if they were looking for that exact factor in the title role. He seemed like he was totally intimidated by the project he was involved with. He started to warm up toward the end, and unlike most films, Harry Potter got better as it rolled along. The most touching scene was the one where Harry sees his parents in the mirror and the chess game was mind-blowing. All the other actors were terrific, and I love the great English actors on hand, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, and my favorite of all time Alan Rickman!!
See the film but make sure to read the book first!