Talented, Magical, and Inspired Escapist Entertainment

Rating: 10/10 (16 November 2001)

Thank God for Harry Potter. Yes this is a phenomenon, yes this needed the book to be where it is, and YES it's been hyped, and good for it! Is that a sin? Not when I checked. I'll be honest, I've never laid a finger on the books, so regarding the accuracy and faithfulness of the book I can't comment on. But A) I understood it, so it obviously stood on it's own. B) The production team, all of it, has created "muggle" magic.
This has it's flaws, but what film doesn't? This is a film that allows us to escape, forget our problems for a hunky fast moving 2 and a half hours, and dive into a startlingly realistic, not to mention bright and happy, world of children, magic, wizardry, and evil. I found myself applauding during the Quidditch (sp?) scenes, as if it was perfectly normal for kids to ride 70 feet in the air on broomsticks and get bruised up, that jellybeans come in every flavor (including certain excretory material, you'll see), and that kids can jump through brick walls onto a fractional train platform. What fun!
Oh! For shame you critics who refuse to enjoy! This film is for enjoyment. This has lots of eye candy, beautiful stuff, dazzling stuff. But it's not at all empty. If you need serious content, I was surprised to find deep running currents, thematic elements, that are unusually mature. The pyschological effects of a child who has lived in an emotional abusive environment for years on end were well portrayed in several scenes. Borderline personalities in several characters. The age old theme of giving one's life for another; the Faustian plot of giving your soul up for personal gain; the danger of dwelling in an inate state instead of movement to some form of action; and of destiny. Pretty heavy for so called (and here paraphrased) "hollow kid stuff".
Are you gonna listen to complaining religious fundamentalists, snobs, and critics? God Bless Harry Potter for the balm of a movie that finally isn't afraid to be what it is.