Magic of screen and heart make this film a success

Rating: 10/10 (18 November 2001)

When I first heard of Harry Potter catching on, I believed it to be a fad and grouped it with Pokemon and that ilk of marketing genius. When, however, I stayed with an associate and could not sleep, I was handed the book and told to read it and see for myself. I did and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The film captures the book well enough and deserves a lot of the same merit. It seems like the actors were grown for the adaption of the book and they were very easily believable. This film may be family fare, but it is also a lot of fun to watch. Its plotline may not be Shakespeare, but its better than 90% of all thats out there and if you were at all excited about the pod race in Star Wars: A Phantom Menace, then the Quidditch scenes in this film are made for you. To be honest, this film did, for me, what Star Wars: A New Hope did and what I had hoped Star Wars: Phantom Menace could do, it made me believe in something fictional and applicable to my real life. To be honest, Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter aren't too far apart, both are the underdog, trapped children of circumstance beyond their control who achieve great deeds and still remain fresh faced and likeable. The reason Rowling's magic may be more likely to last in sequels than Lucas' did in prequels is because there is a certain heart in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone missing from Phantom Menace. Rowling did what Lucas once did, she makes us believe in the Power of the Heart and Columbus, through casting and great effects, captures what Rowling did with text in vibrant, sometimes over the edge cinematography and graphics that never become too much, but never leave much to be desired. Casting was flawless right down to the never fallible John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick. Once, Superman made us believe that a man could fly. Star Wars showed us the magic all around us. Now, Harry Potter shows us the magic within ourselves and lets our spirits fly. A true joy to watch and well worth a second or third look at least.