Just like the book.

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2001)

I was so thrilled with the film version of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_, that I went to see it four times. I am an avid reader of J.K. Rowling's momentous book series and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the film adhered to her books. From a technical perspective, the sets were straight from heaven. Diagon Alley, the aerial view of the Hogwarts Express speeding through the green countryside, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it all took my breath away. The costumes also deserve a mention here as a plethora of colors and textures came to life in the Diagon Alley scene and, also, the school uniforms and dress of the faculty at Hogwarts were just as I had imagined them. The acting was flawless. Kudos to the kids, especially: not an element of Macaulay Culkin among any of them. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson embodied Harry, Ron, and Hermione to perfection. Robbie Coltrane, Dame Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Warwick Davis, Ian Hart, Zoe Wanamaker, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths, and absolutely everyone else simply *were* their characters. Oh, and Alan Rickman. . . I could tell he knew more than I did about Severus Snape's character; his performance was free from all blemishes and far surpassed my expectations. The supporting roles filled by Verne Troyer, John Cleese, and John Hurt, among others were delightful additions to a leviathan work of cinema. I was tremendously impressed with the film's attention to detail and its strict adherence to the books. I felt that such faithfulness made it a truly successful endeavor and I for one was greatly appreciative of such an homage.