not quite as good as the book!! 7/10

Rating: Null/10 (21 November 2001)

I have read the books about 6 times each, and i LOVE them!! The world of Harry Potter has really been bought to life by JK Rowling.
The film, i thought, was disappointing - missing out, in particular Hermione's best line and where was Peeves the poltergeist? I thought he was supposed to taunt the 'little firsties'!?!?!?!
The effects were amazing, though my favourite has to be the low-key sorting hat - that was so well done!!
I found it hard to watch the film without letting my mind wonder - mostly to the book, but also one of the locations!! Number 4 Privet Drive - filmed in Martins Heron, Bracknell, near where i live!!
To me, the plot didnt make as much sense as the book did - yes i know they had to miss out loads of it otherwise it would have been over 3hrs at a guess, but the bit with the post trying to be delivered to Harry should have been a bit longer - whatever happened to the perplexed postman handing the post through the the living room window!?!?
The cast was really well chosen - Richard Harris though didn't really fit my interpretation of Albus Dumbledore - he did act well, but to me the character in the book was more comical and not as serious as Harris was. Severus Snape, Alan Rickman, wasnt as scary as i thought he would be, i think he could have been a bit more evil!! but maybe that would have scared some people!! Minerva MacGonagall, Maggie Smith, was brilliant - exactly as I saw her and the effects of her transfiguring between a gorgeous tabby cat and herself were really good, breathtakingly good!! Harry, Ron and Hermione were brilliant - really good, though i thought Daniel Radcliffe's voice was a bit emotionless, but otherwise excellent. The ghosts were a bit odd - Peeves was not to be seen, the Bloody Baron was comical not scary, but nearly headless Nick was really well done by John Cleese.
I did enjoy the film - it was really good entertainment and I'm glad that I saw it, but any film that is based on a book will never be as good as the book that it is based on. Chris Colombus - congratulations - you have produced a film that in its opening weekend grossed Â£80 million - the highest ever, and i know why, and so do so many other people