Give the film a break!

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2002)

I don't see why everyone is giving "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" a hard time. Sure, it doesn't cover all the events from the book, but it wouldn't be possible to do that anyway given: a)the film is only 2-and-a-half hours long and b)some of the events of the book simply could not be translated onto film.
I received the DVD as a gift for my 21st (yes, 21st!) birthday. I hadn't read any of the books in the series and, I'll admit, had long been one of the skeptics of the whole Harry Potter phenomenon, regarding it as the latest craze kids were into. After watching the film I've now read all four of the books and have immensely enjoyed each of them.
Yes, the books are more informative and, in all honesty, more humorous than the film, and there are dedicated fans who will argue that adapting the books for film was a disaster waiting to happen. But let's enjoy the film for what it is - an entertaining way to pass a couple of hours. It's remained true to the book far more than many other adaptations and, in reality, this was a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation - there was always going to be people who wanted a strict adherence to the plot, others who didn't.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a film that is aimed at the adult and child market alike, much like the books I might add. I enjoyed this film, as a 21 year old graduate, as much as my 6 and 7 year old cousins did.
I'd probably give this film a rating of 9 out of 10, for a fun way to spend the afternoon. Let's hope the subsequent outings are as entertaining!