Excellent

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2005)

Like many people who had read the book before seeing the film I wasn't disappointed. A lot of the film was better than my visualisations when reading the book and the special effects are incredible. The casting is very good. It's a real shame that Richard Harris died. He was great as Dumbledore. Although Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall sometimes seems like Jean Brodie in a pointy hat (you wonder at what point she's going to say "Gryffindor are the creme a la creme") I still wouldn't have cast anyone else in the role. She's spot on. The character of Hagrid could have been written for Robbie Coltrane.Some scenes might be a bit intense for younger children but there's plenty in it to appeal to children of all ages and adults too. It is a fantasy story but there are plenty of things in it kids will identify with. Every school has a precocious poshly named girl like Hermione Grainger and a know-it-all who grasses on his mates like Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter appeals to the universal imagination and touches a nerve with a lot of people. I think it is a bit paranoid to say that it makes children interested in the occult and black magic as it is pure fantasy. I think it is more likely to make kids want to run at the brick pillars between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station in the hope that they'll go through the wall and they'll be able to board the Hogwarts Express!