Harry Potter is no E.T.!!

Rating: Null/10 (2 December 2001)

Harry Potter has been hyped as potentially the biggest movie ever. Like many but not all "biggest movie ever" blockbusters, the movie doesn't live up to a fraction of the hype. The story is centered around an orphan who has magical powers and lives with his aunt and uncle. The movie is visually stunning but leaves the viewer emotionally disconnected. This is a characteristic common of all "biggest movie ever made" type films, all multimillion dollar special effects and no real story or compelling characters. There is no definite antagonist that interacts with Harry. The viewer is given very little information about Harry's origins. It seems like a bunch of short stories glued together. In addition there is no emotion or no heart tugging in this film. Its certainly no E.T.! I felt that the title role was miscasted, Daniel Radcliffe didn't display too much enthusiasm and seemed too robotic at times. Its like vice versa of Haley Joel Osmont in A.I. where he's a robot named David but Haley plays the role so well we feel for his character. Its difficult to make any connection with Harry and care what happens to the character. The movie just meanders around. Its not unentertaining its just that with all the technical feats, the movie's artistry is sorely missing. I would give the film a C+, its entertaining for a while but totally forgettable. If you're under the age of 12 its a B+.