Great book, great movie

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2002)

I hadn't read the books prior to seeing the movie, so my vision of it may be somewhat skewed, but I was inordinately impressed with the movie. Richard Harris plays Dumbledore to perfection (he might have made almost as good a Gandalf as Ian McKellan, though the comparison won't be popular), Maggie Smith's McGonnagall is equally good and the boy who plays Harry himself is excellent, though his youth sometimes shows itself a little. And Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid steals the show! All in all a good first installment. My hope is that, like the Star Wars and Star Trek movies of yesteryear, the second installment is even better than the first!