Umm, what do I think of this film

Rating: Null/10 (27 January 2002)

HP and the Philosopher's Stone is a very difficult film to review, mainly because I'm in two minds about it.
On the one hand, it's a good film with Hogwarts in particular being beautifully shot. I want to go to school there.
On the other, as an adaptation of the book, it lousy. Truly lousy. For instance, Malfoy, who still does come over as the school bully from hell, seems to have had half his lines cut, or they've been inserted into a different part of the story.
And I'm not even a hardliner, if the cuts and changes were necessary it would be okay, but several of them are not, a case in point the Quidditch match. The match I saw on screen was exiting yes (one of my favourite scenes actually), but not the match in the book. What happened to Flint's body check on Harry, and Lee Jackson commentary (one of my favourite parts of the book)? It would have been easy enough to have in.
I suppose the problem is the little cuts (Hagrid on the boat, in Diagon Alley, Snape's leg) added up, especially since the moved scenes tended to be my favourites.
What especially upset me is (SPOILER)
Hermionie's character beats Snape's part of the protection in the book, in this she just tagged along after saving Ron and Harry from the weed thing. Actually what did happen to Snape's part of the defences? They seemed to have gone missing.
And she doesn't have that awful speech about things other than books and cleverness being important.
But this is a film review, not a book review so, on it's own merits as a film it's good. And in some parts very good, but as not even a fan of the books to any great extent, I found the changes disturbing, especially the horrific scene at the end where the bad guy turns in to dust. Hello, it wasn't in the books so why do it, it's no better than the scene in the book, though I imagine it was easier to film it the way they have.
The main good points: Harry - comes over much better than in the books. Quirrell - wonderful acting. Hagrid - just yay. Dumbeldore- despite having half his lines cut. I wanted the socks line. Seamus - very funny