Faithful and Satisfying

Rating: Null/10 (10 November 2001)

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE delivers. Thank Warners for that.
That's the important part. All there is left to do is praise the sumptious craft and thank the writer for taking an ingeniously wrought plot and divining it on to the screen with a minimum of Hollywoodisation.
It's curious that the least satisfying creative element of the film is by a man who has defined Hollywood in the minds of the world, composer John Williams. His score is uninspired and strangely out of date, playing like a selection of cues that might not have made it into RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Aside from the chess match no one cue stands proud and the main theme doesn't suit Harry because even though he's an 11 year old, he has depth and a history.
But HARRY POTTER is a children's film based on a children's book so there is precious little subtext to justify repeated visits to the film. Images of hundreds of owls trying to deliver Harry the acceptance letter from Hogwarts are delightful and the film charms its way along to the finale which still manages to surprise despite this reviewer having read the book several times.
If I had to carp it would be the preponderance of digital effects. Three headed dogs and trolls - acceptable selections for CGI but the craft of computer generated imagery has not reached the stage of portraying realistic human performers and we get a digital Harry quite a few times flying at breakneck speed on his Nimbus 2000. It may be my point of view - being all too aware of digital effects - but these tricks didn't detract too much though there were a few Quidditch moves that looked more like SHREK than flesh and blood.
Enough. There is no real trouble with HARRY so a nod of appreciated to Columbus, Kloves and Warners not to mention the person who oversaw production like, well, like an owl. Joanna Kathleen Rowling. Bravo J.K. Book 5 please.