Spellbinding magic that just misses the mark

Rating: 7/10 (10 November 2001)

There's little doubt that the first of the Harry Potter movies is going to be one of the highest grossing films of all time. It's also widely agreed that Chris Columbus faced a daunting task in attempting to bring Jo Rowling's fantastically detailed world to the big screen. He does very well, but, in my opinion, he falls a little short.
The film certainly has a magical feeling to it, and the two and a half hours simply fly by. Adults and children alike will be more than entertained. But as a die hard Potter fan i was dissapointed by the cuts that had to be made to Rowling's work. Where was Peeves, the sorting hat song, the howlers? The lack of these and other details hurt the end result.
Hermione Granger was perfectly played, Ron Weasley was spot on and very funny. Hagrid was a treat, McGonagel the personification of 'strict but fair' school mistrisses and Snape was truelly mean. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, certainly looks the part, but was wooden at times. The special effects were excellent, for the most part, and the much anticipated Quidditch match was, for me, one of the high points of this years cinema.

A must see film, but hard core fans beware! To truelly appreciate it, read the books, all of them!!