The book is imaginative; the movie is "abridged"

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2002)

My wife and I recently viewed this 2001 blockbuster on its just released DVD format and we were both favorably impressed. Its length is "just right" but some other factors seemed a bit oddly compressed. For all those who've read the series of books by J.K. Rowling and who are eager for her now overdue next installment, the movie is like an abridgment for the now-defunct "Reader's Digest Condensed Books." The set-up of Muggles versus Wizards/Witches/Hogwarts blend of ghosts & supernatural-mythological creatures is highly evocatively rendered; the plot is faithfully gleaned from the original material without the subtlety of the book, especially in regard to the school environment. I felt a bit shortchanged, however, in regard to any real mystery about the Stone itself that serves as Title Object. According to the movie's action-driven plot, the top secret nature of the item is kind of a "fraud" since nothing is very well-disguised anyway. Overall, this film is a pleasant Hollywood-version of a well-imagined parallel universe scenario. High ratings for the special effects and engaging musical score. The DVD is a bit too kid-oriented for my taste and I would have enjoyed some sort of "Making of" documentary.