Visual Awe Vaults It Even Over Book

Rating: 9/10 (4 March 2017)

If you watch "Sorcerer's Stone" without reading the book first, there are certain narrative points that you will miss or not quite be as clear on (as usual). However, watching the movie closely following the reading experience will actually expand upon the Potter myth (I gave the first book four stars) due to this film's ability to lay the groundwork of the series in such stunning visuals and characters.
For a basic plot summary, "Sorcerer's Stone" sees young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) living with his aunt and uncle and being mistreated horribly (sleeping in a closet under the stairs, told how rotten he is all the time, etc.). Right before his 11th birthday, however, Harry begins receiving letters from a mysterious owl (as well as a visit from a rather large gentleman riding a flying motorcycle) informing him that he is in fact from wizard lineage. Thus, Harry is whisked away to Hogwarts, a "Wizard Academy" of sorts, to begin his training. While at Hogwarts, Harry meets new friends Ron (Rupert Grint) & Hermoine (Emma Watson) as well as discovers the mystery behind the death of his parents regarding a shadowy character called Voldemort.
In terms of following the novel, this film does a pretty good job of keeping in lock-step. There are certain scenes that are excised for time/continuity and a few "facts" from the book that are blatantly different from the movie, but other than that it is a great representation.
In fact, in a departure from the norm, I actually enjoyed the movie experience better than the book. Why? Because of the way it was able to so wonderfully put a visual to all the great characters. For some, the "mystery is gone" when they see their literary characters up on the big screen, but in this case I was very pleased to put a face to all these great characters.
The movie also has (just like the book) a sense of "epic-ness" to it. It is very clear that this is only the beginning of an epic series, with more and more mysteries and character development to come.
Thus, "Sorcerer's Stone" is a great cinematic experience that will leave you wanting more as soon as it concludes. The mysteries and characters are paced perfectly, and the story (as it is geared for young adults in the first place) is easy enough to latch onto while nuanced enough to get sucked into.