One of the Best Book To Movie Adaptions I've Seen.

Rating: 10/10 (2 December 2001)

I've waited a while to see Harry Potter. I've read the books, loved the world, and admittedly, I've been a little hesitant as I've watched this great series overmarketed to the point where it's almost the next Pokemon.
Fortunately, the movie retains the dignity of the book.
I've seen a lot of mixed reaction to this film. Some absolutely love it. Others think it slow-paced and incredibly dull. I think the enjoyment of this film will be based on if you read the books or not. I do think some of the terminology and "understoods" of the character motivations in the movie would be somewhat incomprehensible for someone not initiated with Potter's world. Hopefully, this would prompt the uninitiated to read the books before they blast this movie or see the next one. The source material is very accurate with only minor deviations.
That aside, as someone who HAS read the book, I thought the film was quite simply delightful; a term that I normally don't use in describing a film. It adequately captures the moments that made the book so much fun to read. It captures all the details of the books, from Halloween to Christmas, the the "Return of the Jedi"-esque (in speed and pacing at least) Quidditch match, and even the moments of Harry's wonder of his new world as well as his feelings of dealing with the truth of the loss of his parents. What moments I feared would be lost in the translation were kept in there. As for the cast themselves, the children playing Harry, Ron and Hermione were very likable and accurate to their book counterparts. The same goes for the adults as well.
True, like any book-based movie, there are changes. The good news is that even if they moved a conversation or act, they normally made reference to it in some way rather than forgetting it. The biggest omission I noticed was the removal of Peeves. Hopefully, he'll make a return in the second film.
Another thing people have criticized about this film is John Williams' score. Yes, it does not have the impact of say Star Wars, E.T., Indiana Jones or Schindler's List, but it does add to the film and not "overwhelm" it "sell the movie" like a lot of people feel it does. There's no one forcing hands or wallets to go buy the soundtrack. Perhaps people wanted a soundtrack with Jessica Simpson or yet another film with Smashmouth's "All-Star" placed in it.
As a fan, I had a good time with this film, and was glad to see that they kept the feel of the book as well as they did. For a "children's" (I used the term loosely based off the number of adults who enjoy it as well) film, clocking in around 2 1/2 hours is a pretty long time to ask kids to sit through, but I think older kids will be able to. Plus, there are a few scenes that may be a bit too intense for the little ones, such as dealing with Voldemort and Fluffy.
I recommend this film. It's easily one of the best I've seen for this year. I will, however, give this recommendation: If you don't know Harry Potter, I really suggest reading the book before or directly after seeing this film so you can make comparisons to it. You'll find the two don't change that much from the other, and knowing the source material beforehand, while not mandatory, will certainly help make the experience that much more enjoyable. And if you don't want to read the books, ask someone close by. You'll run across more people who know of it than don't.
One can only wonder how long a film the phonebook-sized Book 4 will be....