Excellent adaptation of a great book

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2001)

There is one measure that very few movies even qualify for - visceral thrill. There were several instances during the movie when I felt an emotional feeling that you rarely get with movies, especially as a male. Amongst those rare movies, the sad ones are prevalent and most capable of extracting emotional attachment by the viewer.
The rarer species are those movies that generate positive exuberance. In my case, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is one of them.
Having read all 4 books to my son, I was quite familiar with the subject matter. Despite fore-knowledge of the plot, I was enraptured by the story. I felt like a kid again, totally entranced by a wonderful story of magic wrapped around the classic battle of good vs. evil. Despite all the hype, I did not emerge a jaded cynic. It met all my expectations and perhaps a little bit more.
I felt the casting was excellent. Snape (Alan Rickman) stands out in my mind as a perfect match for his role. I also felt that the adaptation to film was well done. Some things are better left in the book. Some things actually work better in film, such as the Quidditch match.
Some reviewers may say that this movie does not stand on its own. Perhaps not, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Think of it as complement to the book. In this case, a great complement!