Worth watching even if you're not a Potter fan

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2001)

I have never read, or as much as picked up, any of the Harry Potter books. Still, I went to see this movie with my 21-year-old sister and my 11-year-old brother. The movie serves as a good introduction to the world of Harry Potter. At first, before they get to Hogwarts, everything seemed to simply be underlining that Harry is a wizard without knowing it, but once in Hogwarts, the movie really starts to get interesting. Severus Snape and Quirrel seemed like fascinating characters. I particularly like the scene down in the dungeons, but telling more about that would be spoiling the movie. There were many scenes in this movie that reminded me of other movies. The scene where the owls surround the house reminded me of Hitchcock's "The Birds". The scene where the bookshelf drawers fly out reminded me of "Ghostbusters". The scene with the shifting staircases reminded me of M.C.Escher's paintings. Perhaps this movie *should* be viewed before reading any of the books, that way you can spend your time enjoying the plot instead of criticising the adaption.