Great visuals, but bad script

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2001)

Everywhere I looked, there was always something about Harry Potter. As the hype began to get bigger and bigger, my curiosity got the better of me and I fell into the trap of reading the first book. To my surprise, I was totally engrossed in the story from start to finish. Being in my 20s, I was sceptical about a book aimed at a younger age group, but I found that you do not have to be young, only young at heart to enjoy it.
However, the movie left me feeling a little disappointed. Visually, it was fantastic to watch, especially the Quidditch match, but the screenplay did not live up to the standards of the book. I realize that not every little detail can be included into an already quite long movie, but some of the details which were omitted from the movie may have left some Harry Potter first-timers lost or detached from the main characters.
Audiences could not warm to Harry as his character was very one dimensional and there was a blink-and-you'll-miss explanation of why he was so special. This left audiences in the dark and they could not relate to the character and his plight. Harry was boring and there seemed to be nothing special about him at all. Ron Weasley however, was the highlight of the movie, with the casting being more accurate to the book than that of Harry. Overall, this was a good movie and kids will surely enjoy it. For adults who have read the book though, they may be a bit more nitpicky and be left feeling a bit disappointed.