Great first entry to the wizarding world

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2020)

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was directed by Chris Columbus and introduces Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rubert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. It is the first movie in the franchise, therefore it has to dedicate a lot of its run time to building up the Harry Potter universe and the wizarding school of Hogwarts.
Columbus directed this movie beautifully, however especially the costumes, the production design of both Diagon Alley and Hogwarts and of course the enchanting score by John Williams are timeless. In addition, compared to some dated visual effects during the quidditch match, the practical effects are hand-made and therefore still look really good.
Every time I re-visit the world of Harry Potter I am immediately met with 90 minutes of amazement as something magical unfolds in front of my eyes. On rewatch this can feel a little long and time consuming, however what I dislike most about this first instalment is actually the last 30 minutes. Similar to the second entry in the franchise "Chamber of Secrets", the movie ends with a lot of exposition heavy scenes and fitting to the age of out main characters, quite childish.