The first great of many greats...

Rating: 6/10 (14 November 2005)

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Dudley AKA the Dursleys. His parents were both killed in a car crash when he was very young and he has always been quite strange ever since. Lately, he has been feeling a little stranger than usual. His cousin Dudley has been attacked by a snake when Harry wanted to hurt him and mysterious letters for Harry have been showing up that The Dursleys have UN-mistakenly been trying to hide form him. Harry soon finds out the reason for all of these incidents: He is a wizard. Not only that, he also finds out that he will be attending Hogwarts (Wizarding school for Wizards and Witches) and that his parents were murdered by the most evil of all wizards, Voldemort, who was mysteriously destroyed by Harry.
On his journey to Hogwarts, Harry makes two friends in Ron Weasely (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) along with a rival in Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Harry quickly learns of life in the wizard world and finds himself to be quite the celebrity due to his Quidditch (A popular wizard sport played on brooms) skills and his encounter with Voldemort. The movie also stars Richard Harris as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall, and Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape.
This is the first of seven beloved movies adapted from the books by J.K. Rowling. In general, the book is usually better than the movie, and this is no exception, although it is a wonderful adaptation. The acting of the kids was made the movie incredibly entertaining and the effects were done brilliantly. This comes as no surprise, due to the massive book sales that created such a large budget for the film. But one of the greatest things about this movie is that they didn't go for star actors. Yes, you do have Richard Harris and Alan Rickman but they very well-known. Even the biggest star in the movie John Cleese played the very minor role of Nearly Headless Nick. This was a great opportunity to make another great saga of film and they made a wonderful start by not using big names. Overall, this is a great beginning to what hopes to be incredible chronicles and is a wonderful adaptation of the book.
I recommend this film