Good attempt but a little weak.

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2001)

The film does the best it can in, compressing an 8-hour book into a two and a half hour film. Especially when you consider the book contains some 21or more rich characters; non-stop action, intrigue and interwoven incidents; beautifully described locations and scenes. Well.. you just can't you can't do it! But this film gives a good taste of what the book is about a general whip through the plot.
It is a great pity, I feel, that this book was not made into a TV series. Then we could have had a half hour episode for each chapter from the book, which in my view is the only way they could have done the story REAL justice. But I guess it would not have made so much money.
The film has some great special effects . the Quiditch match, the Troll, The chess game, the keys, Hagrid.
On the down side, the film lost a lot of the tension from the book as none of the actors showed any real strong emotion, and there were some small little touches which would have added so much but were sadly missing. For example; where was the twinkle in Dumbldore's eyes! I know Allen Rickman (my favourite actor playing Snape) can sneer and look much more sinister than he did. There was no teasing between Harry/Ron and Hermione. Why was Draco not flanked by his body guards Crab and Goyle?! Peeves is edited out completely.
The sorting hat is 10 sizes too small! Harry's time with the Dursleys was too short and unconvincing. However all that said.. Professor McGonagall and Madame Hooch were excellent. Argos Filch was horribly good but his cat should have been a Devon or Cornish Rex.
So much of the emotion of the book, which makes for tension and for deep characters, was missing, sadly.
I hope people who see the film will be encouraged to the read the book if they have not already done so.