Faithful to the book, disappointing to watch.

Rating: 6/10 (9 February 2002)

I don't consider myself a huge Harry Potter fan - still, I've read all the books and enjoyed them a great lot. I was quite anxious to see how well was the atmosphere of the books translated to the big screen. I'm sorry to join the displeased side, but the movie IS disappointing - to say the least.
Its main asset seems to be the way all the familiar locations are portrayed - Diagon Alley, Gringotta Bank, platform 9 and 3/4, finally the majestic Hogwarts itself are all visually stunning and wonderfully brought to life. I have no complaints about actors' performances either - with Emma Watson as Hermione, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid and Alan Rickman as Snape doing particularly well.
Alas, for the rest of the movie... Following the original story it is - logical it is not. There are far too many bits missing to make it sensible. Where's the constant competition of the houses? How come Snape doesn't take points from Gryffindor on every occasion? Why is Malfoy nearly absent throughout? What's the point of having Crabbe and Goyle or the centaur appear on the screen if they have absolutely nothing to do there? I couldn't even see any mention of Professor McGonagall being the head of the Gryffindor House! And most of all - where has the Snape's potion riddle gone? It makes the entire ending feel incomplete and unsatisfying.
While I realize it's plain impossible to transcript ALL the details from the book, many humorous ones COULD have been included if it hadn't been for the irritating exploding wands gags, Neville's broomstick exploits or some overdrawn conversations. Even the great scene in Olivander's wand shop was rewritten and ruined for a bunch of cheap chuckles.
And to all those saying the effects were great - where have you guys been for the last couple of years? I mean, c'mon! The quidditch match is way too fast and chaotic - makes me wonder what are they going to do when it's time to shoot the World Cup match in "Goblet of Fire", which is supposed to be played MUCH FASTER than anything Harry had ever seen! At the same time the effects are lousy, including the most obvious blue screens I've seen in months and flying broomsticks that make "Back To The Future Part II" look top notch in comparison - and that's a 1989 title, mind you. The troll was laughable and shrekish to the point of incredulousness. The stiff dummy pretending to be Neville falling off the broomstick was embarrassing. And since "Forrest Gump" there's hardly anything impressive about a feather hovering in mid-air.
The camerawork is merely average. Having seen how splendid the castle of Hogwarts looks from outside I expected the same kind of grandeur inside. Sadly, apart from the few scenes in the Great Hall, they never manage to convey the sheer size of the place. And excuse me, was that supposed to be the dreary dank dungeon where the potions classes took place? Give me a break.
All in all - an big effort, but with half its potential lost somewhere on the way. Could have been so much more. This - 6/10, tops.