Hype above substance

Rating: 3/10 (28 December 2001)

I've read the first Harry Potter book and I greatly enjoyed it. (As an aside I'm also a conservative fundamentalist Christian who does not think that Harry Potter is recruiting tool for Satan).
However, I was greatly disappointed with this film. With an hour to go I was looking at my watch and hoping it would end soon. The pacing was terrible and for long stretches I was very bored. Visually I felt it was excellent but the screenplay adaptation was poorly done and at times the acting was abisimal.
The book is far, far better and I doubt I'll bother with any future films. For a long book adapted right try "Fellowship of the Ring", a longer film that did not drag and handled the "premise building" necessary in the first film of a book adaptation series much better.
The next films better be much better if its going to go the distance....If this series goes to 7 films I'll eat a golden snitch.