A very well done, plot-driven film. Recommended.

Rating: 8/10 (16 November 2001)

HARRY POTTER ***_ Fantasy / Adventure Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Richard Harris
Harry potter is 10 years old. He has lived with his aunt and uncle since he was 3 -- when his parents were killed by the 'Darth Vader' of the Sorcery world. Harry is disliked and generally mistreated by his step-parents and his spoiled step-brother.
Harry has a natural ability for sorcery, and in one scene makes the glass disappear from the snake cage at the zoo. His brother, who had been beating on the glass to annoy the snake, falls in. No one is hurt. Soon Harry is afforded the opportunity to go to Hogwarts boarding school, where his magical abilities will be fine-tuned.
The rest of the film chronicles Harry's adventures during his first year of school.
HARRY POTTER is very well done. Contrary to the norm in today's big-budget special effects films, this movie is plot-driven. Special effects are used to bring the story to life, not to demonstrate what can be done today with computer animation. The characters are well-cast and believable. In spite of the subject matter being the occult, the overall tone of the film is highly moral. This is a film which can be enjoyed by the whole family.