Magic carpet unravels

Rating: 6/10 (21 November 2001)

This movie, based on the book of the same name, starts a wee bit too sluggish, features some nice special effects in the later half and gets downright cheesy and predictable at the end. It relays the story of a young lad who discovers he has untold abilities in the art of wizardry and builds thereon with the process of his schooling in said talent. The character development is way too slow in portions and non-existent in others--unless you've read the book, you don't have much chance of knowing who they're talking about, considering they have such weird names. It has moments of neatness ("sorting hat", "moving stairwells", etc.), but you never feel immersed in the "Hogwarts" world. I got the vibe they should have either totally hammed it up or made it quite a bit more gritty. Alas, it appears yet another novel couldn't be properly consolidated into a film format. Still, the kiddies will probably love it and it could have been much worse, although it is a bit too long--I kept checking my watch.