Competent but uninspired

Rating: 1/10 (24 December 2001)

The movie was good, but unfortunately lacked the proverbial magic that the book had. The director's cut was supposedly too long, and a lot of parts were cut out - perhaps this could have something to do with it. Another example of Hollywood producers ruining a great book? Perhaps.
The casting was a bit off - the most glaring error was that of Albus Dumbledore. Richard Harris failed to bring out the "twinkle in the eye" that was necessary for the Headmaster's character. Robbie Coltrane was a standout as Rubeus Hagrid, and stole the show. The main characters? Ron Weasely was also *very* well portrayed by Rupert Grint. Harry and Hermione were well done, but again, nothing exceptional. One can expect them to improve in the next movie.
The most disappointing thing about the movie is the lack of character development: A large portion of the cast was composed of very strong, veteran actors and actresses(Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, etc etc.) - However, none of them truly got a chance to "work their magic" with the audience, as they are not on the screen for long enough. Even before the release of the movie, it was clear it was going to make a lot of money at the box office - this makes it even more of a pity that the director was not allowed to show the audience the full version of the movie. This could have significantly improved the movie. Would a three or 3.5 hour movie be too long for children? Probably, but having an intermission tends to break up the "monotony" of the movie.
The bottom line is that this movie still should be seen - it is well done, but not nearly as good as the book - Given the choice between the two, spending the three hours reading the book is much more fruitful than spending the two-and-a-half watching the movie.