I guess you can't satisfy everyone...

Rating: 7/10 (19 November 2001)

Reading various viewer comments, it seems like everyone has different complaints about HP the movie. Some people complain that scene X, which was CRUCIAL, shouldn't have been cut. Others say that that same scene X was not relevant and thus rightfully excluded. Some people say it was too watered down and childish. Others say it was too scary and inappropriate for kids. Sheesh!
All in all, I thought it was pretty good. Both my girlfriend, who hadn't read any of the books, and I, who read the first 2, enjoyed it.
The only complaint that I would agree with is that the movie was slightly too long. At a hefty 152 minutes, I overheard several viewers afterwards who said that they fell asleep. Although I never fell asleep, I certainly became tired at moments.
Fortunately, the mid-movie Quidditch match added a much needed jolt of electricity. Although the CGI occasionally was too apparent, all in all the Quidditch scene was exciting and engaging, achieving what Phantom Menace's ho-hum pod race could not.
Acting overall was pretty good. Daniel Radcliffe as HP was adequate, but the real show stealers were Rupert Grint(Ron) as the goofy but loyal sidekick and Emma Watson(Hermione) as the perfectly charming, bookish snob. Even Tom Felton as the despicable Draco did a good job.
I give Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone a solid IMDb 7. And I'm glad that it dethroned Jurassic Park 2 as the opening weekend record holder.