Excellent movie...

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2002)

I've never read the "Harry Potter" books, but I can say that I'm quite pleased with the movie. It's not every day that you could find a bunch of children who would actually act. In "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the children are not only likeable, but they also blend in well with the story.
Originally to be directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Haley Joel Osment as the title character, "Harry Potter" was helmed by Chris Columbus, a director experienced with working with children. His direction is fine. He gives the story appeal to both adults and children, which is not that common in today's movies. It has some psychological moments, as well as brilliant art direction. Having not read the books, I can already say that "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a wonderful adaptation to J.K. Rowlings' first book of the "Harry Potter" series.
And the film does have some state-of-the-art special effects, over 700 shots. However, some of them suffer from having a sharp-looking foreground, while the background is rather blurry. Many of the special effects scream to the audience revealing that they are indeed special effects. Yet most of this doesn't distract us from the story, which is another uncommon thing for today's movies.
We also have some cool magic tricks along with some exciting and suspenseful action sequences, such as Quidditch, a wizard's sport, and a game of Chess played by living humans. We have fun exploring the campus of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as characters go up on moving staircases and meeting the three-headed dog, Fluffy. And there are also some funny and heartwarming moments such as a newborn dragon breathing fire, singeing one of the characters' giant beard.
"Harry Potter" is an enjoyable film for the whole family, which I'd recommend out to people who don't read the books or aren't interested in magic tricks. This is all because of Chris Columbus' clever direction that makes kids feel like adults and adults feel like kids.