Does The Magic Really Begin Here?

Rating: 6/10 (29 August 2014)

Seeing as how we have reached the end of this franchise after 10 very enjoyable years, I think it's time to reflect on how well the series will stand the test of time. Upon hearing that they where making a movie adaptation of "Harry Potter", I was not really affected. I was 9 years old and unfamiliar with the story. My father had read the books to me here and there, and only after I saw the 4th movie did I really get into this franchise and decided to pick up the books myself.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage, is set to begin his first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he makes close friends and a few enemies, Harry stumbles on a conspiracy and faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents when he was just one year old.
This film is literally a perfect adaptation of the first book, that kind of works and kind of doesn't. With no disrespect to J.K Rowling, who is a fantastic writer, but the adaptation and direction by Chris Columbus is boring. So visually unexciting, you'd be surprised to hear that Terry Gilliam ("Time Bandits", 1981, "Brazil", 1985,) was asked to direct. Seeing Terry's warped, surrealist imagery from his movies really would have been interesting to see how he would have depicted it, however he decided to pass due to studio control. Aside from that, this film is family entertainment at best. I remember watching it as a kid and loving it even more so than "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" (2001). Now I'm much older, I can clearly say that LOTR was definitely better in so many ways. When I see this movie on TV nowadays it hasn't particularly aged well. It's fun in some areas and whimsical, but it's just not really that interesting.
Casting (Mostly for the adults) is great, I'm proud to be British and there's a gigantic amount of stellar choices involved. Alan Rickman as Professor Snape could not have been a better decision, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, John Hurt and Richard Harris's short lived time as Albus Dumbledore all make for a fun time to be had. With that said, what wonderful talent that has been found in Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint & Emma Watson. Though I didn't really enjoy them in the first half of the movie, once they fully interact with each other as friends did the film series officially begin.
Final Verdict: For the first story in what would be 7 wonderful reads and 8 enjoyable movies it does well as a first outing, but everything in the later movies is just better polished and rendered. 6/10.