Great movie, but wheres Peeve's?

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2001)

I have to say this movie utterly left me flabbergasted. Not having read J. K. Rowlings immensly popular novels, and ignoring the jeers of my friends I went to see this movie with small expectations and returned a huge fan of Harry Potter. Where to begin with what the movie does right. First off is the casting of only British actors especially in the leading roles. To me thinking of some American actor stumbling around as Potter or Granger faking a British accent would have been just terrible. Thankfully Chris Columbus who seems to be the last person I would be praising after Nine Months, decided to steer off from that Hollywood movie machine idea. And speaking of the actors, they all do a wonderful job fleshing out the characters especially the young leads. Daniel Radcliffe finds just the right note making Harry Potter a character every audience member can envy and cheer at the same time time. Emma Watson plays the feisty Hermione Granger almost exactly as she is written in the book with that little bit of tartness I think most young girls have at that age( at least my sister does anyway.) Tom Felton hits just the right note of pure arrogance and prissyness as Draco Malfoy that you just want some to stand up and slap him during the movie. And Rupert Grint has fun delivering some of the funniest lines in the movie while also becoming equally as heroic as his two counterparts when the time calls for it. As for their older counterparts, they all play to greater range than would usually be called for in a movie of this type. Richard Harris is a standout as headmaster Albus Dumbeldore and Maggie Smith shines as Minerva McGonagle. Their not acting because their grandchildren are fans of the books, their in the movie because they believe in what they are performing. Another thing to note is Hogwarts itself. Everything is set to the screen amazingly intricate detail from the great hall to some of the classrooms themselves. Of special note, one of my favorite parts from the book is also one of the best set designs in recent memory, the huge wizard's chess board under Hogwarts. I also liked the fact that they didn't point out most of the special effects (i.e. ghosts, and moving pictures.) Some of these add too the visual flair of Hogwart's while enhancing the overall setting. When they do focus on special effects some are grand and exciting like the quidditch match (WOW) while others just fail to impress like Fluffy the three headed dog. Another thing, and this is very minor mind you is the exclusion of Peeves the poltergeist. As I found him to be one of the funner characters I wish they could have added him somewhere in the movie. Perhaps in one of the scenes involving Harry and his friends sneaking around the school at night while being followed by Mr. Filch the schools caretaker, he could have popped up. Maybe? Anyway thats just a small complaint to an otherwise terrific film. Sure its long, but trust me its well worth the price of the ticket. Take the kids, they might have as much fun as you will watching it.