Faithful but not perfect

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2001)

As a huge fan of the Harry Potter books, I never really expected this movie to come close and - to be honest - it doesn't. Don't get me wrong, it's a great movie but it only really touches on the surface of J.K. Rowling's world. It's clear that what has happened here is that Chris Columbus has made a film that's true to the book... then realised it's too long and cut out all the unnecessary bits. What's left is a somewhat bitty and shallow version of the story with little of the richness and colour that made The Philosopher's Stone such a standout book.
What we do see, for the most part, looks great. I found myself wondering just how the filmmakers had managed to recreate Hogwarts exactly as I had imagined it, from the warmth of the Gryffindor common room to the dampness of Snape's potions class. Unfortunately, they seem to have fallen under the same spell as George Lucas when it comes to computer generated imagery. Quite simply, it looks fake. Particularly cringe-able are the centaur that looks straight out of Ray Harryhausen's reject bin (Surely they could put a guy in a suit!) and the face of Lord Voldemort that looks like a character from Tekken 3. I hope and pray that filmmakers get over their obsession with technology and realise how bad some of this stuff looks.
Where this film really triumphs is in the performances of some (not all) of the cast. Daniel Radcliffe certainly looks the part, although his is not the most challenging role, as it involves little more than looking bewildered for most of the film. Of the other kids, Rupert Grint stands out a mile. His delivery is natural and his comic timing absolutely flawless. Sean Biggerstaff also impresses a great deal during his short screen time as Oliver Wood.
The adults were picked from the cream of british thesps, but only a handful really seem to understand the material. Robbie Coltrane captures Hagrid perfectly, and Alan Rickman is a superbly slimy Snape. Maggie Smith, as Professor McGonagall, is outstanding. Ian Hart, on the other hand is merely mediocre as st-st-stuttering Professor Quirrel and downright embarrassing when he turns nasty at the climax of the film. Richard Harris as Dumbledore is a little bit po-faced for my liking. I would have liked to have heard him say a few more words at the banquet(Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! )
So as an adaptation of a book, it's admirably faithful, if a little shallow, while as a children's film, it's certainly above average.

8/10