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Editorial Review:
As the first Harry Potter film of the celebrated series, this is a must for ardent fans and newcomers to the global fantasy phenomenon. An adaptation of J. K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (known as the Sorcerer's Stone in the US), it's our first big-screen encounter with the series' well-loved characters and the goings-on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
We meet orphan Harry Potter (played by a young Daniel Radcliffe) while he's as yet unaware of his magical powers and is living a miserable existence with his horrible Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. A mysterious letter arrives, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane in fine acting form), inviting Harry to study at the exclusive Hogwarts School and he soon discovers his true heritage as the son of a wizard and a witch. He's also gained widespread notoriety, being the only survivor of an attack by the evil wizard Voldemort that killed both his parents. The film explores Harry's growing realisation that there are two worlds: the non-magical world of humans, called "Muggles", in which he used to reside and the magical fantasy world of wizardry that is his destiny.
The greatest strength of the film comes from its faithfulness to the novel, and this new cinematic world is filled with all the details of Rowling's imagination, thanks to exuberant sets, elaborate costumes, clever makeup and visual effects, and a crème de la crème cast, including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman and more. Especially fine is the interplay between Harry and his new schoolmates Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) as they club together to fight the forces of evil. --Sally Giles
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Pleasant viewing, but nothing special Never read the books so I came with an open mind when watching this film. Like the book, the film is for children but can be enjoyed by adults. Unfortuneatly this came out at the same time as the excellent 'Lord of the Rings' and it cant really compare with Tolkiens classic (same with the books really) but you can enjoy it on its own merit, especially if you havnt bother reading the novel first. If you have, then it could be an up hill struggle. However, the acting and the characters are enjoyable and... more info
Good Start This is a visually beautiful film, with the best of the british lighting up the screen. But it's still my least favourite of the Potter movies, and this is because the pace of the film is slow (though that's mainly due to the setting up of characters and locations). Also though the children do a great job, I just prefer them in the next one because they are much better.
The dvd itself aint great, not too many extra's and no director commentary. For a 2 Disc I give the features 2 out of 5 though the... more info
enjoyable ive never read the books but this is an enjoyable fun popcorn thats great for all the family.theres a great british cast too
Very poor I have not been impressed with any of the five Harry Potter movies so far, but the first three are on a different level of badness than number four or five. Fine they are very faithful to the book, but they are terrible adaptations and the director and scriptwriter ought to be ashamed of themselves. The plot is basically like this ( although everybody knows it ), Harry doesn't know he's a wizard until a giant tells him that he is, he then goes to a magic school called Hogwarts and makes friends with... more info
