The film
is based on a popular book series by J.K. Rowling that tell
of the adventures of young wizard Harry Potter and his friends
while attending Hogwarts Academy of Wizardry and Witchcraft.
The four books published to date have been bestsellers the
world over and have inspired legions of devoted fans, so it
seemed only a matter of time until Harry made his debut on
the big screen. Not since the last Star Wars film "The
Phantom Menace", has their been this much hype around
a film, and advanced tickets to the first weekend have been
sold out in many places for weeks in advance, and this is
just the tip of the iceberg for a film that many predict will
break box office records.
The movie
tells of the orphaned Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), who is raised
by his mean and neglectful aunt and uncle. Harry's relatives
pay him little attention and force Harry to live in a cupboard
under the stairs and wait on them hand and foot. His relatives
never buy him gifts or treat him as family even on his birthday
and punish him for anything they believe he has done wrong,
even when he has not. Worse yet, Harry's aunt and uncle spend
all of the attention spoiling his obnoxious cousin as they
shower him with gifts and praise despite the fact he is a
greedy and rude child. Things change for Harry on his 11th
birthday when he learns that his parents were great wizards
and he is to attend Hogwarts in order to develop his amazing
talents. It seems his relatives have kept his parents abilities
and true fate from Harry, and were determined to keep him
from following in his parent's footsteps. Aided by the schools
caring caretaker Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) Harry equips himself
with the items he will need to attend school all the while
learning about his parents. It is learned that Harry was orphaned
when an evil wizard killed his parents and for some unknown
reason, spared Harry although leaving a mark upon the child's
forehead.
As Harry
travels to his new school, He meets Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint)
and Hermione Granger( Emma Watson). Like Harry the two are
new students and they soon become good friends. No sooner
do Harry and his friends arrive, when strange things start
to happen ranging from a Troll running loose in the school,
hidden secrets, and a suspicious Professor Snape (Alan Rickman)
who seems to be up to something.
Along
the way, Harry and his friends learn about the fabled Sorcer's
Stone. A magical stone that can not only turn anything into
gold, but can create a elixir of immortality that the evil
wizard who killed Harry's parents seems intent on capturing
for himself. Despite Harry's warning, his notions are dismissed
by the faculty at Hogwarts as many believe the evil wizard
vanished for good long ago. Undaunted by the dangers that
face them, Harry and his friends set out to stop the forces
of evil and save the day.
The film
is a triumph of imagination as it blends, fantasy, humor,
and special effects in way that is charming and delightful
for all ages. A sporting match played on broomsticks is a
visual delight as characters zoom all over the screen in a
scene that will delight audiences of all ages. Despite having
some nice effects, the film never relies on eye candy to be
its drawing card. An interesting, if not to deep story and
likeable, well-written characters are what makes this film
shine. The acting is first rate and young Radcliffe seems
to be a star in the making. Coltrane gives an outstanding
performance as do Maggie Smith, and Richard Harris as the
wizards that not only teach Harry about magic, but about life
as well. The film moves along at a good pace, and despite
its 150-minute running time, there are few slow moments in
the film, and Director Chris Columbus paces the film to perfection.
It should be noted that despite its PG rating, some younger
people in the press screener were frightened by some moments
of the film. That aside, "Harry Potter" is a modern
day classic that more than lives up to the hype and is well
worth seeing for fans of all ages. The second film in the
series is already under way and I must say that for many people,
myself included, I look forward to seeing what future adventures
Harry and his friends have in store for audiences.
DVD features
include behind the scenes, deleted scenes, storyboards and
much more making this is must own.