2001 / 152 Minutes / PG
Reviewed by Dale Nauertz

The Harry Potter books have caused a national phenomenon, and I, for one, find it refreshing. Think about it. For once, kids and adults are going crazy for a book! A book!

That’s impressive. Usually a craze like this is the result of a video game or a movie, not something that actually requires you to go through the trouble of reading. I never understood why the books were such a big deal, personally, but then, a couple weeks ago, I actually read one. And I must say that they are thoroughly imaginative and enchanting. The storytelling instincts of J.K. Rowling in these novels are unerring, and she has a true gift for creating sympathetic characters that you care about and then embroiling them in fascinating plots and creating wonderful worlds for them to inhabit. In these ways, the books remind me of the thrill of the early “Star Wars” films, where you were fascinated by the result of a single person’s bewildering imagination.

So I was rather pleasantly pleased to find that the film was remarkably faithful to the book, which is the best policy. I have to say that the novel couldn’t really be improved upon. The incidents, characters, situations and atmosphere were pitch perfect. And, by and large, Chris Columbus has just taken all the things that worked on the page and transplanted them whole onto the movie screen. If you’ve read the book, you were probably wondering how on earth any film was going to create the enthralling universe of the novel, but the filmmakers have somehow found a way to do it and do it faithfully. I have to admit that I never expected it from the man who brought us the woefully overrated “Mrs. Doubtfire” (though he did make “Nine Months” and “Home Alone”, both of which were hilarious…though they didn’t prove him capable of a film of this scope and imagination).

The actors are all game and give performances that, while not worthy of Oscars, are perfectly suited for the world they inhabit. Rickman seems to be having fun as Professor Snape, though the most imposing aspects of his film are largely left on the printed page. Richard Harris is magnificent as Professor Dumbledore, lending the right air of majesty and wisdom to the character. Maggie Smith is great as Professor McGonagall, who is stern and yet you can see her goodness lurking beneath the surface. And Robbie Coltrane is wonderful as Hagrid, the gameskeeper of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. He’s like a living, breathing Jim Henson creature here and it’s marvelous.

But the majority of the screen time belongs to the kids, which would be horrible if they weren’t absolutely engaging and completely convincing. Fortunately, the kids are engaging and convincing and make their characters come to life. Daniel Radcliffe strikes all the right notes as Harry. It’s a great performance that really convinces you he is a real kid coming to terms with the suddenly outrageous circumstances of his life, where every day holds a new adventure or revelation and nothing is exactly as it seems. And Ron and Hermione becoming living, sometimes skeptical creations in the capable hands of the young actors who portray them. The three of them are wonderful and captivating characters who you are more than happy to spend two and a half hours in the company of.

It’s nice to see a film geared toward families that takes its time and allows you to become acquainted with the main characters, rather than rushing them through the film so that the little tykes don’t get bored. I don’t see how they could be bored with anything in this film anyway.

It’s not like the character development isn’t engrossing, and what kid wouldn’t be interested by a regular kid who gets called upon to go to wizard school? The entire novel simply comes to life in a magical manner. The effects are not the greatest I have ever seen, but they are very good and they convince. The whole movie convinces, and enchants with a sense of playfulness and magic. Hogwarts is right there on the screen, transplanted lovingly and accurately, and the goblins of Gringotts and all the other magical creatures are brought magnificently to life. And many of the film’s sequences are marvelously exciting. The Quidditch game, for example, (a game sort of like football only played on broomsticks) is so completely thrilling that it makes the Pod Race in “Episode One” look like a scene from “Barry Lyndon”.

Sure, some of the effects aren’t all that hot. The centaur, for example, could have used a little work. And the ending of the film, while faithful to the book, just manages to show you the book’s few shortcomings, more obvious now that they are on the screen and not in your head. The ending feels too long and is also a bit unsatisfying (though the incidents involving Lord Voldemort are, for lack of a better word, very cool). But no matter. “Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone” is still one of the best children’s films to come along in quite some time. It’s an enchanting, thrilling ride that weaves a hypnotic spell and causes a smile to stay affixed to one’s face. If you’re in the mood for a fun diversion with the kids or, hell, just a good film, then look no further. You can’t go wrong with Mr. Potter and friends.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2001 at 8:51 pm and is filed under Dale's Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.