Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Alright everyone, since the month of October has started; I will do something I have never done before. I will review a film every single day of this month. What will I review, you ask? With Halloween fast approaching, I think it would be appropriate to review films you should watch around the Halloween time period. Yes, I am doing exactly what James Rolfe has done for seven years straight now. Don’t think that I am copying from James, but think of it as I have been inspired by him. So let’s not waste any time, let’s get started.

How will I kick this month off? Well, let’s start by reviewing a series of films based off of one of my all-time favorite novel series, Harry Potter. For those of you who don’t know the story, I will give you a brief synopsis. Harry Potter is a wizard whose parents were killed by an evil wizard named Voldemort (which means “world of death” for those who are wondering). Apparently Harry can’t be killed, so Voldemort leaves a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Harry is very popular amongst the wizard world because he is “the boy who lived.” The headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore, leaves Harry with his nasty uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia, and porcine cousin, Dudley. Once Harry turns 11, he enrolls in Hogwarts, makes new friends and has daring challenges he has to undertake through a series of seven books. Read the series if you want to learn more.

My sister was the only person who had read all of the books that were out at the time before the first film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” came out in 2001. After I saw that film, I wanted to read all of the books, and I did. How is the film? Here’s my review:

This is actually a very good novel adaptation. Director Chris Columbus really brought a lot of the book elements to life in this film. The writer to this series is J.K. Rowling, who didn’t make this series really scary for her readers, but just scary enough. Roger Ebert even commented, “Like an "Indiana Jones" for younger viewers, it tells a rip-roaring tale of supernatural adventure, where colorful and eccentric characters alternate with scary stuff like a three-headed dog, a pit of tendrils known as the Devil's Snare and a two-faced immortal who drinks unicorn blood.”

Now the actors who portray the children are the central force that drives the movie. In the role of Harry Potter, we get Daniel Radcliffe, who played David Copperfield on BBC. I can safely say that Radcliffe really embodied Harry as a role that he will forever be known for. Even the people who play his uncle, aunt, and cousin are believable as well. Richard Griffiths as Vernon really got the snot-nosed jerk that wants to be rid of Harry. Fiona Shaw as Petunia also showed how uninterested and caged she wants to make Harry, and both of them don’t want him out in the world. Harry Melling as Dudley, goodness, what can I say about him? He is a spoiled little brat that you just want to just punch his lights out. He even has a bully side when he picks on Harry all the time. These three get the roles of the book down when they show how much they loathe Harry and don’t want him living with them, but unfortunately they are stuck with him.

Even the teachers and people who work at Hogwarts are just perfect in their roles. You couldn’t pick anyone better. Robbie Coltran has Hagrid shows how much love he has for Harry and wants to help him out as best as possible. He wants the best from Harry and grows really close to him that you just love seeing Harry and Hagrid together. Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall is just pitch perfect. Maggie Smith really gets the strict side of McGonagall down, but also shows that she cares for her students and just wants them to be safe. She even shows the love she has for Harry and helps him out when she gets the chance. Alan Rickman as Snape, now that is a role you couldn’t give to anyone else. He is just so dastardly and cold towards Harry because of how Harry’s dad treated them when they went to Hogwarts together, that he and Harry just never get along. We all know Rickman from such great roles, that he is great in this one as well. Warwick Davis plays Flitwick, but he doesn’t really have so big of a role. Zoë Wanamaker plays Madam Hooch, the Quidditch referee who also plays the referee role down just great and really teaches the kids how to fly the broomsticks. Ian Hart as Quirrell really makes the viewer’s think that something is wrong with the guy. The man drinks unicorn’s blood for crying out loud. Now the late Richard Harris as the headmaster, Dumbledore, is just one of the sweetest and helpful people you will ever meet. He also shows how much he cares for Harry and wants to help him out as best as possible.

Harry’s friends and classmates are all well done as well. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley shows that he really likes Harry and sticks with him through the very end. The very pretty Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger has the brains of the group down just perfect. At first, they don’t like her for being such a showoff, but they get use to her later on. Tom Felton has Draco Malfoy, what can I say? This kid is such a bully to Harry that you just want to strangle this kid badly. Even with Jamie Waylett and Joshua Herdman as Malfoy’s cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, you want to hurt these kids for picking on people because Malfoy is a “pure blood,” so he belittles everyone else. Pure blood means both of their parents know magic. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom shows the clumsy little guy that he is, but rises up when the time is right. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan also is clumsy boy that just messes up and never gets a spell down. James and Oliver Phelps as Ron’s older twin brothers, Fred and George, are just funny and you look forward to what ways they will break and bend the rules just to get a good laugh. Bonnie Wright as Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, also is a very strong character that really loves Harry. Chris Rankin as Ron’s other older brother, Percy, shows that he is a responsible person and looks after the kids so they can be safe.

What can I say about how they made this world? It’s just breathtaking. The school looks fantastic, the inside you just want to be in, and the effects are so well-done that you believe you aren’t even looking at computer graphics. Columbus really did a great job bringing the book to life when he made the school so great on screen. The Quidditch game is just mind-blowingly epic. You get into the game as if you are watching an actual sports game. Also, you are rooting for Gryffindor the entire time. When you see Ron and Harry play wizard’s chess, you want to play that version as opposed to the one that we have always played. Even the room of the flying keys would remind you of running from a swarm of bugs. The pit of tendrils called the Death Snare is like you getting strangled by Poison Ivy plants, which is something you never want happened. The Forbidden Forest looks so dark and scary that you would never want to enter it without an adult with you. Even with the creatures like wolves around and centaurs scaring them away, you never want to wander in there alone. You would even get scared from the dark corridors of Hogwarts’ library, cellars, hidden passages and dungeons. Luckily, Harry has an invisibility cloak that will help him along the way. Now the effects on the magic spells look just great and you look like you are watching real magic.

Overall, this film is great and will give you a scare, especially with the giant troll in the school. If you haven’t seen this film yet, you are missing out. It takes its time to get good and develops the story in a way that you love the characters and everything. But how do the sequels do? Stay tuned tomorrow where I continue my “Harry Potter-a-thon.”