HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (2001)

   Harry potter and the sorcerer's stone (2001) review

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a red-blooded adventure movie, dripping with atmosphere, filled with the gruesome and the sublime, and surprisingly faithful to the novel. Parents should be aware that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first film in the hugely famous and profitable Harry Potter series (all based on J.K. Rowling's books), contains some powerful and frightening scenes. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his companions are in danger and are harmed, but not terribly, and the majority of the scares come from mythical monsters. J.K. Rowling's writing was strong and vibrant, and the risk was that the film would make things too adorable and cuddly. No, it does not.

The core of the film is populated by three energetic, bright-eyed children. Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry Potter, and he, like all of the youthful characters, looks much how I envisioned him, although a little older. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is an orphan raised by the heinous Dursleys, his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Harry receives a curious letter on his 11th birthday, but his uncle smashes it before he can read it. Letters continue to arrive, causing the Dursleys to flee to a desolate island. But they are discovered by Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), a big, bearded guy with a penchant for frightening-looking animals. The letters turn out to be from Hogwarts, a boarding school for young witches and wizards, and Harry is scheduled to start in the fall term, so Hagrid whisks him away to begin his new life as a wizard in training. Harry makes two friends and one foe at Hogwarts. Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), whose cheerful visage and tangled hair encourage Harry in the direction of loosening up a touch, and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) are the buddies. Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is the antagonist, and he will go to any length to ensure that his house ranks first at the end of the year.

 

 

In the film, Harry Potter comes to grips with his messianic mission: he is liberated from his Dickensian confinement in the Dursley family and sent to Hogwarts, with its Oxbridge traditions. Harry learns to play quidditch and he and his three friends are assigned to different houses; they meet the formidable teaching staff, including Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), Professor Quirrell (Ian Hart), and Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), and then face the challenge of a deadly assault on Harry. When school starts, things get incredibly interesting, with studies in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, a sport called Quidditch (a kind of flying soccer/basketball), a strange trap door guarded by a three-headed dog named Fluffy and a newborn dragon named Norbert. Throughout the year, Harry adjusts to his magical existence and comes to terms with his celebrity in the wizarding world and what he means to the darker forces there. He also learns valuable lessons about loyalty and courage. Even though some of the "flying" effects during the major quidditch match aren't quite what we're used to in 2021, it's still a tremendously amusing and magnificent film, with a rush of nostalgia to go with the pleasure of fun.

 

“As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.”

(quotes from the movie)