harrypotter1

When J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter’s first adventure, I am certain she had no idea what a
phenomenon it would become. The popularity of that little wizard just exploded and now Warner
Bros. has cashed in with the movie franchise. Chris Columbus, the director of “Home Alone” and
“Bicentennial Man,” was the chosen one to tackle the flagship film in the series, “Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

There was pressure on him from all sides to get it right. The fans knew the book backwards and
forwards and Rowling had made stipulations that all of the actors had to be British and she also
had script approval. Columbus couldn’t have been a more nervous man. If he wasn’t nervous, he
is officially one of the bravest men in Hollywood.

If you don’t know the story of Harry Potter, you must be dead. Harry is a young boy living with his
evil aunt and uncle and he learns that he is actually a young wizard so he’s shipped off to the
magical wizard school known as Hogwarts to begin his training in an amazing world of wit and
whimsy, but an evil spirit of a former wizard, Voldemort, hunts Harry for reasons unbeknownst to the
young one and he and his new friends, Ron and Hermione, must thwart Voldemort’s wicked
schemes.

The actual Rowling book was a wondrous tome of exposition and discovery of the most clever and
original sort. Sadly, movies must make compromises and much of the aside details and
background color of the novel had to be left on the cutting room floor. What’s left is a beautifully
crafted and glossy picture that hits all of the book’s high marks and the majority of its midpoints
too. The film even succeeds in getting in some of that needed character development. Still, the
film isn’t completely perfect. It’s lacking something.

Truthfully, for all of its wondrous special effects, the decent performances by the child leads and
the top tier talent permeating the background, including Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Alan
Rickman and Richard Harris, the film lacks some feeling. Likely this is due simply to everyone
being on a shaky start with the flagship movie. I’m sure everyone was under a ton of pressure to
get it right, and in the midst of it all they were ticking boxes so diligently they forgot to completely
give themselves over to the moment.

Many scenes feel by the numbers, obligatory. However, when the movie is firing on all pistons, it’s
unbeatable. Scenes like the duel with the massive chessboard and Harry’s confrontations with
Professor Snape, played by Rickman, are more than effective. In fact, they’re haunting.

Some lines of dialogue are truly wince-worthy, especially Hermione’s final speech to Harry before
his final confrontation with Voldemort. It’s not the acting necessarily, but the writing, the kind of
writing that only works in books yet made it unfiltered onto the screen and fell flat there.

Still, for all of its minor faults, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is an exquisitely designed
adventure film that will appeal to kids and adults alike. Rarely is such effort put into children’s fare,
and likely we have both Rowling and Columbus to thank for the result.