Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
This is the movie that started them all. The one that showed everybody, on the big screen, what they had been envisioning in their heads since reading J. K. Rawling’s fantastic series of books. At first, I had gone into watching the films without having read the books, though I have since done that, as well. There are so many things that the movie got right, though I’ll not say it was flawless.
First off, I loved the casting, and this was a huge part of the movie’s success. It was the first movie in the franchise. Can you imagine if they had cast someone other than Daniel Radcliff as Harry? We would have gotten a completely different performance. And bringing in Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. What if there had been no chemistry between them and Daniel
But as it was, the three child actors, who were clearly novices to being in front of the camera, did a fantastic job. I think Rupert Grint showed a little more natural ease in his acting than the other two, but they all did a great job Special props to Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane, who were both perfect. But I’m going to say it. I know my opinion is not going to be a popular one, but… I’m sorry. Richard Harris was wrong for the part of Dumbledore. The character was supposed to be a strong and imposing figure, but because of Harris’s advanced age, he portrayed weakness.
One thing I didn’t care for was all the people in the Edwardian costumes. This is supposed to take place in the modern world. In the following films, as the three main cast members began to grow up, the period costumes were slowly phased out, but here it just came off as a little silly that EVERYONE was dressed as if they had just walked off the set of David Copperfield. Another thing I didn’t get was why Ron, who grew up in the magical world, was constantly gasping “Woah!!” at things like moving portraits and Hagrid? Wouldn’t those things would be commonplace to him?
And I have to make mention of the… questionable CGI. But I get it. It was the best they could do back in 2001. But I’ll say it. The troll was bad and the centaur was worse. We have live action, live action, and suddenly… there’s a poorly rendered cartoon on the screen. Fluffy, the three-headed dog was alright, even with his magical disappearing drool that vanished from Ron’s shirt, and the Quidditch players were actually pretty good.
But something I loved was the phenomenal score by John Williams. It was grand and epic, and yet playful at the same time. But then, when has Williams ever written a bad score?
But I’d have to say that the best part of the movie was how it clung to the source material. It remained extremely faithful to the book. So many film adaptations of books fall into the trap of changing things, for various reasons. Either there wasn’t enough money in the budget, or someone didn’t like the plot devices, or a character’s motivations. Maybe the special effects team thinks they can make things look cool if they add scenes that didn’t come from the author. Maybe someone wants to instill a more family-friendly feel or make the lead seem more noble or heroic. But there was a reason the books were so popular. When you start changing things, you are altering what made the books so well-loved. I wish filmmakers would understand that when you remain faithful to the source material, you are making the existing fans happy, while at the same time, showing people who don’t know the books why they were so good. And ultimately, you’ll have a better movie.
TOP 10 FAVORITE PARTS
- Harry releases the python at the zoo.
- Harry learns that he is a wizard.
- Harry Arrives at Diagon Alley.
- Harry meets Ron and Hermione.
- The start of year feast.
- Harry and Ron save Hermione from the troll.
- Harry’s first Quidditch match.
- McGonagall gives Malfoy detention.
- Harry receives the invisibility cloak.
- Harry fights Professor Quirrell and he dissolves into dust.