Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

• Year: 2001
• Released: 16 Nov 2001
• Country: United Kingdom, United States
• Adwords: Nominated for 3 Oscars. 17 wins & 69 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241527/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerers_Stone
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone
• Available in: 720p, 1080p, 2160p
• Language: English, Latin
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
• Runtime: 152 min
• Writer: J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris
• Keywords: based on novel or book, christmas, friendship, magic, witch,

	7.6/10
	65/100
	81% – Critics
	82% – Audience

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Storyline

Young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) has to lead a hard life: His parents have died in a car crash when he was still a baby, and he is being brought up by his Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths) and Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw). For some reason unbeknownst to the bespectacled ten-year-old, the Dursleys let him live in the small chamber under the stairs, and treat him more like vermin than like a family member. His fat cousin Dudley Harry Melling), the Dursley’s real son, keeps bothering Harry all the time. On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter finally receives a mysterious letter from a certain Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, telling him that he is chosen as one of the future students of that supposedly renowned school. Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), the gigantic man who brought the letter, finally introduces Harry into the real circumstances of his life: His parents were a wizard and a witch, they were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort (Richard Bremmer) protecting him. Harry still has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead from that event. Since he survived the attack as a baby, and also somehow deprived Voldemort from his powers, he has been famous in the wizarding world ever since. The Dursleys, strong disbelievers in that magical crap, never told Harry anything about his true self. So, Harry is strongly surprised, yet absolutely happy to start his training. At Hogwarts, Harry meets his teachers, and becomes friends with Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). The three of them accidentally find out that the potions master, Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), seems to plot on stealing something that is guarded by a three-headed dog. Since nobody would believe some first years to have found out such important things that even would incriminate a Hogwarts teacher, they take it on themselves to find out what Snape is up to. Their quest for the truth leads across many obstacles, from keeping up the everyday school life, a bewitched Quidditch match (Quidditch is a popular wizard sport), Fluffy, the three-headed monster dog, and quite some tasks one has to overcome to get to the guarded object.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Movie Reviews

Great fun!

I really liked this film, but I much prefer the book, which has a lot more magic and wonder. Daniel Radcliffe is very likable as Harry, and he is given solid support by a funny Rupert Grint and a good Emma Watson, though she was annoying at times. The scene stealer was definitely Robbie Coltrane; I actually can’t imagine anyone else playing Hagrid, Coltrane was just hilarious. Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith were also great, but for me the standout was the late Richard Harris. Now I much prefer Harris’s interpretation of Dumbledore. He was soft-spoken, and actually fitted the part better. Both of these qualities were lost in the interpretation that Michael Gambon gave. I am not saying that Michael Gambon was bad, he just wasn’t my ideal choice for Harris’s replacement. The film is fairly faithful to its source material, and looks very beautiful. However, it is a bit long, and very young children may find Voldemort too frightening. I know because I have triplet brother and sisters who saw it, and couldn’t sleep for about a month after viewing. In conclusion, a very good film, well performed and quite dark. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Gem of a children’s film and a fine adaptation of the Rowling novel

Over-hyped but still enjoyable “event” movie, one of the biggest of 2001 until LORD OF THE RINGS comes out, and a film in which every million of the budget is put up on screen in the special effects. What I found most refreshing about this blockbuster is that the entire cast is made up of British actors and actresses! It makes a change for an expensive blockbuster movie to be thus but there you go, HARRY POTTER is indeed a unique movie. Now I’m not one of those people with lots of time on their hands to read the never-ending Harry Potter books (too busy watching cult movies I’m afraid), but the film has turned out pretty much as I would have expected from the adverts. Although it’s overly sentimental (blame it on director Chris Columbus) and aimed at children, adults can still enjoy it for the excellent pacing (rarely does the two-and-a-half hour running time drag) and the plethora of special – and some not so special – effects on view throughout.

Highlights include an attack in the school’s toilets by a huge, lumbering troll, a life size game of chess in which the pieces come to life to destroy each other, a cloak of invisibility, a man with two faces on opposite sides of his head, and the finale which includes a scene of a man disintegrating into dust as a homage to Hammer’s Dracula and is just as impressive. The CGI effects are elaborate and generally flawless, and the only ones I didn’t care for were the “broomstick flying” shots in the quidditch game which still ended up looking a little too fake for my liking, which is a shame as they’re used excessively. Otherwise the effects work is phenomenal and something to be seen.

Daniel Radcliffe takes on the rather subdued role of Potter, and is overshadowed by two excellent performances from Rupert Grint as the lovably cheeky Ron and Emma Watson as the bossy Hermione. The supporting cast are generally excellent, with fine turns from Richard Harris as Headmaster Dumbledore, Robbie Coltrane as the giant Hagrid (whose weight bizarrely fluctuates throughout the movie), John Cleese – briefly – as an unsuccessful ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, John Hurt as a wand dealer, Richard Griffiths as Harry’s unpleasant uncle, and most of all Alan Rickman with a sinisterly villainous performance of Gothic dread – nobody can be a bad guy like Rickman can. Cameos from the likes of Julie Walters, Fiona Shaw, Zoe Wanamaker, and even Warwick Davis (which surely had to be a step up from LEPRECHAUN 5 or whatever his last film was) as a goblin are endless and a delight.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE may be a kid’s film, but there’s enough going on here to make it an enjoyable viewing experience for adults who plan to watch the film with their kids as well. Lots of plot, interesting and original characters, refreshingly old-fashioned moral codes, some fine sets which skilfully mix old and new-style worlds, an effective score, special effects which seamlessly blend in with the story and above average acting help to make this a gem of a movie and a cut above the rest.

Great chemistry set up for the rest of the series

Harry Potter is an orphan living with his ignorant uncle and aunt under their stairs. He finds out that he is actually a wizard and there is a secret world out there.

This is the first of a series, and it introduces the franchise very well. Some of the style is still a little rough. The CGI isn’t top notch, and the sets have some work to do. But those are minor drawbacks in an otherwise superb film.

The best part of it must be the great chemistry between the three young leads (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint). That is objective number one. With that accomplished, the rest is just icing on the cake. Director Christopher Columbus must be commended for weaving a coherent and compelling story while setting the groundwork for the rest of the franchise. It is tough work, and could easily flounder in less experienced hands.