Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Release Year: 2001
Review: The first chapter in the Harry Potter saga. Being a fan of books its hard to objectively review the films since I like the source material so well. It's hard not to fault the film for leaving out large chunks of the plot. The wonderfully detailed wizard world seemed to be truncated without all the small tidbits of information Rowling carefully worked into the books. Also missing was the inner dialog and subtle emotional queues the characters give which are spelled out for you in the book, and are largely lost on the very young cast. Important parts of the plot seemed to be glossed over with a quick montage and orchestral music. However, the film could not cover everything. Even with its liberal trimmings the film comes in at nearly two and a half hours. All things considered the film stays remarkably close to the book and successfully introduces the rich cast of characters and the imaginative wizarding world. In the end I appreciated the film, but wished there was less time spent on flashy scenes like the Quidditch match and more time spent on character development.
Rating: 3/5