Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)November 19th, 2001
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (2001) / ****
Directed by Chris Columbus. Screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by JK Rowling. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson. Running time: 153 minutes. Rated PG by the MFCB. Reviewed on November 17th, 2001.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Orphan Harry Potter (Radcliffe) lives with his loathsome inlaws, unaware that he is actually a wizard. Finally, on his eleventh birthday, Harry is taken by the giant Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, Harry befriends fellow students Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) while beginning his tutelage in magic and uncovering an evil plot to steal the mythical Philosopher's Stone.
Review: Despite his obvious enthusiasm for the source material, taking on the movie adaptation of "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" could not have been easy for Chris Columbus. Given the enormous popularity of the JK Rowling novel and its sequels, Columbus was essentially caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, there's the simple fact that making a movie necessitates a different approach than does a book. On the other hand, there's the pressure to be as faithful as possible to the novel; otherwise, Columbus risked the wrath of millions of readers, young and old, worldwide.
Given all this, Columbus and scriptwriter Steven Kloves, have done a truly remarkable job. "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" is an enormously entertaining, spellbinding movie which does justice to Rowling's text. Most tellingly, it is a picture which should appeal to both die-hard "Potter" fans and those who have never read the book, to both the younger viewers at whom it is ostensibly targeted and the older audience members who are bound to get caught up in the ride, and to just about everyone in between. Like "ET The Extra-Terrestrial", "Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory" and "The Wizard Of Oz" before it, "The Philosopher's Stone" seems destined to remain a firm family favourite for decades to come.
In part, the success of the adaptation is due to the controversial decision to permit the final edit to exceed two and a half hours. At nearly twice the length of many conventional family films, this enabled Columbus to squeeze in far more material than would be otherwise be the case. Were much of this material mere filler, I would agree with those who criticised this decision as being inappropriate for the young target audience. But the fact of the matter is that "The Philosopher's Stone" never feels padded out; indeed, the two-and-a-half hours race by as if the movie really were only half that length, and I'm quite confident that it will keep children thoroughly enraptured throughout.
In fact, I would have been quite happy to sit through another half hour if it meant witnessing even more of Rowling's imaginative novel brought to life. Indeed, one of the few criticisms I can levy at "The Philosopher's Stone" is that, because so many of the book's major set pieces are incorporated, it does possess a slightly episodic feel. For example, in the middle portion of the movie, much is made of Quidditch -- a game like soccer played on broomsticks -- leading up to a thrilling depiction of Harry's first match. In the novel, Quidditch hovers in the background thereafter; in the film, it is virtually forgotten. Similarly, we see very little of Harry's classes, and it is sometimes easy to forget that Hogwarts is actually a school. And there are a few odd omissions; Harry's owl Hedwig, for instance, never gets a name onscreen.
Further, whereas the novel boasts Rowling's enchanting prose to guide readers through the quieter sections, here we have only Columbus' direction. And, although he does a very capable job of translating the book to film, Columbus' approach is very workmanlike: there is little in the way of directorial flair on display.
Surprisingly for a cast whose most prominent members are pre-teens, the acting in "The Philosopher's Stone" is quite good. Watson is charming as supercilious Hermione, and Grint is clearly having a lot of fun as Ron. Radcliffe faces a somewhat larger challenge, because Harry at this stage is a rather unformed personality (a theme of the novels is Harry coming into his own as both a person and a wizard). Nonetheless, he gives the audience a central figure to rally around, and holds much promise for future installments.
The supporting cast is mostly limited in their screentime in favour of enacting as much of the book as possible. Despite this, Coltrane has a wonderful comic turn as Hagrid and Alan Rickman is deliciously menacing as the sinister Professor Snape. Also keep an eye out for terrific cameos by John Hurt as wand-maker Ollivander and Leslie Phillips, who voices the enchanted Sorting Hat.
The biggest star of "The Philosopher's Stone" is its visual look, and Columbus and production designer Stuart Craig have outdone themselves in this capacity. This is a film which truly looks like a fantasy novel made real. The sets are magical and larger-than-life, but restrained enough to maintain a bearing on reality. The first glimpses of locales like Diagon Alley (where wizards go to shop) and Hogwarts Castle itself are genuinely mesmerising. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky is to be commended on her lavish creations, particularly the lush-looking robes worn at Hogwarts. Also noteworthy is the score, an unmistakable John Williams creation. Williams largely eschews bombastic strains for more subdued, entrancing arrangements which greatly enhance the fairy-tale-like feel of the movie.
The special effects are also largely successful. Wisely, much of the magic is kept fairly low-key, only taking on a grander appearance when the situation warrants it, such as a thrilling life-sized chess match in the final act. That said, there is the occasional misstep. For example, although the Quidditch game is exhilarating in a way that "The Phantom Menace"'s pod race never approached, the obviously computer-generated backgrounds (particularly noticeable against shots of the onlookers) do detract from the overall appearance of things.
Still, like the novel which inspired it, "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" is a wondrous experience. It will fire the imagination of youngsters and remind the adults of the inner child within each of us. I can hardly wait for the sequel.
Copyright © 2001 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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