Review Archives

1 | 2 | 3

Today's Date is:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Special Widescreen Edition

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" had the secured assurance of being one of the biggest movies of the year, and certainly one that would gain attention on opening weekend. But this is one event film that lives up to the hype surrounding it; director Chris Columbus has taken the beloved character and transformed his world into one of the great children's fantasy films of all time, combining a terrific cast with a production design that recreates the novel in all the right ways. The sheer sense of awe and wonderment one feels while watching this film is exhilarating, and I, too, fell under its magical spell. ***

This pre-destined classic centers around young Harry Potter, an 11-year-old boy who, as an infant, was left to live with foster parents after his parents' death. Harry is played by Daniel Radcliffe, who befits the part to the maximum in appearance and mannerisms. He has become a legend among admirers, and possesses special abilities, which he is demanded to suppress by his guardians. Cruel and controlling as the Dursleys may be (though it's all extremely hilarious), they cannot keep Harry away from his future of attending Hogwart's, the well-known school where children with otherworldly powers go to learn to use such powers in a fitting manner. ***

By this point, the story has succeeded in accomplishing two things: making itself easily accessible to those who have not experienced the book's many pleasures, and remaining completely faithful to its celebrated source. Harry's journey to Hogwart's provides the story a mystery surrounding a package retrieved by Rubeus Hagrid (played with enormous heart by Robbie Coltrane), and another mystery relating to Lord Voldemort, who was responsible for the death of Harry's parents. ***

The novel is filled with many interesting characters, all of whom make an appearance in the film. Most delightful are Harry's two best friends, Ronald and Hermoine (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson); watching these three child actors perform together is wonderfully funny, and the movie grants their characters each a special ability that will further their exploration and discoveries throughout Hogwart's. With a fabulous supporting cast that includes such heralded actors as John Cleese, Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, John Hurt, and Alan Rickman, the movie is never short of extreme talent. ***

As Harry sets out to uncover the secrets within the walls of the expansive school, the film extends to the greatest lengths of imagination and whimsy that is worldly possible. This is the kind of movie that allows a director the chance to run wild, and Columbus has capitalized on that opportunity with tremendous effort and care. Not only does he possess the story, he also possesses the knowledge of how to recreate it with complete faithfulness, ranking his film's creativity with such momentous projects as "Titanic" and the "Star Wars" series. ***

In doing so, he has charged "Harry Potter" with scenes that are sure to become instilled in the mind. From the first revealing shot of the castle-like Hogwart's, black against the night sky, to the luxurious and brooding halls and articulate rooms, the film boasts a set and costume design that is impeccably authentic and visceral. The shifting staircase, the three-headed dog Fluffy, who guards a forbidden door, the dark forest, forest, and the action-packed Quidditch game, all become monuments of resilient joy, and one cannot help but gasp at the sheer spectacle of each expertly crafted scene. ***

The use of special effects in the film is fervent, though always well-intentioned. There are scenes in the film that possess this technique that vary in terms of believability: the Quidditch scene is an amazing technical achievement, while Fluffy the dog and the life-size chess game have a certain artificial zeal to them. Only a cynic could find fault with this variance of convincing effects; in my opinion, it serves as a testament of the film's fantasy land, a statement that this is pure imagination, and a wild one at that. ***

The most appealing aspect of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" lies within its capability to please all ages groups, young and old alike. Children with delight in the marvelous realization of the novel into a feature film, while adults will rediscover the pleasures of childhood happiness as they take part in this mesmerizing masterpiece of imagination and fancy. I felt an extreme burst of joy as the movie unleashed its brilliance; this is the kind of film that makes me want to invent new words to describe it, because there aren't enough to measure up to the praise it so truly deserves.

The mastering of "Harry Potter" on DVD is, for the most part, magical. The sound quality is superb, with surrounds that are engaged almost non-stop, perfectly-centered dialogue, and deep bass in some of the film's more intense sequences (the scene with the mountain troll, and that of the life-size game of wizard chess, stand out). The image quality exhibits well-rendered colors, hues, and fleshtones, though the darker scenes tend to be grainy, and large areas of blue and black contain distracting noise.

After having become instantly hooked on the Potter craze after the film's release last November, I anxiously awaited the DVD, which I had hoped would dive behind the making of the movie, revealing all the secrets behind the special effects, the casting, and other interesting facts and information from behind-the-scenes of last year's top-grossing movie. ***

Boy, was I in for a shock, not to mention a complete letdown. Aside from a collection of interviews and a self-guided tour that's not so snappy on the television, this DVD is a bust, plain and simple. ***

For one thing, the menus are hard to navigate. Pushing the right button on the arrow pad of your remote is crucial; otherwise, you'll be sitting in front of your TV for hours trying to get the cursor to move to the next trinket. ***

Having said that, the special features are a waste of time. Staged like a strategic game, you are required to go from room to room, place to place, looking at different character vignettes, tidbits of information, all of which you are required to remember in order to solve some big puzzle to get to the deleted scenes located in an offscreen corridor in the main menu's Great Hall. I didn't make it to the deleted scenes; after the frustration provided by the various menus, I didn't care much to see them anyway. ***

You begin by solving the brick puzzle in the film that takes you to Diacon Alley, where you unlock the safe to your secret funds, take a look at various owls, and purchase a magic wand (Of course, as in the movie, there is some trial and error here). From here, you are taken to the classrooms, where you must do everything from mixing potions to watching various pointless clips from the movie that don't ever state a purpose. ***

Things don't get much better, either, from the Sorting Hat, which gives us a breakdown of the four houses in Hogwarts, to the Library, which contains character profiles, and a gallery of conceptual art that happens to be the only worthy feature in this section. Then you're taken to Hogwarts Grounds, where you'll play a silly game of catching the golden snitch, and take a tour of Hagrid's hut. ***

Supposedly, this all leads up to some big puzzle that should be solved... that is, unless your patience (like mine) has been stretched so thin that you couldn't possibly care less about the deleted scenes promised at its end.