Rating: Summary: Creative Magical Fantasy Review: We are introduced to Harry Potter as a baby and soon he turns 11 and is found living in a cupboard under the stairs with "overly" obnoxious "muggles." Nonmagic folk are called muggles and are presented as foolish, uncaring, cruel and verbally abusive. The professors and teachers at the Hogwarts school of wizardry are not especially kind and friendly either although they are presented in a better light than his adoptive parents. I found many of them to be rather creepy. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is soon inundated with letters brought by owls to his "muggle" home. His uncle, Vernon Dursely won't let him read the letters and burns them. His uncle finally moves the family, but that doesn't stop Harry Potters destiny from unfolding. He makes his way to the Hogwarts school of wizardry. Soon he is on his way to gaining wealth, power and makes it his mission to find the sorcerer's stone. Also could be called the "Philosopher's Stone" which is said to transmute base metals into gold and is said to be able to give the gift of immortality. The children wear wizard cloaks with their school uniforms and Harry Potter has a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead given to him by an evil wizard who killed his parents. On the surface, the Harry Potter movie could come across as an adventure that teaches good moral lessons. But digging a bit deeper into aspects of this story provide a look at "imagination becoming the first step to actualization." While there are many great special effects in this movie, I felt that there were too many dark and ominous aspects. Yes, there is swearing and violence in this movie. The Quidditch game was creative, yet I was a bit worried by the message sent to children when they showed two children falling from the sky and no rescue attempt was made that was visible to the viewer. A three-headed dog and mysterious figure (Voldemort) drinking blood from a Unicorn carcass to gain power, is just a bit too much for kids. If children do watch this movie, they should be told that there are warnings against practicing magic. "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer." ~Read Deut. 18, Lev. 20:6, Isaiah 8:19-20 J.K. Rowling who is familiar with Balvatsky, Pike, Nicolas Flamel, Philippus Paracelsus (16th-century Swiss alchemist) and Crowley claims that her books are harmless fantasy. I believe she did also claim her books were not written for children. Although, she uses various aspects children will giggle over to entice them into her stories. Some of the more sinister aspects in the books don't make it to the screen. The use of a broomstick and magic wand (complete with a phoenix feather) to levitate objects and open doors hardly touch on spell casting, chants, crystal balls, occult rituals and shape shifting. For the first time, I watched wizards and witches become the heroes in a story. They try to teach that there are good witches and evil witches, but from whence does the power of even the good witches come? While I could understand wizards and witches celebrating Halloween, I was a bit surprised when they celebrated Christmas. Although the early Goths did celebrate the Yule feast to honor all the new occult "initiates." Overall, I think this film is more interesting than many adult films out there right now for the "adventure" aspects. I liked the chess game (although violent), the castle/school being on an island and the dragon was cute. The flying keys and the secret passageways were intriguing. What worried me is that younger children will find magic overly exciting and will want to learn how to cast spells and have a "wizard's" power. This is not a "wholesome" movie by any stretch of the imagination and has many ominous aspects. It introduces occultism and while entertaining, it could open doors of interest in a young child's mind to areas not even witches let their children get involved in until they are much older than 11 years old.
Rating: Summary: The Books May Be Better Review: Granted. Harry Potter has become one of the most popular literary icons in the world. The books about a young wizard have done what other books were trying to accomplish: make people read. I love to read, but I haven't read any Potter book yet. When I get to read one, maybe my opinion about the movie version of "Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone" will be different because I found it to be a little too heavy and dark for a children's fantasy film. The all-too-British cast do their jobs well, and the children -Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson -make this version watchable. However, when I saw it in the cinema, I was trying to make myself comfortable in the chair because it was kinda long and dense. The visual effects are good, and the music by John Williams fits the film perfectly. As for the extras on this DVD, I was a bit disappointed quite frankly because there is only one short documentary in which the actors are interviewed. The rest are glossaries regarding the world of Harry Potter that, probably, keep the children interested. As I said before, I have to read at least one of the books.
Rating: Summary: Back to the Books Review: If you want thrills, read the Harry Potter series. The movie did not capture my attention the way the books did. J.K. Rowling did an excellent job when she wrote the books. The movie was too dark. There was no brightness, and it seemed dull. Half of the adventure in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was lost in the creation of the movie.
Rating: Summary: Harry Potter Review: I have 'Harry Potter and the Philopher's' Stone which is exactly the same as 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'. Before I saw the movie I had read the books. The Movie lived up to the book well, just with a few changes because of time. The Story is about a boy who goes to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe ( "David Copperfeild" ) as Harry Potter and he plays the part very well. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint play harry's freinds Hermione and Ron, they acted very well considering it is the first time working on a movie. The movie also stars famous actor's such as Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Julie Walters and Zoe Wannamaker. Directed by Chris Columbus who directed movies such as 'Home Alone 1 & 2', 'Mrs Doutfire' and 'Bicentenial Man'. The DVD is great letting you tavel Hogwarts and Hagrids Hut. Facing chalenges, catching the snicth, finding the Philosopher's Stone ( Sorcerer's Stone ), Deleted Scences, Interviews with the film makers and more... The disapointing thing is that it didn't have a comentary or interviews with the cast and they really SHOULD of had the trailer for 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'. Over all this is a GREAT!!! DVD to buy.
Rating: Summary: TIME FOR SELF-SATISFIED HARRY TO RETIRE Review: The fourth HARRY film, (following "The Trouble With Harry Potter," "When Harry Potter Met Sally," and the series' high-water-mark, "Dirty Harry Potter"), is a mostly hollow exercise that does little to enliven a once-lucrative franchise. Smugness and in-your-face special effects are no substitute for interesting characters and genuine inspiration. Desperate.
Rating: Summary: Muggle Magic Review: The Harry Potter movie was good, altough I was a little dissapointed when they left out some interesting parts. Like the part when Hargrid gave the dragon to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, to give to Charlie. The three of them use the invisibility cloak and loose points for their house. They spent way too much time on the wizard's chess, twoards the end, and they left out the part where they have to drink a potion to go through the dungen. The book was very good and better than the movie. It was good to see the movie just to see how they portrayed all of the characters.
Rating: Summary: bah Review: it wasnt so great it was boring and it stinks as much as the merchandise
Rating: Summary: Doesn't live up to the book... Review: I thought the movie was a bit disappointing. The only reason I knew what the plot was is because I read the book. However, my friends who have not read the book didn't have any idea what was going on in the movie. I gave it three stars because the intricate scenery and the awesome magical effects. All in all, if you're looking for really intricate scenery and a sleepy plot, this is for you.
Rating: Summary: What a disapointment! Review: While the HP books were outstanding, the movie had so much potential that it's very dissapointing to actually see the result. The acting was bad, the effects poor, and the direction seemed to think this is a starwars movie. The Quidditch scene was almost exactly the same as the Pod Racing scene on SW-EP1! Waste of time, this is 2 hours of my life I want back!
Rating: Summary: needs a little push Review: I admit, I watched this movie because of the hype surrounding the nerdy little orphan boy with wizard powers. Although "Harry Potter" was somewhat engaging, I am uncertain about how much it parallels with the book, and also, who the target audience is. Some scenes may seem too frightening for younger ones, but the plot itself is a little juvenile for adults. Some ideas are clever and original, but Rowling instead should be credited. The movie was not as great as I had expected, and the hype it receives is questionable. Not bad for rental though.
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