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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Full Screen Edition)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A glorious engrossing fantasy film
Review: I loved this movie when I saw it in the theaters and still do when I see it again on DVD. But.

There is still but about this DVD. I was eager to get this and was delighted to read that it would be on 2 DVDs. I thought that the first disc would have a magnificent picture with Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS ES tracks. It was a disappointment that it didn't include a DTS track, even though there seem to be space for it, since there are no audio commentary or other special features on the first disc. The picture was good with vibrant colors and the sound track was good too, but it lacked that extra dynamic sound that SO many DVDs lack, that almost all newer laserdiscs had (even on movies in mono sound).

But I bought this movie mainly for the movie itself. The movie is magical in every way, with a virtually perfect cast. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry has just right amount of charm and charisma to make the character work on the big screen. Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith are just a few of the great English actors who star in this movie. I think this movie will endure for many years to come.

Now for the negative side, the special features disc. It is true what other reviewers have said that it is made like a kid's game. I wanted to see the documentaries about the different aspects of the book to film process, but all it contained (or at least what I have found) was a 15 minute documentary that reminds me of the bad 'behind the scenes' programs on E! or other entertainment TV stations, that are shown when the movie is in the theaters and don't really say much. The documentary did say some, but it was all in bits and pieces. There should just have been a link to a game version of the features for kids and a normal features menu for adults.

The movie, though, is worth the movie I paid for the entire release, but I don't think I'll be watching the features disc much at all.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Extremely Enjoyable But Excessively Literal
Review: J.K. Rowling's novels have been such a phenomenal success that the film version of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE had a built-in audience that had to be pleased--and director Chris Columbus set out to do precisely that by cramming as much of the book as possible onto the screen. The result is a fast-paced film with arresting visuals and plenty of special effects. But while it looks magnificent, it doesn't really capture the novel upon which it is based.

The problem, of course, is that Columbus and company have crammed so many of the book's details into the film that there's not much time for either story or character development: we're too busy looking at owls, shifting stairs, and the like, and it becomes somewhat difficult to keep track of the main story line and the numerous characters who support it. Fortunately, the cast is strong enough to carry it off--the young Emma Watson is particularly enjoyable, and the main characters are supported by a host of distinctive actors whose memorable faces help keep us more or less on track.

Ultimately... it is a fun film, very enjoyable for adults as well as children, and you'll probably watch it several times over and enjoy it each time. But it does not live up to its billing as "the event film that doesn't disappoint," nor is it really imaginative enough to be considered "the Wizard of Oz of this generation." The second DVD has a number of add-ons designed largely for the younger set (some of them require a computer) that they will enjoy; there is little in the way of special material for the grown-ups. Recommended nonetheless.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A movie for the ages
Review: Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone is one of the best movies I,ve seen in years.

This movie unlike most in recent years almost pulled almost every image from my deepest imaginations. HPATSS is a movie of pure magic.

The story tells of a young boy whose parents were killed by an evil wizard and that Harry would become an admired magician. He wouldn't know anything about his parents until he was 11.

The school in the movie with the awesome special effects and magic wands makes me wish that school in real life was like that. Many school would've been so much more interesting than it is in real life.

The movie would retain the top spot as the number one movie only briefly before the Earth-shattering masterpiece Lord Of The Rings overtook it.

Harry Potter is a movie for all ages to enjoy. Even my 83 year old grandmother loved it. Guess it shows that this movie was made for all ages although it might spook the very young.

I,m not going to tell everything about this movie. You just have to go and see for yourself.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great for all ages
Review: Wonderfully done movie for all ages and the cast is well put together! We recently bought this movie and really enjoyed it. Not much to say about the second disc though as it didn't live up to our expectations. Not only is it slow to manuver through but the interviews were short and rather dull. Definetly look for the deleted scenes on the second disc though as they are worth finding.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My Very Favorite Movie of all Time!
Review: This movie is truly AWESOME! The actors in the movie fitted the person just like I had it imaged! Although they did not put in some of my favorite people like Peeves it was still enjoyable without Peeves. Uncle Vernon did not meet all the people in their Hogwarts cloaks like it did in the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Their were no reports about the owl sightings either. But I still give it 5 stars for awesome special effects and music. My favorite scene was when Professor Quirrell turned into Lord Voldermort (You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named). It also has a good selection of Special Features. Like a complete tour of Hogwarts. Attend all classes of Hogwarts. Also there is never before seen footage not seen in theaters. There is 2 trailers you can view. There is interviews from the makers of the movie and its actors. Last but not least you can explore Diagon Alley. Once again its a AWESOME movie!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: VHS-Specific Review
Review: VHS Review: As expected, the film loses a little something in moving to the small screen, but not much. One disappointment was the "additional, never-before-seen, footage" which was two or three brief scenes shown, not only after the film, but after all the credits. They would have fit better, and added more, if the same segments had just been integrated back into the film. I really enjoyed seeing the detestable Professor Snape momentarily forget his hatred of Harry and shine as he passionately teaches him about the items Snape had just embarrassed Harry over in front of the Potions class. Below is my original review:

The Story: Harry Potter is orphaned as a baby and raised with a mean aunt and uncle and their incredibly spoiled son. However, his parents were a witch and a wizard, and he is destined to be a wizard. Despite the attempts by the aunt and uncle to suppress Harry's magical side, he ends up going to Hogwarts School of Magic, where many an adventure occurs.

Technical: Like "Shrek", "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" has the perfect look to it: real scenery blends flawlessly with computer-generated animation. All of the acting is fine, including and especially Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, and his two friends, Emma Watson as Hermione and Rupert Grint as Ron. Alan Rickman is perfect as the apparent villain, and Robbie Coltrane is memorable as the bear-like Hagrid. One tiny technical flaw is that, when the owls fly in the film, you hear their wings flap; owls are dead-silent when they fly, which makes them perfect night hunters.

Commentary: When I first reviewed this film, I had not yet read the book. Now, I've read the first three books, and I'm impressed by how faithful the film was to the book. However, not having read the book when I saw the film, I was wondering if that would hinder my ability to understand and enjoy the movie. No problem: the movie assumes no one knows anything about the books. After seeing the film, I was tempted to read the books. I have now done so, and I can see that one of the film's strengths is its faithfulness to the book. After seeing the movie I had a few theories, based on the film, about what might happen in the "future" for Harry, especially concerning the character of Draco Malfoy (played perfectly by Tom Felton), and I now know my theories were pretty close. I still believe that the Potter-Malfoy relationship will be an enduring issues through the rest of the books and movies.

Overall: A good film, whether you've read the book(s) or not.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: NON FANS OF THIS GENRE: TAKE NOTE
Review: I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books nor have I read any books or watched any movies about wizards and their great magic.
Well, make one exception..The Wizard of Oz.
I really had no desire to see this movie, I didn't want to read the books because I just never had any interest and they were not what I Like to read.
My husband rented this, and I watched with him. It has opened my eyes to a new genre of film! (if not books)
"Harry Potter" is a fun, enchanting, and quite involved look into the world of how wizards come to learn the craft, and how they are chosen, and Harry Potter is the main character.
Speaking of characters, he comes across some mighty interesting ones in his quest for the stone.
I recommend this one for the entire family. There may be a few close to scary momments for the young ones, but it really is great film that you can safely allow your children to view. It has something everyone can appreciate. Plus, it is fun to watch and the story is easy enough to follow. Just don't take your eyes from the screen, there is so much to see in the visually stunning movie!
Worth renting for the acting, which was oustanding by the whole cast, and it's special effects.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Move - Okay DVD
Review: The movie is not nearly as good as the book. What else is new. I just don't understand how they could do the movie without Peeves. That really is too much. Aside from the terrible CGI I really enjoyed the Movie. The DVD is another matter. It is only worth it if you get the Widescreen version. Other that the deleted scenes with are very hard to find, there is little else to enjoy more that one time. I am ready for the new book, but it doesn't appear that we will get that anytime soon. So enjoy the Movie.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Poorly put together DVD
Review: Being a big fan of Harry Potter books I really did not enjoy the movie. There were several casting errors (Maggie Smith comes to mind) but the reason for the low review is this..

My 30ish sister rented the DVD to see the extra scenes. After spending an hour an a half trying to figure out where they were on the DVD she asked me to try to figure it out. After I couldn't do it (I'm the technowiz in our house) I went online to discover she had to play the game to view them. Needless to say, after all the packaging and ads screaming "deleted scenes" she was very disappointed. She was too burned out at this point to play the game so we returned it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie - Frustrating Special Features
Review: Like the director, Chris Columbus, I believe that since the book was so well done, the movie shouldn't change anything significant. I needn't go on about the actors, scenery, music, etc. It's all very well done and extremely entertaining.

The movie itself gets 5 stars from me.
My review subtracts a star for the second disk which I found extremely frustrating. There is some very nice material included but it's so difficult to find while wading through the inconsequential filler material that it almost isn't worth it.

BTW - if you have a search function on your DVD player (on my remote, it is accessed through the 'Display' button) the deleted scene access screen is #77


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