Rating: 
Summary: Good movie, terrible DVD
Review: I'll not comment on the overall movie itself, as that has been the topic of most other reviews here. I'll just say that the movie itself was excellent, save a couple disappointing visual effects (e.g. Voldimort; he wasn't scary). Also, the film transfer and sound mix were great (the surround channels could have been used more, but it wasn't BAD). I would however like to discuss the movie's presentation on the DVD. There are several problems:
- It is known that there were far more scenes shot than were actually included in the movie. When you edit a movie for the theatre, you want to keep the running time down for two reasons: the longer the movie, the less tolerant of the running time the casual viewers will be, and the shorter the movie is, the more times a theatre can show it in a day. HOWEVER, the type of people that purchase DVDs care more about the movie, and will be far more eager to see a longer cut of the movie. In this spirit, I was sorely disappointed to find out that none of the deleted scenes would be integrated into the movie. My rule of thumb is that if the scene was a good one but was just cut to shorten the movie for the theatre, it should be put back into the movie for the DVD (the rest should be included as bonus features). I hope next year's disc has a more "full" movie, with scenes that don't make it into the theatre. As a compromise for "theatrical purists", the DVD could be programmed so you can choose either the theatrical cut or director's cut (and example of this is "Stargate: Special Edition").
- The lack of an audio commentary track was noticeable. Practically all big movies these days have an alternate audio commentary track by the director, producer, crew, and even sometimes cast. This is almost unforgivable. A movie of this scope deserves one, and again, next year we should expect one.I would also like to comment on the DVD's features, or rather, lack thereof. Put simply, for a movie of this magnitude and popularity, the disc construction falls woefully short. To its credit, disc 1's menuing system is set up nicely -- clear, concise, and to the point. Interesting but appropriately short animations make it easy to navigate through the DVD. This is not the case with disc 2. I can understand that to the movie's target viewers, all the "games" on the second disc might be appealing, but they get old VERY fast. Whenever you have long animation sequences between menu pages, they are fun to watch the first time, but from that point on, they just get in the way of enjoying the REAL features of the DVD. Disc 2 was the worst offender I have ever seen of this rule. While the technical setup of the disc is impressive, it doesn't work in practice. The single featurette and the deleted scenes were the highlights of the DVD, but you shouldn't EVER have to spend 15 minutes trying to get to a feature. Here are some things the disc and menu should have done differently:
- It should have clearly labeled menu choices that point directly to either a feature or a submenu of features. Labeling with wizard terms only serves to confuse.
- No feature should require the level of messing around that the deleted scenes required. Instead, the game should have been a separate, independent feature. Yes, I know you can skip this by directly entering title and track number, but having to take that route is really cheap. The deleted scenes should have been set up as the interview was - through a single option on the main menu labeled as "Deleted Scenes".
- The other main problem with disc 2 was the fact that it had so little content. As mentioned earlier, the deleted scenes and interview featurette were the only major selling points of the DVD (the walkthrough wasn't bad, but it still wasn't that great). There's just too much fluff. Clicking on jellybeans just to hear the announcer make some stupid remark just doesn't cut it. For the year 2 DVD, I expect far more content (making of special effects, blooper reels, more deleted scenes, storyboards, set and prop construction features, interviews with more of the cast and crew, etc.), and far less "fluff features". When it comes down to it, this 2-disc set IS worth purchasing for fans and casual viewers alike, but only because of the movie itself. Don't expect much out of the second disc, aside from the two or three mentioned features). Because of this, I take two stars from the rating.
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant surprise!
Review: This movie was worth the wait. Daniel Radcliffe was awesome in the role of "Harry Potter". First, Harry must survive the harsh treatment of his family. They treat him worse than a stepson, even Dudley gets in on the act. Second, he must learn to train and control his newly acquired powers, and Third, he must discover where the Sourceror's Stone is hidden and its powers. This is not an easy task for someone that already has a respected reputation. Usually, I would be turned off by so much computer-aided graphics, but in this case, everything was complimentary. Nothing less is expected from Jim Henson Productions, Inc. The numerous costumes were so seamless that I never recognized John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick, or Warwick Davis as one of the bank tellers or Flitwick. Some of my favorite scenes were when Harry's cousin Dudley, quite impish with his behavior, ends up in the snake's cage and with a pig's tail after stealing and eating Harry's birthday cake. Oh, and let's not forget "Fluffy" the three-headed dog on the third floor. Don't let the cute name fool you, scary is more like it. One last villian, He Who Must Not Be Named paid a high price in the Dark Forest. All in all this is a good movie, if you can get past some of the raw language. I cannot wait for the second installment later this year.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Why O Why cant hollywood just leave a good book alone. Finally kids were starting to read again. Old and young alike love the Harry Potter series. Many fans are awaiting the 5th book. But no it has been delaying pending the 2nd Harry Potter movie. Not only did this movie leave out characters (peeves) and changed the ending of the movie completely (i wont go into details) it also took a book and turned it into another movie for youngsters to watch instead of reading the book. The book is definately better. Tolken goes into such good detail it could never be made as good in Hollywood and i was dissappoined they even tried. However if you never read the book and never will (a very bad choice in my opinion) is this movie is fine it has a good plot and characters and some of the special effects are cool (I like the candles floating). BUT READ THE BOOK INSTEAD ITS MUCH BETTER.
Rating:
Summary: A step above the rest
Review: Initially I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this film, particularly since it was a kids film. In an age where special effects compensate for poor dialogue and lousy acting, this film manages to not only depict adequate acting talent, but utilizes the special effects to mesmerizing detail. Overall, it is an enjoyable film to be viewed for years to come and is worthy of a purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Movie for Harry Potter Fans
Review: You must read the book before reading this movie especially with school-age children. There are very scary parts but if you read the book first you should be fine. We read all 4 books with our 8 yr daughters before seeing this movie. They were fine because they knew what was going to happen next. The best parts are the Quidditch matches. They were nothing like we had imagined it. They were great fun. We all enjoyed watching this movie.
Rating:
Summary: HP is a Wonderful Cinematic Experience
Review: Closely following the plot of the book, this is a truly wonderful children's movie. I don't know of any adults who have disliked it, either. Harry Potter is an abused child who suddenly finds he is heir to a wondrous fortune -- not necessarily in money, but in his invitation to escape his misery by attending the most famous magic school in the world: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts is a great relief for Harry, who had no way out of his horrible predicament before. He makes friends of adults and peers, learns the ethics of using his incredible talent, and even learns that among persons of magic he is quite famous and respected, even at the tender age of eleven. Unfortunately, Harry also has enemies. The fame and respect came at an enormous cost: the lives of his parents and the permanent scar on Harry's forehead. He knows none of this until he is told about it by one of his new friends. Enemies are lurking all around Harry. There is Snape, the potions teacher who appears to be the living manifestation of nastiness. There is Drake Malfoy: snob, rich kid, powerful and known wizard in his own right, and Harry's nemesis from their first meeting. And there is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Voldemort, the great evil wizard who killed Harry's parents, tried to kill baby Harry, and who was nearly destroyed by baby Harry in the process. His reappearance in the wizarding world coincidentally coincides with Harry's matriculation at Hogwarts. Voldemort is an invisible enemy who is always present. He is terrifying, vindictive, and apparently single-minded in his efforts to destroy Harry completely. Harry and his best friend Ron together with Hermione Granger, the smart girl who can research and answer most of the questions the less-studious boys present, make it their goal to prevent any harm to anyone by Voldemort and his minions, while dodging the immediate threat of Malfoy and his minions. Their efforts result in a number of broken school rules, use of their newly-acquired magical abilities in creative ways, and of course a battle for the school title against Malfoy's dorm and a battle to the death against Voldemort. Yes, there are bad guys who can do nasty magic. Before the Christian Right gets bent out of shape about it, they should know that more important are the good guys who use that magical talent for only good things: to heal injuries, to right wrongs, to defend their friends. Children are not meant to believe HP is a true story. Because they are better able to suspend their disbelief, they are much more able than their rigid parents to enjoy the film for what it is. It is a made-up story full of make-believe people with make-believe abilities. Anyone afraid that kids will attempt to "try this at home" needs to get a grip on reality and permit imaginations to explore the limits, removal of those limits, and their consequences. While Harry's magic gets him away from an abusive home, it thrusts him into a sometimes worse situation: his safety and life are threatened. Don't worry, kids: Nobody really gets hurt in the movies. Sometimes they get really big ouchies, though. And HP is full of suspense, excitement, thrills, and adventure. Never fear! The school nurse can painlessly cure anything from multiple broken bones to major head injuries in practically no time at all. The movie hit most of the important parts and the story line was very cohesive. In my opinion, the only thing missing is the development of Harry & Ron's friend Neville. There is a little at the beginning of the Hogwarts segment about him and his pet frog, but the interplay that causes him to try to stop the three main heroes from going after the Sorcerer's Stone is sadly missing. Thus, even those of us who know the book well are startled that Neville suddenly reappears toward the end of the movie. Those who haven't read the book just don't get why Neville bothers to take it upon himself to try to stop Harry and his two best friends from their last effort to protect the Sorcerer's stone from the most evil wizard of all. The actors chosen to play each of the parts were perfect. Snape is truly wicked and makes a fabulous villan. The Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, Quirrell, is deceptively silly and nice, and brutally evil. Dumbledore is wonderfully wise and his eyes sparkle just as they should. Hagrid is exactly the way he should be -- fun, protective, fascinating, kind, gruff, innocent yet knowledgeable about so many things. I cried during Harry's performance before the Mirror of Frised. (No, fellas, this is NOT a "chick flick.") Errant viewers expect every scene and conversation from the book to be in the movie. It can't be done, guys! At least not unless the book could have been read aloud with passion in less than 2 hours. I recommend this DVD for children over seven. The suspense may be too much for them, and some of the scary characters may be too frightening for them. Eights and over, including teenagers and adults, will find the movie spellbinding.
Rating:
Summary: True to the book and very entertaining
Review: The discrepancies between the movie and the book were minimal. Only minor insignificant deviations were done, and the main thrust of the story remained true to the book. The movie was fast paced, entertaining and fun. The 2nd disc (DVD only) surprised me. It actually works to draw you in further. For example, in order to view the deleted scenes, you have to solve puzzles much like those Harry and friends had to face to find the sorcerers stone. In order to get to those puzzles, you have to pass Prof. Snapes potions quiz. In order to get to that, you have to have your wand. You can't get a wand at Olivanders without going to Gringotts first. And you can't get to your Gringotts vault without your key. In short, I thought the movie was quite well done, and the added features of the DVD go above and beyond the standard fare.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie! But DVD is a joke...
Review: I enjoyed this movie IMMENSELY... i thought that in the alotted time they were able to capture the essence of the book...and go through as many plot twists as they could... so if i only had to rate the movie it would be 5 stars... for the dvd... it's a joke... there is nothing particularly special about it... in an ordinary dvd... if you wanted to see the deleted scenes... NO PROBLEM... here it is like you're hacking into some secret computer... i was fairly disappointed by the dvd's extra features
Rating:
Summary: An action-packed movie with signs of love & friendship!
Review: To the "naked" eye, this movie does seem dull, boring, childish, immature, and a thousand other words. That is....though, just the first impression. This movie is not just a movie about wizardry and magic. It's about friendship, love, courage, and learning to conquer your fears. The actors and actresses show us how we may go through life. We may come across enemies like Malfoy. Or we may unexpectedly find a friend we'll have for a lifetime. And it shows us how to sacrifice ourselves for the people we love and care about. Of course, all of us Harry Potter lovers did miss all of the things not showed in the movie thats in the book. That's why I recommend you to read the book first. The movie's great too, the book's better, and you'll certainly understand it better. I loved it, and the creativity is immense! Who would think to write a book about......a wizard? I know I certainly wouldn't! I hope all of you enjoyed the movie that made me a better person in many ways.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I saw this movie to see what the Harry Potter hysteria was all about. Fifteen minutes into the show I was bored. There was one interesting part where a character we thought was a bad guy turns out to be a good guy. I think the three kids with the starring roles are good actors and cute kids though. I just didn't think this was a very good movie. I couldn't wait for it to end.
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