Rating: 
Summary: Special features--ho hum
Review: I was disappointed by the special features bonus dvd in this set. The games are overly simple once you can figure out how to navigate by selecting the item covered by sparkles. The tour of Hogwarts seemed distorted, slow and choppy. The seven bonus scenes were mildly interesting, certainly not worth all the effort to get to them. [Hint: Go to classrooms, click on podium supporting the fire. Continue through a few more obstacles, you'll then be taken to hallway with portraits that include the scenes.]I would have also liked to have seen interviews with the cast in addition to the 15 minutes with the directors. The packaging is flimsy. I don't think the cardboard will hold up to the use it will be getting.All that said, I loved the movie almost as much as I love the books.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the DVD Magic?
Review: The movie is great! I really enjoyed it, in fact, now that I have seen it a couple of times, I love it! I was really excitied for the special features on Disc two.
Well, There isn't much to get excitied about. There is only one portion that actually lets you see interviews with the Director and scriptwriter and such. Its only about 15 min and during that time, is when one can see behind the scenes. I was hoping for J.K. Rowling to have something to say, or any of the cast members. There is no commentary, no outakes, and only 10 minutes of deleted scenes.
To get to the Deleted scenes on the second disc is fun, at first. We get to see clips of the actual movie, and try to get to the stone. It was fun, for the first fifteen mins. I thought it was a bit much, just again, for only 10 minutes of deleted scenes. I did like the design photos that you can find - not telling where they are though. That was really cool.
I am keeping in mind that this is desgined for Children. For a grown up fan, its worth it, but maybe you want to get the one disk version.
Rating: 
Summary: BAd DVD design
Review: You have to play the games to see the deleted scenes. If you are wanting to see the deleted scenes hers how.
to get tothe stone, you have to get your wand from diagon alley, go to the classrooms, highlight the owls and the H on the middle brazier, then head into the room with fluffy
from there is the steps to get to the stone from the book ... you have to select the right 'key' fairy, then select the right bottle, then you have the stone
its the middle key fairy, and the yellow bottle
Rating:
Summary: Movie is great... but the DVD is lacking
Review: While I still utterly adore this movie (which certainly is 4 stars or more), I think there are some issues with DVD that deserve mention. The quality of the transfer is obviously good and I am very happy to see that most are now being made with WIDESCREEN as the default format. However, the "extras" included seemed painfully scant from a release with this much anticipation. A good deal of content is rehashed of the web content. If you visited the site at least once (which I imagine many fans have), you've seen much of the DV-ROM section. Secondly there is no easy way to access the additional footage. It was mildly charming to initially plod through the "game" to find hidden footage, but not so much so if you wanted to view it a second time. Other than the interview with Chris Columbus (director) and the producer of the film, there are not many other things to hold the attention of an adult. Particularly annoying is the lack of a director's commentary. And while there IS a book in the library containing Quidditch pre-production art, there is little else. Finally, while this is a very minor point, the DVD is boxed in such a way that it JUTS out from my shelf. I am sure that is a clever marketing ploy, but from a collector with nearly 200 DVDs, I find it a little troublesome. BUT... buy the DVD anyway. Its a great film and franchise! :)
Rating:
Summary: A heart-warming phenomena
Review: How do I reconcile the fact that I didn't see anything terribly original in this movie but find the whole phenomena of HARRY POTTER to be very heart-warming? I think it is this simple: I like that, in this day and age, someone has given children a never-never-land of their own. I believe each generation needs its own set of myths to relate to. Mine had STAR WARS, and now this generation has HARRY POTTER. And now that I think about it, all stories that touch an entire generation are pretty similar. It is not originality that is important, it is sentiment and timing. In fact, I think that STAR WARS and HARRY POTTER could be seen as very similar in that they are both about a boy who is something of a "chosen one" with special abilities, abilities that must be polished - Luke must go away to Yoda, and Harry must go away to the wizard's school. They could both be seen as something of a "journey of the hero." Joseph Campbell, author of THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, found STAR WARS to be very interesting and important in providing a set of myths to my generation - but noted that it is based on myths and legends that are millennia old. I'm sure Mr. Campbell would've made the same comment about HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE. When asked why it is often British writers who come up with the best in fantasy writing, J. K. Rowling (author of the HARRY POTTER series, on which this movie is based) said that she believes it is because of the wealth of folklore of the British Aisles. That folklore translated well to the screen in this adaptation, and I did enjoy this movie. But I am left to wonder what the overall point of the movie is. For example, Luke Skywalker in STAR WARS has to perfect his understanding of the Force in order to fight against the "dark side" of the Force and restore peace and order to the galaxy. In HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE it is not made clear "why" Harry must perfect his skills at magic. What purpose will it all serve? What is the main objective? This lack of a "purpose" to Harry's ability made the story seem a bit hallow to me. But, then again, this is really a "kids'" movie and I am probably analyzing it all too much now. In other words, probably any kid will love this movie and it is highy recommended for its stunning visual effects and beautiful art direction.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't make me play games to find the missing scenes
Review: I'm a working mother, I do a lot of volunteer work, I spend quality and quantity time with my kids, and I simply do not have the time to play games (literally!) to find the missing scenes. Those, frankly, are the only reason I bought the CD, and it is extremely irksome to me (who stayed up til 1:45 a.m. working last night) that I can't simply view the scenes I bought and thought I had immediate access to. There should be a work-around for the many adult fans who actually have busy lives. This isn't a Sesame Street movie aimed only at toddlers, and I think the producers ought to have taken the sophistication of its audience into account in designing the special features of the CD. (It is also very annoying to have the Privet St. sign sail in and take up time every time you are, as I was, searching through the CDs for the missing scenes.)
Rating:
Summary: ehh.....nothing NEW
Review: Harry Potter the movie was medicore at best.I have not read any of the books but it is clear that Rowling "studied" Tolkien's work. Many of the characters and events in the movie are strangely similar to the Lord of the Rings. Not as original as i thought it would be...yet should be amusing to those who have not read or seen Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: potter
Review: I think the dvd is great, lots of special features, just it's really hard to find the deleted scenes. If anyone knows how, lemme know.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, horrid DVD
Review: This DVD is a huge disappointment. The movie is wonderful, but the "special features" that they lean so heavily on as a selling point don't even exist for all viewers. You can't watch the special features unless you jump through a bunch of contrived hoops, .... On top of this, the contrived hoops don't function, and lock up both my DVD player and the DVD drive on my computer. If they wanted to slip something unadvertised in for those people willing to play their silly games, that would be one thing. It seems dishonest, though, to lean on a special features as a selling point and not put them in a format that can be accessed by everyone. I could have bought the VHS format and not lost anything.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: If you compare it to the book you're making a mistake. In order to do the book justice the film would be 5 hours long! With that in mind, can this 2 1/5 hour film due justice to this highly anticipated film? The answer is a resounding yes. Tickets sales proved that. Of course knowing the book, the viewer understands and appreciates more of the movie. Having read the book, you subconsciously fill in the blanks. For those who haven't read the book, the film does a good job carrying the story as reasonable as possible. It's no different than reading a Steven King or Clancy novel and expecting the film to be as detailed. Give credit where credit is due. This film is excellent top to bottom and we're all looking forward to the next installment! This is a great film for the family to enjoy.
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