Harry Potter and The Sorcerer`s Stone (Widescreen) (US)

7 / 10
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"You`re a wizard, Harry"
Certificate: PG
Running Time: 152 mins
Retail Price: $26.99
Release Date:

Synopsis:
Harry Potter is an ordinary boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs at his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon`s house, which he thinks is normal for someone like him whose parents have been killed in a `car crash`. He is bullied by them and his fat spoilt cousin Dudley, and lives a very unremarkable life with only the odd hiccup (like his hair growing black overnight!) to cause him much to think about.
Until he is rescued by a beetle eyed giant of a man, enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. All because Harry Potter is a wizard!

Follow the adventures of Harry Potter as he discovers the magical, the dangerous, the unpredictable world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Special Features:
Never-Before-Seen Footage
Self-Guided Tour Of Hogwarts
Mix Potions, Perform Transfiguratons, Explore Diagon Alley, Catch a Snitch and Much More
Theatrical Trailers
Scene Access

DVD-ROM Features:
Be Sorted by the Sorting Hat
Collect Wizard Trading Cards
Download Screensaver and Remembrall
Receive Owl E-mails
Link To The Web

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital EX 5.1 English

Subtitle Tracks:
CC: English

Directed By:
Chris Columbus

Written By:


Starring:
Alan Rickman
Emma Watson
John Hurt
Daniel Radcliffe
Maggie Smith
Rupert Grint
Fiona Shaw
Robbie Coltrane
Richard Harris

Casting By:
Karen Lindsay-Stewart
Janet Hirshenson
Jane Jenkins
Susie Figgis

Soundtrack By:
John Williams

Director of Photography:
John Seale

Editor:
Richard Francis-Bruce

Costume Designer:
Judianna Makovsky

Production Designer:
Stuart Craig

Producer:
David Heyman
Paula DuPré Pesman
Tanya Seghatchian
Todd Arnow

Executive Producer:
Ilya Salkind
Michael Barnathan
Mark Radcliffe
Duncan Henderson
Chris Columbus

Distributor:
Warner Bros

Your Opinions and Comments

7 / 10
This is an intoxicating fantasy. It works grandly as entertainment, and being a cynical git I was surprised at how taken in I was by Harry`s plight. The film is expensive and certainly looks it; it`s filled to the rafters with impressive locations, fairly good CGI effects and a wonderful fantasy milieu unparalleled in many a year. The film is also very well cast, with young Daniel Radcliff making a fine Harry (although I was even more charmed by his two young cohorts in crime, Rupert Grint as Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione.) The supporting adult cast is also a treat, with Alan Rickman appropriately slimy as the evil (?) Severus Snape, and Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith and, briefly, Richard Harris all chewing the scenery with barely restrained glee.

The only real flaw with the movie is that it seemed to get caught up with its own grandeur a few times, stretching scenes out a bit longer than they needed to be, showing off the scenery just to let us know how hard they worked to get it all right. This is fine when we first see the school itself as the sweeping views of Hogwarts are quite spectacular, but after the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor it seemed a bit excessive to be doing panning shots of Harry.

The film moves along at a good pace and despite its 150-minute running time, there are few slow moments in the film and Director Chris Columbus paces the film to perfection. "Harry Potter" is a modern day classic that more than lives up to the hype and is well worth seeing for fans of all ages. The second film in the series is already under way and I must say that for many people, myself included, I look forward to seeing what future adventures Harry and his friends have in store for audiences.

But for goodness sake, are there no Philosopher`s in the U.S.A.?
posted by Aslan on 29/9/2002 05:46