Thursday, July 7, 2011

Movie Review: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001)

Harry Potter And The Sorcerers Stone Poster 2

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001)

As we all get ready for the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," I'm posting my reviews of three earlier films in the popular series.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001)

I've never been a huge fan of the Harry Potter movies, although I've seen them all dutifully. These films come to us in deluxe packages with dream budgets and dream casts. They accomplish the nearly impossible task of allowing us to visualize Harry Potter's world, with its fabulous characters and magical settings. For this reason alone, I think they deserve to be seen.

But where they fall short is on storytelling. J. K. Rowling's books, to be sure, set the bar very high. She maintains an uncanny level of mystery and suspense throughout the seven books. The films, for me, can't match that. Plenty of plot is churned out on cue, and plenty more just has to be left out, but the intoxicating thrill of the books just isn't here.

I know there are legions of people who know Harry Potter through the movies only, and many of them are devoted fans. To my mind, the movies by themselves don't really make all that compelling a case for Harry. But they do get him up on the big screen and, imperfect though it is, it's far better than not having Harry Potter up there at all.