by Chris Columbus, 2001.
Starring: Sean Biggerstaff, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Ian Hart, Matthew Lewis, Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, and Emma Watson.
Rating: 8/10, 6.5/10.
This film is a wonderfully made, terribly exciting, and extremely faithful adaptation of the book. In a way, that’s all that needs be said. If you like the book, and you also like the concept of movies, then see it.
The only thing that anyone could really criticize about the film is how well it reflects the way they imagined things when reading it, and let me tell you, it does a damn fine job as far as I’m concerned. Take the actors, for instance. Every single last one of them was cast absolutely perfectly. Radcliffe IS Harry; Grint IS Ron (he’s my favourite); Watson IS Hermione, all the way down to Rickman IS Snape and Harris IS Dumbledore. All the sets are perfect, as are the effects. It is definitely the perfect Harry Potter movie, nothing more, nothing less.
If I sound negative, then don’t misunderstand me; hell, I’ve seen this movie now four times. I’m just under no illusion that it’s great cinema. It’s fun, see it, enjoy it, see it again. That’s all.