Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

User Review

• 

  Barneyonmovies

  7 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Like my favourite movie series of all time, Harry Potter follows the story of a young man who's initially oblivious to a world of magic which he must eventually become a central part of and fight against oppression and evil. The first film however is just about him opening the door, and what it does so well is something that shouldn't be taken for granted - it establishes a wonderously well-rounded and lived-in on-screen universe. The film really gives you a sense of the richness of JK Rowling's fascinating world and its characters, and in large part that's enabled by the fact that the narrative devotes such a chunk of its time to just exploring it. The journey to and arrival at Hogwarts, the trip to Diagon alley to buy all the things a young Wizard needs, the sorting into houses and the lessons at school all have little significance to the prevailing story of Voldemort which is being introduced; it instead serves to set the foundations perfectly and create a truly immersive and tangible environment with all the necessary quirks. It helps of course that Harry himself is discovering the magic and mystery of all of that stuff whilst the story develops as he initially of course has no idea this magical world exists, let alone that he's a wizard himself, so we can discover it all along with him. The way Christopher Columbus and his team then realise it all visually through the set and character designs in a way that balances the fantastical with the gritty is utterly spot-on, and it makes exploring it a real joy-fest - especially with that wonderful score from John Williams behind it all.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Whilst it's being introduced here, the darkness and the higher stakes of the rest of the series are still bubbling in the background, so the narrative does arguably lack engaging tension as most dramatic stakes are forced through simple adventure-movie tangents. Also, much of the universe-building is arguably a little over-indulgent, as on-screen we of course have the added benefit of being able to see what's going on without the need for description.
  
  VERDICT: A joyous series introduction that devotes most of its time to its brilliant world-building, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' is great fun. It just lacks the stakes and narrative drive of the subsequent films.

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