Starring : Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane
Plot: As Harry Potter’s (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) 11th birthday draws near, he anticipates little in the way of excitement or presents from the Dursleys, Harry’s unpleasant relatives who took him in following his parents’ deaths and forced him to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.
But this year, Harry’s birthday will be different.
A mysterious letter addressed to Harry arrives, written in peculiar green ink and accompanied by an owl. Harry is surprised and excited by the curious dispatch, but his horrified Uncle Vernon (RICHARD GRIFFITHS) destroys the letter before Harry has a chance to read it.
The next day, another letter and owl arrive, only to be squelched by the Dursleys. As each day follows the next, letters and owls continue turning up on Harry’s doorstep until the Dursleys, fearing they can no longer suppress the contents of the peculiar correspondence, flee with Harry in tow to a remote hut where they’re confident they cannot be found.
Their plan appears to be working when suddenly a LOUD CRASH carries the hut door off its hinges, revealing the awesome bulk of an enormous giant called Hagrid (ROBBIE COLTRANE). Furious with the Dursleys for destroying the letters and trying to conceal their nephew’s real identity, Hagrid reveals the secret that will change Harry’s life: he, Harry Potter, is a wizard!
Much to Harry’s disbelief, it transpires that the puzzlingly persistent letters are invitations for him, on the occasion of his 11th birthday, to leave the regular world and join his similarly-talented peers at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hagrid goes on to explain that Harry’s parents did not die in a car crash as his insecure relatives have repeatedly told him – they were in fact murdered by an evil wizard who in turn etched the distinctive lightning scar on Harry’s forehead!
Harry is completely overwhelmed by the revelations about his parents and the invitation to Hogwarts. However, faced with another night in the cupboard under the stairs and a life of hand-me-downs, he doesn’t hesitate in accompanying Hagrid to London’s Kings Cross Station, where he discovers the secret Platform 9 3/4 and catches the Hogwarts Express.
Aboard the train packed with wide-eyed first year students, Harry befriends fellow wizards-in-training Hermione Granger (EMMA WATSON) and Ron Weasley (RUPERT GRINT). Together with his new friends, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime at Hogwarts, a wondrous place beyond Harry’s wildest imagination where he discovers his extraordinary talents and finds the home and the family he never had. -- © 2001 Warner Bros. (scoring 78% on rottentomatoes.com)
Review: Having never read the J.K. Rowling books I was fairly skeptical of these movies since most of the hype was coming from the avid readers of the books. At the same time that meant that the whole entire story would be a new adventure for me with twists and surprises around every corner. As the first chapter in the story of Harry Potter, The Sorcerer's Stone had a lot of introducing to do. It was tasked with the tough chore of setting the scene and introducing characters from the next handful of movies, but at the same time had to be entertaining. I would say that the books authors J.K. Rowling and the movies screenwriter Steve Kloves were very successful in this respect. With the main characters entering Hogwart's school at the age of 11, this film also had to work to find a balance between setting the scene for the darker sequels that were forthcoming and keeping it lighthearted and fun for the younger audience that would surely run out to the stores to buy plastic wands and barf flavored jelly beans.
For how young the actors were when they filmed this movie, the acting was actually fairly impressive. Certain actors were better than others but they all had room to grow into their characters over the next few films. Some of the special effects were too fake looking, but when you are embarking on an assignment as risky as this story could have been, I'm sure that the budget was not ideal when it comes to what the director and producers were hoping to portray. All in all I enjoyed this movie and it sparked my interest into the rest of the Harry Potter series. I would have to say that this movie is a little more childish than those in the series that followed it, nonetheless it was enjoyable. I would recommend a rent of this film and have rated it in at 3.5 stars out of a possible 5 stars.
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