The Harry Potter saga begins with Harry Potter and The
Sorcerer's Stone. An old wizard named Albus Dumbledore (played by the late Richard Harris) leaves an infant boy on
the doorstep of a family of muggles for safekeeping. The baby, whose name is
Harry Potter, has a zigzag scar on his right temple--a remnant of a ghastly
wizard battle in which his parents were killed. Dumbledore leaves Harry with his
aunt's family as a way of keeping him safe. And Harry Potter (played by Daniel
Radcliffe) does indeed grow up
in a safe household--although it's not one that loves him very much. With his
burgeoning magical powers, he is considered the unwanted black sheep of his
muggle family. A muggle is a person who does not practice magic, and Harry's
aunt, uncle and cousin are determined to keep him "normal". When magical owls
try to deliver a special message for Harry, his family does everything--including
moving to a desolate island--to avoid them.
It takes the arrival of Hagrid (well-played by Robbie Coltrane), the gentle
giant with a bushy beard, to finally rescue Harry from his mundane muggle
relatives and help him make his appointment with destiny. The letter that the
owls have been trying to deliver is an invitation to attend the prestigious
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the benevolent Dumbledore is the headmaster. At
age 11, Harry is old enough to begin his first year of lessons, but before he
can, he must pay a visit to Diagon Alley, the wizard's shopping mall, to stock
up on supplies. Once he arrives at Hogwarts, Harry meets his new best friends
Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). He is also
finally properly introduced to the miraculous world of magic--as well as its dark
side. For there is somebody lurking within the walls of Hogwarts who would do
Harry harm, and would stop at nothing to have him join his deceased parents.
Written by Steve Kloves, and directed by Chris Columbus, this first entry in the
Harry Potter film series is superb fun. Based on the first book by author J.K
Rowling, who went from being on welfare to becoming one of the richest women in
England (she is reportedly richer even than the Queen herself--if the royal
family needs extra cash, they should give her a call), Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone is a light, breezy journey that elegantly introduces the viewer
to Harry's magical wonderland. The story, which runs well over two hours, seems
to move at a leisurely pace at times, but you become so enchanted in this
imaginative world, with its richly drawn details, that you don't mind. And
although it appears there are many sidetracks from the main plot, everything still adds up at the
end. The lengthy Quidditch match in the middle of the film pays off at the
film's climax when Harry must ride a broom to retrieve a flying key. A magical
chess game played by Harry and Ron becomes a prelude to a similar confrontation
on a more epic--and deadly--scale near the end of the film. And although the
movie may be mainly geared at kids, it's still far from sappy; Harry and friends
get as bloodied and bruised during their adventure just as much as Indiana Jones
does.
The special features on the two-disc DVD are mainly kid-friendly, with games and
virtual tours of the film's sets. There are deleted scenes, but no commentaries.--SF
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