Movies

Like a lot of others, I refused to watch this film when it was originally released, thinking it was going to be another movie for kids, loosely taken from the source. Was I ever wrong? J.K. Rowling's novel was brilliantly taken from book to screen. The acting, directing and especially the special effects were tremendously awesome. Director Chris Columbus did a superb job with the direction, I was surprised he didn't get an Academy Award nomination. The acting was too, excellent, especially from the experienced actors like Alan Rickman playing Severus Snape. Truly one of his best performances.A great adaptation of a very popular book, a fine example of cinema.

This movie captures most aspects of the book perfectly. Being the first in the franchise, it has to do a lot of world building. But the writers and the director of this movie managed to keep things simple and to the point.The cast is also perfect. All the younger actors were good enough and they keep improving with each movie. The older cast was amazing in their roles and help the movie feel more real. The music of John Williams was a masterpiece and added to the magical nature of the story.Even after 2 decades, this movie still feels magical and captures the attention of many young and old audience.

Not a perfect story, but a lovely introduction into these characters and J. K. Rowling's magical world of wizards. Lots of great bits here, like the sorting hat, invisibility cloak, troll encounter, and quidditch match (even if the rules for this game are absurd). The casting is excellent, including the principal three (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint) and the teachers at Hogwarts (Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, and Richard Harris). The film was a little too long and had scenes that seemed a little disconnected, leading to a rather brief, anticlimactic ending, but overall there's a reason the franchise was so popular, and this got it off the ground in good form.