Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (2001)

With the final chapter of Harry Potter being released this week I thought it best to re-watch all the previous Harry Potter films. Obviously there's no place better to start then The Philosopher's Stone.

First of all I can't believe how young Daniel, Rupert and Emma look in this film. It's amazing how quick 10 years can actually go. There was no way this film was going to fail with over 100 million readers of the book all eager to see this film when it was originally released at Christmas 2001. It sticks very close to the book and shows that director Chris Columbus got it pretty much spot in terms of the style of the characters and settings.

With the film having a big budget, it still decided to cast 3 unknowns for the lead roles. They were Daniel Radcliffe 12, Rupert Grint 13 and Emma Watson 11. All 3 nailed the roles perfectly and it's fair to say that no matter what other acting roles they get, they will always be know as Harry, Ron and Hermoine. The rest of the cast are made up of great acting talent with the likes of Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and the late Richard Harris. Again all are fine actors but not the biggest film stars. None of this made a slight bit of difference to the audience. They came to see Harry Potter not movie stars.

Most of the big budget was spent on the sets and special effects with the standout scene being Harry's first Quidditch match. It moves at a very fast pace and thrills throughout the entire scene. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone had a major advantage over other blockbusters. It was always going to be  the start of a series so in a way it didn't need to become a massive money spinner all on it's own to receive the go ahead to make the rest. This means the film can take it's time with the book and not make unnecessary cuts. Instead it can develop the story and the characters at a more leisurely pace.

That said the film is over 2 and a half hours long and may prove a bit tiresome for the little ones in the audience. You may also struggle with some of the stories if you're not familiar with the books. But there is still plenty of action to be seen and the characters are so well acted that it guarantees a very entertaining film. I'm sure fans of the books couldn't wish for a better adaptation and was a great start to what will turn out to be one of the biggest film franchises in the world.