Reviewed by: Joe

Directed by: Chris Columbus

Produced by: David Heyman & Mark Radcliffe

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, & John Cleese

Released: November 16, 2001

Kids/Family and Action/Adventure 2 hr. 22 min. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE is an adaptation of the first of J.K. Rowling’s popular children’s novels about Harry Potter, a boy who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. He is summoned from his life as an unwanted child to become a student at Hogwarts, an English boarding school for wizards. There, he meets several friends who become his closest allies and help him discover the truth about his parents’ mysterious deaths at the hands of a powerful adversary.

The mystical and extraordinary world of Harry Potter is brought to life in a way that many wouldn’t have thought possible years ago and, though the film may differ from the book from time to time, even the most hardcore of Potter followers will be happy with this first film adaptation. Not to say it is absolutely perfect, there are some minor things to complain about. The time length, which stood at two hours and thirty minutes, seemed way too long for a feature at younger children. Granted they probably won’t care too much since their eyes will be glued to the screen but that can problem based on potty breaks or something to that effect. Another problem deals with the editing of the movie. As an example, the burnt roof of Hogwarts that was not present in one scene was shown in the next with no explanation to what happened. But outside of those small problems, Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone is a delightful treat during the holiday season but not near the same level as Disney/Pixar’s Monsters Inc. but a great film none the less.