‘Harry Potter’: Wicked Good Fun 

By Becca Parson (November 20, 2001)

As I slipped into the dark theater just before "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" started, I got some irritated glances for disturbing the excited pre-movie silence surrounding me. Looking around, I saw people on dates, young families, teenagers, married couples – an unusual mixture of all ages for a PG movie. What could cause this to happen? Only an international phenomenon like the "Harry Potter" books. 

The first book and movie of the series tell the tale of boy-wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) who until the start of this book, has lived with his horrible Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths), aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw), and cousin Dudley. This was all to protect Harry from the evil wizard Voldemort who killed his parents, until he was old enough to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This movie is about Harry discovering his magical powers, encountering Voldemort, and making friends at his new school – all while learning to become a proper wizard.

Taking us through the movie is a strict adherence to the book, a wonderful transference of author J.K. Rowling’s subtle humor, and amazing special effects. Gasps, laughs, and applause from the audience throughout the 2 1/2 hours of the movie suprisingly never gave way to yawns or bathroom trips, even from the youngest members of the audience. Most of the time, though, the audience participation was minimal, because the movie kept even me riveted to the screen, waiting to see what would happen next. 

The characters are also very well chosen. Thankfully, the entire cast is British, so no fake accents can be heard and the boarding school seems authentic. As one mother said walking out, "I thought Hermione was just perfect!" All of the characters fit what most people had imagined, and the actors fill their roles impressively. 

The only complaint is that the movie does not have the same slow build up of characters that makes the books so interesting. The giant Hagrid is barely allowed one weepy tear at leaving Harry with his relatives before the next scene pops up. This can be excused, though, for the sense of magic and darkness that pervade the entire movie. It delights in showing us the storybook other world of London that tourists never get to see, but does not forget the darkness that separates Rowling’s books from other children’s stories. Voldemort and the evil forest that surround the school are still there, and are just as dark and menacing as in the book.

Directed by Chris Columbus, this movie does not stink of any of the pushy moralizing of his previous movies, which include "Home Alone." While Disney commands people to "experience the magic," this movie pulls you into its magic before you’ve realized it, almost making you wish that this fantasy world does exist. The grotesque "magic" and syrupy sweetness of Disney and other kids’ movies let you know, as Uncle Vernon growls at the beginning of the movie, that "There’s no such thing as magic!" "Harry Potter" comes closest into fooling us into thinking, as one three year-old Potterphile in the audience loudly retorted, "Yes, there is!"