"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001, PG)

I really enjoy the Harry Potter films, but their sheer volume makes them quite an undertaking.  Translation?  If you’re gonna do a rewatch, summer’s your friend.  Expect more Potter reviews in the coming months; today, we’re starting where it all began (besides, you know, the books.)

Is there anyone who still needs a plot summary for this movie?  If you’re out there, this paragraph is for you!  11-year-old Harry Potter, a long-suffering orphan being “raised” by his horrific aunt and uncle who verbally abuse him, treat him like a slave, and frequently keep him in a closet (just your standard British kids’ book, right?) learns of his extraordinary inheritance.  His late parents were in fact a witch and a wizard killed in a wizarding war, and he himself is famous for surviving the last magic murder attempt by series Big Bad Lord Voldemort, who has since been optimistically presumed dead by the wizarding community at large.  Harry is spirited away to Hogwarts, a renowned school of magic, where he starts honing his craft, making friends, making enemies, becoming a wizard sports star, and, oh yeah, foiling an evil plot. 

The Sorcerer’s Stone, and director Chris Columbus, get a lot of flack for being an unremarkable start to the series, and such criticisms aren’t far from the mark.  Even though all the Harry Potter books are long, this film drags more than a little – literally 1/3 of the two-and-a-half hour run-time elapses before Harry’s first day of school.  Some of the tone is a bit precious, some of the humor is a bit juvenile, and some of the acting from the young cast is a bit underdeveloped (that last point mostly gets a nostalgia pass, however, on the grounds of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson being so tiny and adorable.)

However, the movie doesn’t get enough credit for all it did to launch the franchise.  The design is mostly terrific – Hogwarts looks fantastic, the big quidditch scene is loads of fun, and all of the characters look basically pitch perfect.  Not to mention, Columbus started off the practice of astounding casting decisions for the series.  Yes, the kids are highly unpolished and some of their line readings are hilarious in the wrong way, but each captures the essence of their character early on, and the chemistry between the main three is everything it should be.  And goodness gracious, the adult cast!  I’m pretty sure Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith were born to play Hagrid, Snape, and McGonagall, respectively, and the now-late Richard Harris is a superb Dumbledore (those were the days…)  Smaller parts, like Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, Ian Hart as Quirrell, and the wonderful John Hurt as Ollivander, are similarly spot-on.

And okay, I know I complained about the length, but I do appreciate how this film shows a fair amount of day-to-day Hogwarts stuff.  Even though it doesn’t always know when to move a scene along, it’s nice to get a picture of Harry’s life at school apart from all the foiling-an-evil-plot business.  Some of the later movies are much better at condensing, but most of the little moments tend to get excised completely, so it makes an enjoyable change to see Harry practicing spells in class or learning the finer points of quidditch.  As I gradually work my way through the rest of the films, we’ll see if any hit that sweet spot between bloated and bare bones.

Warnings

Some scary images, light British swearing, and a little crude humor.

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