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
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