Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone | Review

Didn’t read the book, didn’t know that kids were into this thing, had no intentions in seeing the movie and then what happens…., my friend falls under the spell of the J.K. Rowling and coughs up the dough for all four of her delicious tales. So what happens next? I end up being dragged into the mayhem…well I might as well see what the fuss about? Apparently, there is very little to marvel at with this book adaptation. With a big budget and a secured franchise, studio execs went with the sure bet- director Chris Columbus. I heard that Terry Gilliam was a candidate; the sheer thought of him at the helms of this film is a delight in itself. Instead, the illiterate, such as myself, are introduced the story of this four-eyed wizard in the Chris Columbus style (or no style). Harry played by Daniel Radcliffe, is a hostage in a family that does not desire this particular him- put they’ll fight there darnedest to keep their little slave, because a good slave is, hard to find. Harry the magician should have used his talent to call up child services, but he prefers to stay trapped underneath the stairs. I was taken a back a little by the sheer callousness of the introduction and the fact that this family was so unloving towards him basically it sent me the message that leaving your kid at home while you go on vacation may not be such a bad thing after all as witnessed in another Columbus’ Home Alone. Unfortunately, the film brings in Harry’s departure from the nest a little too soon, I would have enjoyed it to see the young Potter-prodigy experimenting with his talents a little more before getting whisked away into this kidnapping drama, surprisingly a non-traumatic experience for the little fellow who quickly forgets about his former life as a slave for an open-armed welcome into medieval times, a drastic change does not seem to rattle his feathers. The yummy part of the film takes place when this Lord of the Flies mode sets in- not all kids at the school for wizardry are happy go-lucky. Harry and his reputation make it easy for him to gather up friends with Rupert Grint as the authentic red-haired Ron and the prissy future romantic-interest Hermione played by Emma Watson? This initial introduction of non-emotion tail-ends itself into this- kids behaving badly, getting into trouble and getting punished subplots.

My main complaint about the film is the lack of Columbus’ lack of effort, depending heavily on a John Williams score and on crappy CGI graphics to stir emotion in the viewer. Don’t count on John Seale to deliver the goods in the cinematography which is plain as vanilla. The magic of showing kids in their real element, rather than the over-the-top nonsense could have given it the authenticity that it needed and would eradicate the need for all those countless head shots-reaction shots that show all the facial expressions, when they are happy, when they are sad, when they are mad and when they,well you get the point. Even Alan Richman (Die Hard) as Professor Snape is not allowed to do much but-frown his eyebrows. The rest of the cast look good in their customs, but their performances are diluted from again..more countless headshots. There are some bright spots in this film, the letter-carrying owls sequence, the talking hat and the moving stairs have their merits, where as the broomstick-football-basketball-looking-game of Quidditch was probably great as a Rowling concept, but looked simply awful on screen. The art design will make you wonder- especially the shots of Hogwarts’ castle and the market streets. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a truly unsatisfying experience, a film with no feeling, a film structure that seems mangled up in this two and a half hour of plot versus sub-plots going from one scene to another. This turns into an un-concentrated effort reminiscent of another film that was victim to a set-up for the following sequels such as Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace. I’m sure that the world which makes the younger ones rave in the book will be somewhat disappointed by the product on the screen, but at least it made me reminisce about my distant memories of my viewing of E.T and the magic that embodied that experience.

Rating 1.5 stars