Harry Potter and the Philsopher's Stone

PG

4/5

The most eagerly-anticipated film of the year is here and, believe me, Harry Potter the movie, like the book, deserves the hype.

For those of you who haven't read the Philosopher's Stone, here's the plot: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) lives with the unspeakably cruel Dursleys his Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw) and Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths) who know he is a wizard but fear magic so much they have never told him. To make his life worse, Harry is forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs and wear hand-me-downs from his fat and spoiled cousin, Dudley.

But all this changes on Harry's 11th birthday when he gets a letter of acceptance from wizarding school Hogwarts, hand-delivered by groundkeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane).

Harry is whisked away to a world of witches, goblins, dragons, unicorns and trolls and he soon discovers he is the most famous boy on the planet. His parents weren't killed in a car crash as he was told, but murdered by Voldemort, the most evil wizard who ever lived. Miraculously Harry survived.

Voldemort is so evil he makes Darth Vader look like a mildly-annoying neighbour with a bit of a sinus problem but when he tried to kill baby Harry, his spell rebounded and left him barely alive without a body and Harry with a scar shaped like a lightning strike.

Once at Hogwarts, Harry meets cheeky-cockney Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and super-clever Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) who fast become his best friends.

The students follow the a normal curriculum potion-making, herbology, broomstick flying, history of wizardry but before long, Harry, Ron and Hermione get drawn in to the mystery of the Philospher's Stone. It is being kept at Hogwarts but someone is trying to steal it.

If you have read the book, the film will not disappoint.

Of course, it lacks a lot of the detail which makes the novel such a stonking good read. For example, it rushes through life with the Dursleys and it never really explains why Harry lives in a cupboard, the name of Harry's owl, Hedwig, isn't mentioned once and Peeves the poltergiest, who was played by Rik Mayall, was cut from the film all together.

And the scene where Harry buys his first wand from Mr Ollivander (John Hurt) could have been better without much effort.

But that's just nit-picking. The special effects and scale of the magical world are everything you imagine they would be. The all-important Quidditch game between school houses Gryffindor and Slytherin is breathtaking as the players swoop and dive on their broomsticks, slamming the quaffle through the hoops.

And the casting is magnificent. Coltrane as bumbling giant Hagrid almost steals the show and Alan Rickman couldn't be colder or more menacing as Professor Snape. Also, look out for cameos from John Cleese and Julie Walters. Radcliffe, Grint and Granger are wonderful as Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Whether you are a child or adult, already a fan or not, Harry Potter is a great, great film. You'd be a muggle to miss it.

November 12, 2001 19:02

Tracey Wye