Review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) by Chris O — 19 Aug 2017

A solid start to a renowned franchise that surprisingly holds up well, even 16 years later.

Upon his 11th birthday, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), who lives in misery with an aunt and uncle that don't want him, learns from a giant named Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) that he is the orphaned son of powerful wizards. Harry is offered a place at prestigious Hogwarts, a boarding school for wizards that exists in a realm of magic and fantasy outside the dreary existence of normal humans or "Muggles.".

Before heading off for a life in another state shortly, I pushed myself to rewatch a series of films that I had been dying to see since my childhood. But I had been pushing it off in fear that the first couple of films would be really dated. Finally, I decided to put the first film into my Xbox. By my surprise, this film held up really well, and the Blu-Ray rendition actually looked really good. And I'll be honest, I had fun seeing the roots of our heroes, and I can't wait to watch them grow up through the next seven films and join their adventures.

So to start out, the beloved "Harry Potter" cast all give fine performances as young children. Daniel Radcliffe was a great lead and held a solid performance as a young child. Rupert Grint did a great job as the geeky, goofy, yet supportive best friend. Emma Watson was also fine, even if her character came off as that annoying, know-it-all friend that we've all met. Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid was also introduced as this lovable giant who will definitely be a fan favorite for years to come. It was really interesting to see the cast at a young age, especially knowing how far they would go.

The visuals and cinematography certainly wasn't as bad or dated as I expected it to be. Granted, some parts and moments definitely looked like something you'd see from the early 2000's but for the most part, this is a film that still holds up decently today. That was a real nice attribute that this film had and it really made the whole experience better for me.

In the end, this film really did feel more like a kids movie. I mean, it was made for the target audience of younger children, even if it was still entertaining for adults. There were some cheesy and goofy parts for sure, but it also was the beginning of a much more dark and deep story that's still going. Like I said, I still enjoyed this movie a lot and I had a lot more fun than I thought I would. Maybe it was the nostalgia of seeing it as a kid, or maybe it was the fun in seeing the beginning of things so iconic. Either way, this film was more than enjoyable.

In the end, I think this film holds up really well, and is a great start to a beloved franchise. I can't wait to see the rest of these films again and review them all soon. For now, I'm glad I finally rewatched this film so soon.