Review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) by Stephen C — 28 Aug 2016

Everyone in this movie is well casted. Radcliff, Grint, and Watson have great chemistry together and are still so adorable; Robbie Coltrane is funny and lovable as the giant gatekeeper, Hagrid; and Richard Harris is perfect as Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore! To this day, it is his Dumbledore that I envision whenever I reread the books. You can just feel his commanding presence and his wisdom whenever he's in the room. His voice is calm and sounds like it is spoken with such intelligence that he comes off as very intimidating.

Everything about this movie is wonderful, from the casting all the way to the beautiful soundtrack, by John Williams, that has now become immortalized in Hollywood history. The effects are a bit dated, by today's standards, but that is just a minor setback.

The movie was quite long for a kid's film at the time, but it just leaves you wanting more instead of less. Over the years, Sorcerer's Stone has not lost its charm and continues to be a golden masterpiece.

"Let the magic begin". Never was a tagline so true!