Dragons are not merely storybook figments of your imagination, but charmed (and dangerous) creatures that hatch from eggs and spout fire. Broomsticks zoom through the air instead of sitting by the fireplace awaiting spring cleaning.
Magic is not only possible, but also expected - and from frozen classmates to animated games of wizard chess, everything is spectacular. You believe what you see ... and believing is the power to suddenly become 11 years old again.
Eleven. It's the same age as Harry Potter himself, and most of the theater audience. And if you can bear listening to the squeals and murmurs of the kids sitting behind you, you could almost suppose that you still had the gift of really believing in magic. The film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," at least visually and at first glance, is just that powerful.
Written by J.K. Rowling and instantly a hit with both British and American children of all ages, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is the first in a series of seven books about the adventures of a young wizard at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only son of two wizards murdered by Voldemort, Harry is famous in his world for surviving the attack with only a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
Taken at the age of 11 from the Muggle (non-magic) home of his aunt and uncle Dursley, Harry is whisked away into a realm of ghosts, levitating candlesticks and stubborn, moving staircases. The world of Hogwart's is a world of magic, for Harry as well as for the audience.
Indeed, the literal space of Hogwart's School is the most incredible facet of the film. Haunted woods beg for a second, deeper look into the shadowy, blue mists. An alternately cloudy, starry night sky invades the internal space of Hogwart's dining hall to paint the ceiling of the room. Diadem Alley, the street in which Harry secures such possessions as a wand and messenger owl, is a complicated, expertly designed conglomeration of Gothic, Elizabethan and Modern architecture.
The spaces of the film simply scream magic, but this is only the modern technology of set-design, run by three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig and cinematographer nominee John Seale.
Beyond the beauty of the screen itself, the plot of the film has lost its spark. The greatest problem here is the existence of Rowling's text; the film follows it just a little too closely. In another realm, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" would become a classic childhood film; here, it is only an adaptation of a best-selling book.
Rowling herself prowled the movie set watching any changes made, and frankly, this is more than obvious; there are next to no alterations made in the plot. Granted, this insistence on the text equates to winning a Quidditch (the school sport) game for die-hard Harry Potter fans, but in the end, the transition from written text to big screen taints the magic of the story.
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Considering the less than magical medium of the big screen, the young actors work wonders. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) captures the complicated emotions of the young, already famous wizard without overdoing it. Playing a role already so charged with definitions and overtones, Radcliffe turns Harry into his own person, into an entity beyond the text and a kid that everyone wants to be.
As Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint play Harry's ever-present companions without dominating the film or stealing the show from Harry. Hopefully these are actors that plan on sticking around for the next six films.
For Chris Columbus, director of such American "classics" as "Home Alone," the film equates to a definite hit. "Harry Potter" certainly broke records opening weekend just as it was scheduled to do. So perhaps the movie is just as good as it needed to be in order to lure Potter fans in droves to the theater. The film is magical, yes, but not necessarily the making of an American (or British) classic.
"Harry Potter" is magic - but for the eyes instead of for the lurking child's mind within. Thanks to the set and costume design, alongside some incredible acting, the film is definitely worth seeing, at least for Potter fans. And getting exactly what you expected does have merit. The real magic, however, lies in the book, now available (of course) in bookstores and libraries worldwide.
The gift of believing is really the gift of finding yourself glued to the pages, eagerly flipping for the next adventure. Do yourself a favor; pick up the book instead of picking up a broomstick to fly to the theater.
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