Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2002, DVD)

"Harry Potter and Philosopher's / Sorcer's Stone" is the first movie in the Harry Potter franchise, based on the very popular children's book series. Please do keep in mind that this movie is based on the book, which means that as good as the movie is, reading the book is better.

That having been said, in this charming movie, we meet a young lad by the name of Harry Potter. He is an orphan and lives in England, with his rather abusive aunt and uncle and cousin. A quiet boy, he is astonished to learn that he has been accepted to a "magical high school", called Hogwarts. He is also quite amazed to learn that he is, in fact, a young wizard! From there, his life takes an almost surrealistic turn, as he visits a wizards bank (run by goblins), purchases his first magic wand and learns that he was, in a way, a child-saviour to his people. Inexplicably, when the most evil wizard of all time attempted to kill the infant Harry, the child survived and the evil wizard (by the name of Lord Voldemort) was destroyed. Harry now learns of this major chapter of his past for the first time.

You will delight in seeing Harry's new school, which is brought to screen in a most pleasing way. Paintings and photographs can move and speak, staircases can re-arrange themselves, and there is a Forbidden forest on the school grounds! As Harry is so young, the movie is rather light-hearted and playful, as we meet his schoolmates, and teachers and join Harry in his first magical lessons. But after the delight of these novelties wear off, Harry and his new pals start to uncover a secret that is hidden in the school. Suspicious characters and enchanted objects lead to the Hero-Triad into some dangerous and challenging tasks. In the end, Harry must face a character whom he thought was dead...the re-incarnation of the evil Lord Voldemort. Using courage and determination beyond his years, Harry manages to defeat this character once again, but will he be back?

This movie stars an impressive number of accomplished British actors (although if you are like me, you may not recognize them or know of their past works). The children in the movie are generally all new up-and-comers, and they do a tremendous job! Very believeable and incredible on-screen chemistry. One of the nicest things is having the same child-actors play the same roles in all of the future movies, so we can see them grow-up and mature into young adults. This film version was very close to the novel and is a very enjoyable show for fans and non-fans, children and adults alike. There is no profanity, no sexual content and no explicit violence. Some of the concepts might be frightening for young children, so the film is rated PG. People who know nothing about the Harry Potter books may voice the opinion that it is evil, or promoting the devil in some way, but that is simply not true. If in doubt, read the book or watch the movie yourself, before exposing your children to it and you will see that it is imaginative and fun, and not 'sinful'.

Along with his DVD comes a bonus disk, which includes special features. Extra footage, a self-guided tour of the school, and games and activities equal hours of interactive fun.

I hope that you enjoyed this review and that it has helped you in some way. If you found it to be insightful or helpful, I would kindly request that you vote "YES", that it was helpful to you. Thank you.

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