Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Movie Review

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

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Written by: J.K. Rowling (novel), Steve Kloves (screenplay)
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watons, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
Orphan Harry Potter enrolls in teh Hogwarts school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. 

Verdict
This is fantasy escapism with a perfectly simple plot. A neglected boy who seems ordinary in every way turns out to be a famous wizard. It's wish fulfillment and while the movie isn't subtle at all in making its points, it leans so hard into them that it works. It's a an enjoyable movie that manages to have a lot of fun with magic, though the logic doesn't always stand up to scrutiny.
This was the first step into a world that got much more complicated, but even alone this movie is a lot of fun.
Watch it.

Review
I was old enough to miss the Harry Potter craze. I watched this movie on a whim and soon watched all the movies that were currently out which were only four. The first movie really drilled down into what a lot of kids wish for. I know I did, I wanted more than I had, to be specifically unique and powerful. As a kid adults hold all the cards.

After the movies, I then began reading the books, jumping into this at the perfect time as I only had to wait a month to read the sixth book after finishing the fifth. I thoroughly enjoyed the books, though the movies began tapering off after the fourth.

This movie leans so hard into the tropes it comes out successful on the other side. Harry Potter is the adopted son of the Dursley's and the regularly mistreat him. Harry's room is the tiny space under the stairs. He gets no new clothes or toys while Dudley Dursley gets everything he desires yet is never happy.

"You're a wizard Harry!"

This all changes when Harry turns eleven. Harry discovers he's a wizard, a very special wizard that survived an attack by the most evil wizard Voldemort. Voldemort is so evil no one dares speak his mind. It's a plot that's brilliant in its simplicity.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardy

Harry is enrolled at Hogwarts, a school for wizards, despite the Dursley's being against the idea and admitting they knew he had magic powers all along and never telling him.

Harry is instantly special and popular, two things he wasn't before. He's also good at Quidditch, a wizard sport played on brooms. He befriends Ron and Hermoine.

Hogwarts is a giant magical fun house to a degree. It's divided into dorms or houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The houses seems a bit overly simplistic with one house basically comprised of villains or at least villain hopefuls. Harry's nemesis Draco is a Slytherin.

There isn't much subtlety to this, but it's that fantasy wish fulfillment that charms. A lot of people wished for special powers or unique abilities as a kid.
Harry is the hero of this story, saving the wizard world from the evils of Voldemort. No adult could do such a thing.

Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.

The magic can be fun, though there are some holes in the logic. People on the train station aren't startled when kids disappear into a wall? While the later movies show how magic makes life easier for wizards, there's a lot that isn't easier in this movie. Maybe that's to make the kids appreciate the hard way, but I'd guess it's more spectacle than not. I don't blame the movie or book for having fun with magic and creating some big set pieces.

It's best to enjoy this purely as a kid's movie though it could be a bit more kid friendly.