"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone": Sparked a Transformative Series

This series ranks among the top two fantasy movie franchises of all time. I'm not here to argue whether the books or movies are superior because both are top tier, so let's be happy that we have both! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) jettisoned an amazing 10 years of cinema. Read here for the review! Spoilers will follow...

We all know the story. A young Harry Potter lost his parents as a baby to Lord Voldemort. He has been with his Aunt and Uncle ever since but never quite fit in with anybody. Upon his 11th birthday, he is told he's a wizard!

This film spearheaded the franchise. Many things had to be accomplished precisely for successful films. We all know there are numerous movie adaptations that are horrid. The producers, director, and actors had to be near perfect. Most of all are the main three... Harry, Ron, and Hermione. You had to hope that these child actors would continue to grow and be the right choices. I can confidently say yes they were. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are great in this movie, and they only get better.

It must have been a strange childhood growing up making these movies. Other notable performances include Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and Dumbledore (Richard Harris)

The next most important aspect is the creation of the world. The Oscar-nominated sets are everything. From platform 9 3/4 to Diagon alley to Hogwarts castle is crucial. I have been to Universal Orlando and walked Diagon alley there. It is simply amazing, and I hope every fan gets there chance. To me, the castle is trans-formative especially the dining hall. You can see yourself roaming the halls wearing the robes. The strong source material helps with having the classes and houses. Personally, I (Brady) am a Ravenclaw after taking many tests. Other things including Quidditch is enthralling. People have made rec leagues of this to face each other, so yes they run around with broomsticks.

With help from J.K. Rowling, director Chris Columbus navigates the script beautifully laying the blueprint for future installments. I really enjoy the house sorting hat scene myself. Also, the theme music is fantastic and now iconic from John Williams (listen here).

The movie received Oscar nominations and critical acclaim, but I'm not sure anyone knew what this series was going to really become (seriously, 81% from critics and 82% from the audience is much too low). The books weren't finished yet, so we didn't know the complete ending. Every fan was about to go for a wild ride. We all know the Harry Potter people who "are a little too into it". You might say I'm crazy, so maybe you're one of them!

There are only a couple of small issues to me. One is the CGI. I fully understand that this is 2001, but I think some other movies during this time were better. The only story issue to me is Ron could have jumped off the knight chess piece. He didn't need to almost die there. You may say he was the knight, so he had to stay. However, why were two other pieces missing? Did they expect three people to come down there? It doesn't make much sense.

Overall, it's a great film I've seen multiple times, and I will continue to do just that. It's a cinematic lover dream purely for looks alone. Look for our next Harry Potter review. My movie rating is A-.