First Things First…
I saw this movie in the theater with all my siblings as soon as it opened. It was probably the most excited I had ever been for a movie to open, at least until The Dark Knight came out. But I believed there was a chance it was going to be garbage.
I was excited again coming into this viewing. I’ve seen this the most of all the movies in the series — partly because it’s first and partly because the few scenes set at Christmastime always put me in the mood to watch it before Christmas.
8 Things I Like
8. John Williams Does It Again
Considering the sheer number of iconic scores he’s done, this probably isn’t anywhere near the top.
But it’s still awesome.
There’s mystery and magic when dealing with this new world Harry is entering. There’s sadness when dealing with Harry’s parents. There’s joy and festive spirit in the Christmas scenes. There’s triumph when Harry and Gryffindor are celebrated.
Landing Williams to do this was a coup for the filmmakers.
7. Harry’s Longing for His Parents
The Mirror of Erised is one of the most memorable magical objects from the series. Seeing Harry get his first real look at his parents smiling back at him is incredibly touching. And it’s one of Daniel Radcliffe’s strongest moments.
But there’s another great scene at the end of the movie that plays into this same theme…
Harry runs to say goodbye to Hagrid before getting on the Hogwarts Express, and Hagrid gives him a photo album with a picture of him as a baby with his parents in front. Harry’s reaction shows how meaningful this gesture is to him, especially as he’s about to head back to the abusive Dursleys for the summer.
But the photo album has added significance…
Hagrid is the first magical person Harry meets…
Hagrid is the one who tells Harry he’s a wizard…
Hagrid is the one who gives him a way out of the horrible life he’s had so far…
So Hagrid is one of the most important relationships Harry has in the wizarding world.
And this scene is a nice bookend right before we part ways with Harry.
Also, after Hagrid spends most of the movie bumbling around and revealing too many secrets about the Sorcerer’s Stone, this is a nice reminder that he’s not a complete buffoon. His warmth and kindness are really his trademark characteristics.
6. Quidditch Comes to Life
We only get to see the opening match of the season between Gryffindor and Slytherin. We don’t hear about Gryffindor beating Hufflepuff or getting trounced by Ravenclaw at the end, when Harry is in the hospital wing. But the movie doesn’t suffer for it.
What’s important here is to SEE Quidditch and for Harry to get his first taste of athletic glory.
The sport really comes to life on screen. It’s hard to do justice to the action of any sport strictly through the written word. But watching game action makes it clearer than the books ever could why the magical world is obsessed with Quidditch.
5. Gryffindor Wins!
I have one major problem with this scene that I’ll get to later. But that’s really the result of changes from the book that come earlier in the movie.
Otherwise, this scene is so emotionally uplifting. And though I’ve always wished the first-years were a little older, this is one time where having the three stars so young comes off well.
It’s also an example of why I love Richard Harris as Dumbledore so much. I love the proud, grandfatherly way he awards points to the kids. Not to mention how happy he is to get the House Cup away from Slytherin.
4. Emma Takes the Early Lead
Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint totally look their parts, too. But Emma Watson takes the early lead as best performer of the three.
It’s tough to build a movie — especially a blockbuster franchise — around kids who have barely acted before. And Watson isn’t perfect here, either. But she’s clearly on her way.
When Hermione meets Harry and Ron for the first time aboard the Hogwarts Express, and she shows off her spell, criticizes Ron’s spell trying to turn Scabbers yellow, and points out the dirt on Ron’s nose …
When she criticizes Ron’s enunciation and his ridiculous “swish and flick” attempts during Professor Flitwick’s lesson …
And when she delivers her infamous “… before you get us killed — or worse, expelled” line all show that she nailed Hermione’s attitude right from the start.
But it’s not just her bossiness and smugness.
Watson is also good at conveying Hermione’s warmth and friendship. Especially on their way to get the Stone, when she says, “you’re a great wizard, Harry,” and “Books, and cleverness. There are more important things, like friendship and bravery.”
Those lines are right out of the book, and she delivers them perfectly.
3. Entryway to Magic
This is our — and Harry’s — true introduction into the wizarding world, and it’s just as magical in the movie as it is in the book. Some of the shops and scenes are cut, but we still get the two most important — Gringotts and Ollivander’s.
Sadly, we don’t see much of the cart ride down to the Gringotts vaults. But we still get to see the magic of the bank, and the fearsomeness of the goblins who run it. (Well, at least the fearsomeness of Griphook. The goblin who takes Harry and Hagrid to the vaults isn’t very intimidating.)
And the scene at Ollivander’s is one of my favorites in the book and movie. I love seeing Harry try out other wands, and how they don’t work well for him. I love when the idea of trying Voldemort’s wand’s brother dawns on Mr. Ollivander. And I love his talk with Harry about expecting great things, just like Voldemort accomplished great things.
2. Something Strange Is Happening in Mugglesville
The juxtaposition of witches and wizards doing magic in this pleasant Muggle suburb is tremendous.
You’ve got Dumbledore decked out in his wizard’s robes and hat, using his Put-Outer to magically turn out the street lamps…
McGonagall transforms from her cat form back into a fully grown witch…
And Hagrid FLIES in on a motorcycle.
These three are 100% out of place on Privet Drive.
It’s jarring in a way the book can’t achieve quite as well, because seeing this bizarre scene play out in such an uncomfortably normal neighborhood is just … well, bizarre.
1. A “Who’s Who” of British Acting Royalty
So many of the adults in this movie are cast brilliantly (with one notable exception).
Richard Harris IS Dumbledore.
Alan Rickman is not at all what I had pictured for Snape, but he probably should have been.
Maggie Smith is perfect as McGonagall… Robbie Coltrane crushes it as Hagrid… even Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw as the Dursleys are incredible. Much as their parts aren’t my favorites, they’re so detestable that you can’t help but feel for Harry right from the start.
1 Thing I’m Mixed About
1. Time Drags with the Dursleys
Like I just mentioned, the actors playing the Dursleys are great. But it’s hard not to want to just get to the magic and see all the fun stuff that happens at Hogwarts. That makes this early part of the movie drag a little, even though it’s vital to Harry’s story and background.
8 Things I Don’t Like
8. “Dark”
This is a total nitpick that has no bearing on the story — but why on earth did they change the name from Forbidden Forest to Dark Forest? Forbidden is a much more powerful word, and the name was already in place.
7. WTF, Draco?
Even though Harry, Ron, and Hermione use the Invisibility Cloak when they go to Hagrid’s hut to question him about the Sorcerer’s Stone, they don’t make a big deal out of the fact that they’re sneaking out of the castle after dark. And they have no idea he has a dragon egg until he lets them in.
So why does Malfoy follow them?
He hadn’t overheard anything incriminating, like in the book. So there’s no reason for him to be there.
This is a poorly done scene with less drama than in the book, when they get caught out of bed after sneaking Norbert up to the astronomy tower.
6. A Lacking Explanation
As much as I love this scene between Harry and Dumbledore at the end, Dumbledore’s explanation is lacking.
The idea that love is the reason why a dark wizard can’t hurt this boy is already dangerously close to sounding cheesy.
But at least in the book, there’s logic to back it up. Not just any love would provide this protection, but only love born from someone sacrificing their life for another, like Lily did for Harry.
But here, Dumbledore doesn’t fully get into that explanation. And even when he tells Harry that love is what saved him, he doesn’t say that’s why he survived Voldemort’s attack as a baby. He’s only talking about why Quirrell couldn’t touch him.
This concept is so fundamental to the story going forward. And all it would’ve taken is a couple of extra lines to fully explain it.
5. Where Are the Potions?
Building to the climax, where the kids have to get through the protections guarding the Stone, is already long. I get that they had to cut some stuff.
But it was important to keep Snape’s potions protection. Right until Harry makes it through the last protection and discovers Quirrell with the Mirror, they all still believe Snape is the one trying to steal the Stone. And Hagrid had told them that Snape is one of the teachers tasked with protecting the Stone.
Maybe they felt it was unnecessary because they never say which teachers are responsible for each protection — Professor Sprout isn’t even in the movie, so they never say she’s responsible for the Devil’s Snare, or that Flitwick charmed the keys, or that McGonagall transfigured the chess board. But including the potions from the book would’ve been clear to any viewer that it was Snape’s contribution — and it’s the most important one since it’s the only one (besides Fluffy) that’s actually a plot point.
4. You-Know-Who? Oh, You Mean VOLDEMORT
This just feels like lazy writing. There are still scenes where people refer to him as “You-Know-Who,” or “He who must not be named,” like Hagrid and Mr. Ollivander. But there are other scenes where people use it. Most glaring is when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are strategizing in the Gryffindor common room, and Hermione uses Voldemort’s name.
The fact that they don’t make such a big deal about it means they don’t give Dumbledore his great line at the end where he tells Harry to call him Voldemort and says, “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.” And it also steals some of the dread from the story, and from these people’s lives. Refusing to say his name is an acknowledgment of their fear that he might come back someday.
3. A Rough Start
Like I said earlier, Emma Watson as Hermione is clearly the best of the kid actors. Tom Felton as Draco isn’t bad, either. But the rest are pretty rough. And it’s just one of those things you have to live with when you’re telling a story that revolves around this many pre-teens. The best you can hope for, since this is a long series, is that they’ll grow into their roles.
Also, Professor Quirrell is almost unbearable. The fake stutter I can deal with. But after the big Voldemort reveal, some of his delivery is just dreadful. “Come here, Potter!” and everything else he yells (or spits) just isn’t good.
2. “Not Slytherin”
Harry desperately wanting to avoid being Sorted into Slytherin is a crucial part of the plot. But in the book, Hagrid explains to him the day they go to Diagon Alley that all the dark witches and wizards came out of Slytherin. Harry has a whole month to ponder it.
In the movie, Ron gives him this info about two seconds before he gets Sorted. I don’t buy that he’d be so adamant about this when he literally just found out what Slytherin is. And that it’s coming from Ron, who’s just a kid and is going on hearsay, rather than from Hagrid.
1. Neville’s Courage
In the book, it makes sense that Neville stands up to the trio and tries to stop them from leaving after hours because he’s been personally affected. He had gotten detention earlier in the book for leaving the common room himself to try to warn them that Malfoy is going to try to get them in trouble. And for his trouble, he also wound up with detention and had to go into the forest.
Here, they swap Neville out for Ron. So he’s never personally affected. He doesn’t get detention and doesn’t go into the forest.
This makes the fact that Neville gets to play the hero and earn the winning 10 points for Gryffindor seem to come out of nowhere.
It’s hard to put myself in the position of a non-book reader. But I feel like if I hadn’t read the book and I saw this, I’d really be wondering why Neville is given such an important part at the end — not only why they let him get those winning points and be the hero, but why he even stands up to them in the first place.
Final Thoughts
This is largely a faithful adaptation of the book. But some of the changes they made seem small on the surface but actually have huge implications in the story making — or not making — sense.
It can also be a tough watch if you get hung up on the fact that the kids are all new actors, so sometimes they’re pretty rough.
That said, it has brought the magic of the story to life for me ever since the first time I watched it, so I’ll continue to revisit it.
Tim Matassa
