(2001) 4 Derek Armstrong For all but the most nitpicking Potterphiles out there, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is nothing less than the perfect visual incarnation of J.K. Rowling's world of swooping owls and flying broomsticks. However, it's never precisely more than that, either; the very act of giving image and voice to these rich literary precepts places them in a realm inevitably less magical than the imagination. Still, it's hard to picture a more essentially faithful adaptation of Rowling's tone and story, which weighs in at a hefty two and a half hours despite streamlining some of the more vestigial elements of a quick 300-page read. Steve Kloves' adaptation of the wildly popular bestseller lingers less on some of the episodic Hogwarts' adventures, only briefly touching on such red herring plot points as the wise centaur and Hagrid's dragon. The eye-popping visuals have numerous other opportunities to shine, chief among them the grippingly rendered Quidditch match, in which players on broomsticks zoom and jockey like the speeder bikes of Endor in Return of the Jedi. It's no surprise that Harry Potter should occasionally invoke a Star Wars movie, since its hero is an orphaned boy who yearns for a destiny beyond what his aunt and uncle can provide, and who possesses unparalleled mystical powers that the dark side seeks to corrupt. The landscape Chris Columbus and cinematographer John Seale have created -- with its levitating banquet hall decorations, animated games of wizard chess, ominous trolls, and three-headed dogs -- is of equal vividness and complexity as that galaxy far, far away, and it should make just as much if not more money. Besides the film's many technical achievements, the actors really deliver, well beyond the who's who of British thespians who comprise the Hogwarts' teachers. Daniel Radcliffe has the look and reluctant heroism of Harry down perfectly, if a little too languidly; he's bested by Emma Watson's deliciously petulant and precocious Hermione, as well as the masterful line deliveries and comic timing of Rupert Grint as Ron.

cast-crew for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on AllMovie

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

rate it

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

editor rating

user rating

mpaa rating

flags

Excellent For Children
Mild Violence
Scary Moments

genres

sub-genres

category

Feature

alternate title

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

directed by

Chris Columbus

countries

UK, USA

release date

November 16, 2001 (USA)

run time

142 min.

produced by

1492 Pictures, Heyday Films

released by

Warner Brothers

Submit corrections

cast

Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter

Emma Watson: Hermione Granger

Rupert Grint: Ron Weasley

Maggie Smith: Minerva McGonagall

Robbie Coltrane: Hagrid

Alan Rickman: Severus Snape

Richard Harris: Albus Dumbledore

Ian Hart: Professor Quirrell

John Hurt: Mr. Ollivander

Warwick Davis: Professor Flitwick, Goblin Bank Teller

Fiona Shaw: Petunia Dursley

John Cleese: Nearly Headless Nick

Julie Walters: Mrs. Weasley

Sean Biggerstaff: Oliver Wood

Zoë Wanamaker: Madame Hooch

Tom Felton: Draco Malfoy

Harry Melling: Dudley Dursley

Matthew Lewis: Neville Longbottom

Bonnie Wright: Ginny Weasley

David Bradley: Argus Filch

crew

Chris Columbus: Director, Executive Producer
David Heyman: Producer
J.K. Rowling: Book Author
Steve Kloves: Screenwriter
John Seale: Cinematographer
John Williams: Composer (Music Score)
Richard Francis-Bruce: Editor
Stuart Craig: Production Designer
Andrew Ackland-Snow: Art Director
John King: Supervising Art Director
Lucinda Thompson: Art Director
Michael Lamont: Art Director
Neil Lamont: Supervising Art Director
Peter Francis: Art Director
Simon Lamont: Art Director
Steve Lawrence: Art Director
Tanya Seghatchian: Co-producer
Paula DuPre Pesman: Associate Producer
Todd Arnow: Associate Producer
Duncan Henderson: Executive Producer
Mark A. Radcliffe: Executive Producer
Michael Barnathan: Executive Producer
Michael Boone: Set Designer
Patricia Johnson: Set Designer
Peter Dorme: Set Designer
Rosie Hardwick: Set Designer
Sarah "Toad" Tozer: Set Designer
Judianna Makovsky: Costume Designer
Stephenie McMillan: Set Decorator
John Midgley: Sound/Sound Designer
Chris Carreras: First Assistant Director
Jane Jenkins: Casting
Janet Hirshenson: Casting
Susie Figgis: Casting
Clare Le Vesconte: Makeup
David R. Ellis: Second Unit Director
Gavin Finney: Additional Cinematography
Greg Powell: Stunts Coordinator
John Richardson: Special Effects Supervisor
Nick Dudman: Makeup Special Effects
Rob Legato: Visual Effects Supervisor, Second Unit Director