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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Widescreen Edition)
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Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Find all by Warner Home Video
Directed By: Chris Columbus
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Theatrical Release: November 16, 2001
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $14.97
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Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane
In this enchanting film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's delightful bestseller Harry Potter learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned first son of two powerful wizards and possesses magical powers of his own. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. He learns the high-flying sport Quidditch and plays a thrilling game with living chess pieces on his way to face a Dark Wizard bent on destroying him. For the most extraordinary adventure see you on platform nine and three quarters!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/FANTASY UPC: 085391173618 Manufacturer No: 1000026104
User Submitted Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Widescreen Edition) Reviews
October 1, 2008
Boring - Boring - Boring - Can you say really
If you're not a kid and/or didn't read the book.....run as far away from this drivel as you can. It is so contrived and boring and long and sad........I know it is hugely popular...but I fell asleep several times as the dialog went on and on in the most ridiculous directions! Just pure nothing this film. Boring, Boring, Boring............although my kids loved it...they really do love the book and this film - so I have to add that to this review. It just was definitely not my kind of film.......The Lord of the Rings, though........that's another story! That's what you should go see if you like fantasy films and are older than 9!
September 25, 2008
Good enough
This movie captures the magic of Harry Potter enough to be a great movie. Third best movie in my opinion.
September 14, 2008
Enjoyable fun for everyone
Even though I had so many good things about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone I had my resverations about it. I bought the DVD when it was first released and never got around to watching it so when it came on a HBO Saturday night I watched it and I enjoyed the film. Chris Columbous has made his best film since the oringial Home Alone, a film that everyone can enjoy. The film is great on the acting and the special effects. The Quigwich match was really exicting and I've looked forward to all the Harry Potter films ever since.
September 9, 2008
Sucked in by my teen age daughter.
My daughter got me to watch this when it first came out. Now Im hooked on it worse than she is. I have all the Harry Potter movies on BLU-RAY. I am such a big kid. The details on blue-ray are spectular. Wonderful addition to my movie collection.
August 30, 2008
Collectable Movie
When you compare part 2 or part 3...... Part 1 is always the best.
August 24, 2008
A MARVELOUS BEGINNING
For a lot of reasons, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is probably a tempting movie to criticize. After all, there is almost nothing a critic hates more than a film that is practically - baring some unforgivable act of gross incompetence - a guaranteed success, despite anything he or she might happen to write about it.
At any rate, while some may quibble with the notion that Sorcerer's Stone is too much like the book that inspired it, the upside for moviegoers is that neither Rowling nor director Christopher Columbus have forgotten the film's primary audience: young readers between the ages of 12 - 16. For those whose parents read the book to them, the age may actually drop a bit below that.
For the most part, as every parent knows, it is an audience frequently patronized with the worst sort of infantile pap imaginable, sometimes inundated with coarse language and gratuitous violence, or simply ignored altogether. Columbus, to his credit, does none of the above. In remaining true to his audience, Columbus has, in fact, delivered a film for all of us.
It is obvious Columbus knows, for instance, that a young audience wants to see on the screen what it read in the book. In pursuit of this goal, Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves have fashioned characters and settings true to the letter and the spirit of the novel. The characters, especially, strike just the right chord of familiarity. Certainly, we all know that familiarity can wander over the line into disinterested comfort. Remarkably, the characters in Sorcerer's Stone never do. Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid, for instance, looks just as we expect him to. More important, he radiates a warmth and trust that serves as a secure anchor in those moments when events seem to be spinning out of control. As good as Hagrid is in the book, Coltrane's Hagrid is more vivid on the screen.
Which brings us to the performance of Daniel Radcliffe in the role of Harry Potter. At first glance, Radcliffe seems reticent and withdrawn, hidden behind a gauze curtain, an uncertain hero. Yet we cannot forget that Harry Potter is an eleven year-old orphan whose parents have been murdered. He is a foundling whose caretakers resent his existence and actively disapprove of everything he is and, worse, in their own eyes, everything he will become. He is forced to sleep in a closet under the stairs and absorb a constant stream of verbal and physical abuse from his malevolent aunt and uncle and their overindulged son, Dudley.
Yes, of course Harry is withdrawn. Small wonder. Or, as my daughter would say, "Duh!"
In fact, Radcliffe's performance is entirely consistent with Harry's history and upbringing, and Columbus has wisely ensured that, as the chronicle of films progresses, the character of Harry has somewhere to go. There are, after all, six movies still to come. Columbus has clearly determined that, unlike some other celluloid heroes of recent memory (Indiana Jones springs to mind), the character of Harry Potter should have some room to develop, otherwise both the young wizard and his friends would grow quickly stagnant.
Another notable attribute of the film is that the atmosphere and setting, through the more subtle elements of special effects, are beautifully realized. As the first-years are journeying across the lake, their - and our - first view of Hogwarts Castle is absolutely breathtaking, a spectacular, gothic memory from a medieval dream. Inside the castle are stairways that move, pictures that talk and go about their daily routines, and a splendid dining hall that evokes the grandeur of a cathedral. When the Sorting Hat pronounces "GRIFFINDORE" on this opulent stage, Harry's adventures officially begin.
Yes, the adventure has its obvious, special effects masterpieces. The Quidditch match is a high-flying, fast-paced extravaganza of soccer, polo, and basketball on broomsticks. The chess match is the high point of the film. At the same time, there are special effects so well done that they don't draw attention to themselves. The messenger owls flying gracefully into the dining hall to deliver envelopes and parcels is a brief, finely structured, aerial ballet that is easy to take for granted because we are momentarily suspended in the world of Hogwarts and have willingly cast aside our powers of disbelief. When Hedwig flies above Hogwarts Castle, our spirits and our sense of wonder soar with him. It is an impressive accomplishment.
Because it is true to itself and never panders to its audience, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is both exciting and entertaining, an escape to a world where magical things can still happen. It is, in short, a film for the child in all of us.
July 12, 2008
Blu-Ray version. Cut to bits...
I thought that if I bought the Blu-Ray version that it would be better than the regular DVD and, since my old DVD disappeared, I ordered this. Anyway, I was very wrong. I noticed several scenes that were missing or truncated, even from the short bit of the movie that I watched on TV a few days ago. They are in the "extras", but I expected a bit more. Some scenes also looked a bit grainy on my HDTV. I am disappointed.
June 23, 2008
Sorcerer's Stone is a classic
HP and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first and best! We learn about the boy, Harry, and his history living amongst muggles. The magic in this movie is all the wonderful cgi effects, and I prefer this actor's Dumbledore to his replacement (yes, I know the original actor passed away). THE HD DVD video has amazing clarity. I can watch this movie again and again!
June 23, 2008
Classic Movie from the Present
Loved the book so I had to watch the movie over again. All the magic starts here and it's just the beginning to a whole new experience if you intend to see all the sequels that follow.
June 19, 2008
Very faithful to the novel.
I wasn't expecting much from Hollyweird considering their track record on making books into movies.
I walked away VERY impressed.
A very faithful adaptation.
Nothing major is left out and all the characters are perfectly cast.
My favorite?
Alan Rickman as Snape.
Could he be any more perfect? No.
A must see for all Potter and non Potter fans alike.
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