Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

There are so many aspects of this film that are worth looking at! I must admit to a strong bias, however, as this was the movie that propelled me into my 12-year-still-going-strong-love-affair with Harry Potter.

During this viewing of Sorcerer's Stone, several things stood out to me.

The first was the music. The magical world of the Harry Potter movies has no equal in recognition, and that is, in many ways, thanks to John Williams' original score. Every setting and scene has a particular sound; one that sticks in the viewer's head for days after hearing it. Music is so important to the film, however, that it can sometimes seem a bit overbearing. There were a few scenes, like the incessant score throughout the montage where the Dursleys attempt to keep Harry from his letter, where the music is a tad distracting. However, I suppose that lends itself well to the spirit of the film, where emotions are felt deeply and widely by a host of characters who experience new and overwhelming things. An effective movie score will take the audience through a range of emotions effortlessly, and that is what Williams' music accomplishes.

Secondly, I observed the brilliant casting for the movie. A cast so rich with British acting royalty shows an enthusiasm and belief in the project and the story. Not only were the roles perfectly cast, some of the best being Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall and Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley, but longevity was expected from each actor, especially the 11 year-olds they cast in the three main roles. This was an important and refreshing move, since, though not all of Rowling's books were released at the time of the making of the film, it was clear that this project would endure through the successive volumes of Harry's story, and the first film did well to set that goal up.

Thirdly, though I am not usually one to expect or even enjoy an adapted movie that is made to be exactly like the book (film and print are two very different mediums that one should not expect to mirror each other in every aspect), I did respect the way that Sorcerer's Stone held true to not only the spirit of Rowling's first novel, but maintained some of its most memorable quotes as well. I must admit that I saw the movie in theaters in second grade before I voraciously gobbled up the book, but the speed and hunger with which I read was attributable to the closeness of the screenplay with some of the best moments of the book. For instance, who can forget Hermione's exasperated admonition: "Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going back to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed, or worse...expelled!" Or Snape's opening monologue on the first day of potions class? Those are taken from the book verbatim, and go a long way in both linking love for the movie with the book, and making the screenplay unforgettable.