n the small suburban Sussex house on Privet Lane, young orphan Harry Potter (Radcliffe) dwells in the cupboard under the stairs belonging to his nasty relatives, the Dursleys. Harry is more like a houseboy than a nephew and cousin—at least, until he receives a mysterious letter from an owl.
Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths) tries to destroy the letters and goes so far as to take his family to a far-off island. But it’s not far enough to evade Hagrid (Coltrane)—an enormous, bearded giant of a man who brings Harry a cake on his 11th birthday, as well as some shocking news: Harry is a wizard, descended from wizards, and he has been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After gathering supplies—a wand, a robe, an owl—Harry boards the red-and-black Hogwarts Express train on Platform 9 3/4 in London’s Kings Cross station. He meets his new classmates, spunky Hermione Granger (Watson) and eager Ron Weasley (Grint). Upon arrival at the massive country castle that is Hogwarts, the three find themselves assigned by the Sorting Hat into Gryffindor, one of four houses. They also meet the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris), who informs Harry that he is special.
Hogwarts is full of wonders: ghosts who roam the halls, a three-headed dog named Fluffy, a mirror that reveals your deepest desires, and a game called quidditch, played on flying broomsticks.
Only later does Harry learn why he is famous. An evil wizard, Voldemort, killed his parents, but failed to kill infant Harry, leaving only a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. "You’re the boy who lived," Hagrid tells Harry. With his new friends Hermione and Ron, Harry uncovers the mystery of his past and embarks on a path that will fulfill his destiny.
Columbus conjures a potent spell
Only moviegoers who have recently awakened from a coma won't recognize the story of the English boy wizard and his friends, and Harry Potter is perhaps he most eagerly anticipated movie since Star Wars: Episode I. In an epic two-and-a-half-hour film, Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire) finally brings to cinematic life the first of J.K. Rowling’s beloved children’s novels.
From the outset, Columbus and producer David Heyman worked closely with Rowling to ensure that millions of Potter fans around the world would not be disappointed by the movie version of her story, vowing to remain utterly true to a book that many know by heart. It’s safe to say that fans will be delighted with the result.
Harry Potter is one of the most faithful translations of book to celluloid ever. Columbus and writer Kloves have shifted some events, deleted others and changed a few details here and there, all with Rowling’s approval. But the look, spirit and heart of the movie are every bit Harry Potter.
Columbus—abetted by cinematographer John Seale, Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig and costume designer Judianna Makovsky—has conjured up the world of Harry Potter in three dimensions. The film’s England, like Rowling’s, is mythical—green hills, cobblestone back alleys and pubs right out of Dickens. Similarly, the movie’s Hogwarts is all medieval turrets, unicorn tapestries and cloisters, fluttering banners and misty forests.
Though the movie contains more than 700 visual-effects sequences—highlighted by a thrilling airborne quidditch match—the real soul of Harry Potter is its three charming stars, two of whom (Watson and Grint) have never acted in a feature film. It is to Columbus’ credit that he has elicited perfectly natural, yet focused, performances from the three child actors. Radcliffe, especially, not only looks the part, he also embodies Harry Potter’s sweetness, vulnerability and strength all at once.
The kids are aided—but not overshadowed—by a top-drawer cast of veteran British thespians, including Harris, Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall), Alan Rickman (Prof. Snape) and John Hurt (Ollivander).
Importantly, Columbus—who has come under fire recently for overly sentimental movies like Bicentennial Man—doesn’t shy away this time around from the book’s darkness, an essential element in this modern myth.
