With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald coming out this November, I figured this was as good a time as any to revisit the Harry Potter films. And it’s the 20th anniversary of the release of Sorcerer’s Stone the book, so even more reason. I’ll be looking at the original eight one at a time, before finishing with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. These won’t be regular reviews per se, but more of a review/reflection combination.
The review and subsequent rating will be based on the movie by itself; I won’t take into account how it compares to or differs from the accompanying book. But if there are notable people, scenes, etc. left out of the movie, I might make mention of those as more of something that I wish had been included simply due to my personal opinions.
And in the spirit of honesty, these look-backs won’t necessarily have the same structure. Some might be long and in-depth. Others might be shorter and more light-hearted. Whatever I feel the day(s) I’m writing will be what comes out. Should make it fun. Keep it spicy, I like to say.
I don’t have any sort of release schedule planned for these. Just know that I will be done before Crimes of Grindelwald is released on November 16. These are also not in conjunction with Chris’s revisiting of the Harry Potter book series (as of this blog being published, he has written about Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets).
Rest of the movies
Chamber of Secrets
Prisoner of Azkaban
Goblet of Fire
Order of the Phoenix
Half-Blood Prince
Deathly Hallows Part 1
Deathly Hallows Part 2
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
*It shouldn’t be necessary given how long the movies have been out, but these will contain spoilers.*
The Sorcerer’s Stone, the one that started it all. Released in 2001, three years after the book, Sorcerer’s Stone was an instant, and massive, hit. Fans and critics alike loved it. And I’ll be the first to admit that I will always have a soft spot for these movies. I pretty much grew up with them. I was 11 when Sorcerer’s Stone came out (the same age as the first year Hogwarts students). And I’m within two years of age of the three main actors. Combine that with how much I already love the books and movies, there’s a certain kind of connection you feel to this type of movie series. And luckily enough, the movies are great.
When you’re dealing with a movie series, there is tons of pressure on the first entry. And when that first entry is an adaptation of one of the most popular books ever? That pressure grows exponentially. Thankfully, Sorcerer’s Stone is an excellent beginning to the iconic series. Sure, it has its problems of course. But for the most part, it knocks it out of the park. Director Chris Columbus had the unenviable task of making a movie that could stand on its own while also setting up the larger story at hand. Yes, it’s true each subsequent movie had to do the same. But again, I go back to the fact that Sorcerer’s Stone was the first. It was really setting the tone for what was to come. And set the tone it did.
We were given an excellent start on the character development for many of the major characters. A movie series can’t hope to retain its fans if they don’t care about the main characters. And to care about them, the characters need a story that will draw the audience in. And Sorcerer’s Stone was able to effectively lay the groundwork for Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s respective stories. There were other characters as well that were touched on, of course. But with those three being the main characters, it was more important to get the audience familiar with them than the other characters. But this series is so character-rich, that some of the others did have to have their respective screen time as well. Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Hagrid, among others all received adequate introductions here.
While the characters are great, what really drew me in — and what keeps me coming back — is the story. I love it. Love it love it love it. At its very basic level, it’s nothing more than a classic good vs. evil story. But the route the movies take to get there is just so engaging. What’s even more impressive is that each movie’s individual plot is good too, while also properly moving the larger story along as well. When Harry Potter came into our lives, I had never known anything like it.
Overall, for a beginning entry, there actually aren’t too many specifics to touch on. Not to beat this point to death, but it did a great job of what it was supposed to do: give the audience a solid introduction to the characters, introduce the larger story and give a hint or two to the end game, and give a peak into J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world.
Nitpicky Problems
Because this can’t just be a gush-fest, there are some things that really start to stick out over time.
- The Hogwarts letters
Harry, bro, come on! You need to do better than that. Yeah, I know he eventually grabbed one, but then he was still so stupid about it. He runs into the cupboard under the stairs, of all places. Even if he gets in without Vernon catching him, there’s nothing keeping him out. He’s gotta grab that letter and sprint outside and just keep running.
- Harry straight up murders Quirrell
People forget this. Harry, an 11 year old boy, brutally murders this man, and nothing ever comes from this. Nothing at all. - Seriously, how dumb is quidditch?
I mean this from a logical, how-it-works-as-a-sport standpoint. Yes, the quidditch scenes are typically great and are a ton of fun. But think about quidditch as a game; it makes no sense. If there’s one thing J.K. Rowling is terrible at, it’s inventing games for the HP universe (this will certainly be touched on again for Goblet of Fire). The scoring is as dumb as it gets. We can all agree on that, right? Each goal is worth 10 points, but catching the Golden Snitch is a game-ending 150 points? Why would a Seeker ever catch the Snitch if it wasn’t going to give his team the win? (Looking at you here, Krum). It’s frustrating how terrible it is.
Elements of the book I wished made it into the movie
- Peeves
I understand why Peeves wasn’t included in the movie, and I’m okay with it from a practical standpoint. But he could have provided so much comic relief. And not just in Sorcerer’s Stone either; he had some great moments later on in the book series too. - Fred and George throwing snowballs at Quirrell
This quite possibly could have stood the test of time and ended up being the best scene in the entire series. It would have been so easy too! It wouldn’t have even had to focus on this part. Fred and George could have just been seen doing this in the background of any outdoor shot.
- Snape’s riddle
Like Peeves, I get why it may not have been included in the movie. It wouldn’t have exactly been visually thrilling. Still though, it was an awesome part of the book that would have been fun to see.
Wizard People, Dear Reader
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the greatest YouTube videos to ever exist: Wizard People, Dear Reader. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s in the same vein as the Bad Lip Reading videos. Some dude (a genius named Brad Neely) talks over the entire movie, providing his own unique narrative. It’s absolutely glorious. There are 14 videos so I won’t be posting them individually, but you can find them in a playlist here. Yes, it’s the length of the full movie, but it is well worth it. You won’t be disappointed.
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