movie review essay spm harry potter

• Read and write
• Reading practice
• Level 3 reading

Harry Potter film review

Have you seen any of the Harry Potter films? Practise your reading in English with this film review.

Do the preparation exercise first. Then read the text and do the other exercises.

Preparation

Film review: the harry potter film series.

The Harry Potter film series is famous all over the world and is loved by children, teenagers and adults. It's based on the books by JK Rowling. The first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , was released in 2001. The whole series consists of eight fantasy films. In each film the main character, Harry, is played by Daniel Radcliffe.

The story begins when 11-year-old orphan Harry discovers that his parents were wizards and he starts his education in magic at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There he makes two close friends, Ron and Hermione, who share his adventures.

Each film ends dramatically, often with a battle between Harry and his worst enemy, the evil wizard Lord Voldemort.

The characters

As well as Harry, Ron and Hermione, there's a huge variety of characters, including students, professors, dark wizards, ghosts and fantasy creatures. Non-magic people are called Muggles. The cast is excellent. The acting's outstanding, and even the strangest of characters are totally believable.

The setting

The films are mainly set in Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is in an ancient castle. There are moving staircases, portraits which can talk and move, and a dark forest where strange and dangerous creatures live.

The special effects

The special effects are amazing and make magic seem completely possible! The wizards' favourite sport, Quidditch, is played on broomsticks. Different techniques were used to create the effects that make the actors look as if they're flying.

Critic's opinion

The films are imaginative, funny, frightening and, of course, magical! What makes them so successful is that they combine action, fantasy and friendship.

If you like adventure and magic, you'll love the Harry Potter films!

Do you like the Harry Potter films? What other films do you like? Tell us about them!

I am a fan of Harry Potter. My favorite part is 6.

• Log in or register to post comments

Harry Potter is a great movie

English courses for children aged 6-17

Sign up to our newsletter for free learning tips and resources

We will process your data to send you our newsletter and updates based on your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of every email. Read our privacy policy for more information.

• Owl Post / The Quibbler

Harry Potter: A Film Analysis

by MuggleNet · Published March 6, 2012 · Updated March 9, 2023

by Jeffery Tucker

Abstract: I wrote an essay on the “Harry Potter” film series after seeing “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.”

The Harry Potter film series will soon come to an end and what better way to acknowledge that than by analyzing the series? What are the positive and negative attributes? What are the best and worst aspects? How well do the creators perform their task of keeping the audience engaged and intrigued? Read on to find out how I, a fan of no importance, answer these inquiries.

As a fan of the novels (the last five, anyway), I no longer compare the films to what author J.K. Rowling wrote because that tends to bog down legitimate criticism. This type of criticism does not consist of nitpicks and complaints on what aspects of the books should not have been excluded. It’s preferable that a critic of the films, who also happens to be a fan of their book counterparts, only discuss what’s present on the screen to prevent the discussion from becoming off-topic with irrelevancies and disappointments of inaccurate, minute details. Therefore, no comparisons to the novels will be made on my part. I also will not go into detail on the plot and story of each film as this analysis assumes that you have seen them and know the information.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

The only logical way to begin such an analysis is to start with the films that established the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the Chamber of Secrets , both directed by Christopher Columbus. I will preface the discussion of these films by stating that I loved Stone when I first saw it, but over the years began to develop a love-hate relationship. The same can be said for Chamber , but I eventually came to dislike it.

What the first entry into the film series does well is setting up and establishing the wizarding universe. The film shows us the difference between the Muggle world and the world occupied by magical beings. Harry enters the unknown and is marveled at what he is seeing and has been missing all of his life. The problem here is that that wonder, for the audience, disappears quite quickly.

The main issues with Stone (this is true for Chamber as well) are the boring visuals and the eventuality of the film losing the audience’s interest. The performances by the adult actors and the younger cast members cannot be thoroughly enjoyed when their presence is heavily accentuated and marred by a bland-looking castle with very little pop, and some of the worst visual effects from that year. As John William’s sweeping score permeates the boat ride up to Hogwarts, one cannot feel what the filmmakers intend because the experience is ruined by looking at the castle. The same feeling is replicated with each exterior shot and is experienced again, but to a lesser degree, when we view the interior. Director Christopher Columbus didn’t direct a single visually exciting shot in the film, and it’s a testament to his skills when put into the context of later directors who came to helm the series.

As for the visual effects, it’s difficult to be immersed in the world when they look quite terrible. If you compare the budget of Stone with Fellowship of the Ring (released in the same year), it’s inexcusable that the former has inferior visual effects, particularly the fight with the troll and Harry being jerked around by his seemingly possessed broom. The trend continues with the centaur Firenze, and Harry chasing flying keys to progress further into the plot with the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Stone seems to slog along after the quite-eventful Quidditch match. We see the trio struggle to put the pieces together but it just isn’t entertaining enough and it feels like your standard detective fare. There are of course some interesting moments interspersed between those scenes, like Snape’s altercation with Filch, but that doesn’t fill the void of something left to be desired: an immensely entertaining experience. Steve Kloves’ script needed to be cut down and reworked to make things more interesting.

There are of course positives, most notably everything up until where the film begins to drag, excluding the visual problems noted above. Seeing Harry learn about being a wizard and coming to the realization that he isn’t a freak is wonderful. The score is excellent and really complements the source material. Williams continues to do this with the second and third entry into the series.

For Chamber , I’m not going to delve into the visuals, as they mirror the first with the exception of superior visual effects. I will instead focus on its longevity and immensely boring nature. The film clocks in at nearly two hours and forty minutes (with credits) and you can feel every minute of it. It’s sad that everything preceding Harry’s return to Hogwarts is superior to everything taking place within it. The humor present when Harry first visits the Burrow will elicit laughs from time to time, even upon repeat viewings. The same can be said for the moments at the bookstore in Diagon Alley when the audience is treated to the first appearance of Gilderoy Lockhart.

Just like Chamber ‘s older brother, there are moments sprinkled throughout its runtime that are entertaining but do not make up for even more standard detective fare, which this time seems to go on and on. Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of Lockhart is the highlight in these moments, along with Rickman as Snape. Kloves’ script here too needed to be cut and reworked.

Overall, the first two films range from “wholly mediocre” to “an overlong chore.” Stone creates the world for the audience, and even though it has problems, you won’t be wishing for it to end. Chamber , however, makes you wonder what happened during the creating process to disengage the audience so much throughout.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

The series starts to become interesting with Prisoner of Azkaban , directed by Alfonso Cuaron. The opening scene, even with the problem of inconsistency – the “no magic outside of school” rule established in Chamber – shows that the audience is in for something different. Everything about Prisoner differs from Stone and Chamber : the direction, the cinematography, the acting, the tone, the usage of themes, the music, and even the humor.

What Prisoner excels at most is its look and Cuaron’s direction. When both are coupled, it makes for a pleasant visual experience and puts the first two films to shame. Hogwarts is no longer bland; it’s rich with shadows and actually looks like a castle. Hogwarts’ grounds have been completely redesigned and that’s for the better. Yes, it’s an inconsistency, but not a bothersome one as it improves upon Columbus’ lackluster vision. Cuaron’s stylistic choices are a welcome relief. The camera actually moves in interesting ways as opposed to the cliche movements employed in Prisoner’s predecessors. The decision to show the passing of time through seasons and how they affect the Whomping Willow, while frowned upon by many, is simply marvelous and is further evidence that there’s a lack of creative imagination in Stone and Chamber .

In regards to the acting, and this is an unpopular opinion, Michael Gambon’s portrayal as Dumbledore in Prisoner is superior to Richard Harris’. He plays calm, collective, and cool all wrapped into one, and you don’t have to listen to a grasping voice hoping to be able to discern what’s being spoken. Gary Oldman’s performance as Sirius Black never fails to disappoint.

Unfortunately, all of this glowing praise for Prisoner must come to a halt as there are problems with the film. The humor is unfunny and the slapstick portions are quite grating. The repetitious nature of the humor during the Knight Bus scene is just as annoying as it is ridiculous. Another problem presents itself with the Time Turner sequences. Time travel by definition is ridiculous in every sense of the word and it’s rarely well done on screen, but the scenes in Prisoner are great upon first viewing. Sadly, they seem to drag with each subsequent viewing because you are going through scenes that have already taken place earlier in the film, although from a different point of view. Another fault lies in the visual effects and how Buckbeak simply looks unreal. The entire rendering looks soft and the lighting is completely off, giving the feathers on the hippogriff an unnatural, and wholly unrealistic look.

The final complaint I have saved for last and it’s a fault against Daniel Radcliffe and the director. It’s simply unbearable when Harry, crying, screams that Sirius Black “was [his parent’s] friend!” The lack of emoting properly on Radcliffe’s part and Cuaron’s choice to accept the performance is unacceptable. That line takes you out of the aftermath of a great expository scene because it’s so terribly delivered.

Overall, Prisoner of Azkaban is a worthy and excellent sequel. It quashes the main faults of the first two films in the series and fixes them, while leaving the audience wondering what else is in store for the boy wizard and his companions.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

Hot on the heels of the splendid Prisoner of Azkaban , director Mike Newell’s Goblet of Fire seems like a lovely film at first, but after paying close attention, it’s nothing more than mediocrity. It’s far better than Stone and Chamber , however. The opening is a great one and it, like Prisoner , promises the audience a treat in the visual department. Nothing seems visually unnatural or bland in Goblet and the only problems are the ones involving the pacing, creative decisions, and lack of exposition to inform the audience who haven’t read the novel.

One of Goblet ‘s biggest problems involves unintentional humor, which is first seen after the Quidditch World Cup when the Death Eaters arrive in outfits that border on parody. Are they supposed to look like remnants of the Ku Klux Klan? Death Eaters are apparently a ruthless bunch but their entrance suggests otherwise. More of this type of humor is present when select students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are introduced. The way the Beauxbatons enter the Great Hall and perform whatever those vocalizations are is ridiculous and completely laughable. It’s made even worse when magical objects flutter about near the end of the presentation. The Durmstrang entrance is doubly so as you listen to the terrible music accompanying a useless display of unimpressive acrobatics. These are some examples of terrible creative decisions by the filmmakers.

As for pacing, the film begins to suffer after the Triwizard champions are chosen; everything before it flows perfectly. We have to sit through Harry and Ron acting like stupid children when they aren’t on speaking terms, and even witness Hermione acting as an intermediary. More problems occur during the first task of the Triwizard tournament where Harry has an overlong altercation with a dragon. The entire chase is ridiculous, exaggerated, and difficult to sit through upon further viewings. How Harry manages what he did at his age, without the aid of magic (excluding his broom), is beyond me.

The best moment in the entire film happens after the third task when Lord Voldemort returns. Ralph Fiennes’ excellent acting makes sitting through what came before it completely worth it. He manages to act menacingly without being overdramatic, which can’t be said for David Tennant’s performance as Barty Crouch Jr. The duel between Harry and Voldemort is a visual feat but what happens confuses the audience who haven’t read the novel. This is where an expository scene would have been nice instead of Dumbledore simply naming the effect. The wands connected yes, but why did apparitions appear? Why did Harry’s parents appear? It’s possible that these viewers can put two and two together, but Dumbledore needed to tell Harry because he is completely confused by the phenomenon when he makes an inquiry.

Goblet of Fire is another worthy sequel in the series, even with its mediocrity. The series takes a slightly darker turn with this entry and that trend continues with the next sequel.

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART I

David Yates worked almost exclusively in the television medium until he helmed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . He did such a wonderful job, at least enough to satisfy Warner Bros., that he was asked to come back for Half-Blood Prince and eventually the rest of the series. Thank God for that.

If there’s one complaint thrown at Phoenix the most it’s that it has the shortest run time at 2 hours and 18 minutes. It works and was clearly for the best because that extra twelve minutes to make it two and a half hours could have been filled with boring, tedious moments and would have mirrored every film that came before it. The pacing in Phoenix is impeccable. There isn’t a moment where I’m checking to see how much time remains. This is because Yates’ creative decisions and the series’ new screenwriter keep your eyes glued to the screen and wanting more.

Yates employs montages during the film utilizing the unique properties of newspapers in the wizarding world: pictures on the page move. Instead of short, repeated movements, the camera moves into the images and we see full-length video. This is such an improvement over the students sitting down in the Great Hall and reading the Daily Prophet (Prisoner). Another excellent decision was the changing of the look of Prisoner’s dementors; they actually look threatening and don’t resemble the Nazgul from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Sure it’s an inconsistency, but the change didn’t break a rule within the universe established in an earlier chapter.

More common complaints levied against the film include Nicholas Hooper’s score and the look of the Ministry of Magic. I couldn’t disagree more – when Hooper’s score is played over the film’s opening, we know that we won’t be hearing too many bombastic notes that the previous films have included. Instead, there are instances of subtle musical nuances that, when the time is right, erupt to complement the scene. Hooper’s cheery music is also excellent, especially Umbridge’s theme as it represents how she’s feeling after her successful attempts to take over Hogwarts. As for the Ministry of Magic, it looks stellar and makes sense when put into the context of how the new Minister of Magic operates. His ego is on display when we see the gigantic photo of him hanging in the atrium and fits with his desire for power.

The acting has also improved in Phoenix , especially Radcliffe’s. He convincingly acts like an angry teenager who feels abandoned by friends and prominent figures in his life. His performance after Sirius dies is such an improvement over that lone performance in Prisoner that I mentioned. Helena Bonham Carter’s introduction is menacingly great and her acting abilities are on display in the Ministry of Magic. She also has one of the best lines in the film, “Neville Longbottom, is it? How’s mum and dad” To say that to the child whose parents you tortured is darkly humorous.

One of the few complaints I have is that the visual effects are not always consistent. For instance, Grawp is simply not well-rendered and doesn’t fit in the scenes well with the cast. Another example of mediocre visual effects includes the centaurs taking Umbridge away after she insults and attacks them. The best effects sequence in the entire film takes place when Voldemort and Dumbledore finally duel. Seeing all of the glass in the atrium shatter after Voldemort deflects the two’s connecting spells is marvelous, and even more so when Dumbledore turns the shards into the sand as they race toward him.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the superior sequel up to this point in the series and the high quality therein continues with its successor.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the second-best film in the series to date. After taking a break and not scribing the screenplay for Order of the Phoenix , Steve Kloves returns and steps up his game. None of the problems that plague the first four movies are present here and it seems that the time he took off shaped his writing. The film is expertly paced and the dialogue is mostly sharp.

While Prince appears to be a tale of sexual politics, it is balanced quite well with the darker material, namely Draco Malfoy’s subplot and the plot of unraveling the Dark Lord’s past. The former is done very, very well and manages to keep you interested even during repeat viewings. Hooper’s score is perfect during those scenes, just like the rest of the film. The memory sequences are well crafted and show that Voldemort was devious as a child and a teenager like he is now, and wants to know all he can to become all-powerful.

Prince’s cinematography surpasses every film before it thanks to Bruno Delbonnel, known for his work on Amelie. He creates a dark, moody, and murky feel to the Potter universe that we haven’t seen since Prisoner . This feeling fits the film’s material perfectly, even during cheery and romantic scenes.

The acting is mostly top-notch. Actress Jesse Cave disgusts the audience with her ability to portray Ron’s creepy and obsessed love interest, Lavender Brown. Kloves and Yates respectively wrote and directed her performance to be over the top. Veteran actor Jim Broadbent makes his first appearance as the new potions professor, Horace Slughorn. Broadbent can play goofy and tragic at the drop of the hat. He has one of the most sentimental scenes in the entire movie: the recitation of a gift Lily Potter gave him before, as Aunt Petunia says in Stone , she “got herself blown up.” Tom Felton’s performance is superior to the acting of the trio. He gives off an heir of frightfulness as he scrambles to complete his assigned mission in time. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint didn’t step up at all in their performance which is completely unfortunate. Alan Rickman leaves a sense of ambiguity to his performance throughout, which is nearly flawless. For Dumbledore, Michael Gambon continues to prove that he is better than Richard Harris.

The outstanding Half-Blood Prince paves the way for the first part in the final chapter of the series. It all comes down to these final two to determine whether or not we have spent the last decade wasting our time with the film series. Will David Yates complete his vision and leave us satisfied? For Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I , he most certainly has.

Part one of the final chapter is indeed the best film in the entire series up to this point, in every respect. Even with its faults, it manages to engage and impress the audience. There is very little to consider negative here. Kloves and Yates have outdone themselves with this installment. They both have created the darkest movie yet and it’s a great sigh of relief.

Hallows, Part 1 finally brings an immensely dark tone to the series that has been needed since Chamber ended. The sense of the trio’s isolation is felt throughout and emphasized by the prolonged period of them camping alone in the wilderness. The altercations and interactions they have with one another exemplify that even further. Consider the verbal and slightly physical fight Harry and Ron have. While Ron’s feelings are mostly brought on by the Horcrux, remnants of those feelings are there for it to feed on. He ends up leaving, abandoning Harry and Hermione. Harry tries to cheer her up but it doesn’t work well at all.

This uneasy, gloomy feeling about the world is given more prominence when you hear the names of the numerous dead on the radio Ron has in his possession. Their world is now erupting in war and no enemy is spared. The parallels to Nazi Germany, while unfortunately not subtle, show what the wizarding world is becoming with ruthless individuals in power.

After seeing Prince , I thought that the cinematography would never be surpassed but it has. The camera work in Hallows, Part 1 is quite shaky but that effect is used artistically to show the frantic nature of the trio’s journey. A perfect example would entail the scene where the actor playing the disguised Harry enters Umbridge’s room to look for the locket. As he’s scrambling through desk drawers looking for the locket, the camera begins to sway back and forth, up and down, showing that he’s anxious to find it. The camera then becomes mostly steady as he stares at photos of enemy combatants, including the now-deceased Dumbledore. More excellent camerawork is on display when the trio is trying to escape the Snatchers on foot. Things are chaotic for the trio and the shaky camerawork is used to note this.

Yates has managed to bring out the best performances in the trio. Watson has never been better and the opening scene with Hermione wiping her parents’ memories shows that she has it in her to do more. The breaking of the trio resulting from Harry and Ron fighting is expertly performed by Radcliffe and Grint. The latter convincingly acts like the Horcrux is feeding on his negative emotions. Helena Bonham Carter increases her sadistic Bellatrix performance as she tortures Hermione.

The visual effects and the score are top-of-the-line. The best effects sequence involves Harry and Hermione in a sexually-charged embrace. While a combination of live-action and computer graphics, it’s impressive and erotic enough to enable Ron to destroy the Horcrux housing the faux couple. As for the score, it is superior to every score in the series, including Williams’, which was already beaten by Hooper’s work. The music used for the Death Eaters is simply fantastic and when Voldemort gets his hands on the Elder Wand, his score erupts to let the audience know that the trio is in danger.

The only faults against the film involve Dobby and the humor associated with him. The Malfoy Manor scene, while outstanding, is jarring when he comes into the mix with stupid humor. The inclusion of Dobby is only there for fan service because, logically, it makes no sense for him to make an appearance after being absent for four films. I personally think Dobby should have been scrapped and replaced with Kreacher.

Yates is the best director in the series. He has an eye for visuals that surpasses every other director and he managed to direct the best performances the series has seen. With the work he has done on Phoenix, Prince, and Hallows, Part 1 , I know that the final chapter in the saga will satisfy me.

Read “A Film Analysis (continued): Deathly Hallows Part Two”

• Next story  Harry Potter and the Boy Nobody Liked
• Previous story  The Final Word

MuggleNet Archive

Important dates, mon, may 13.

Cedric Diggory

Mary Lou Barebone

Madam Hooch

Wed, May 15

Thu, may 16.

Viktor Krum

Sat, May 18

Pomona Sprout

Sun, May 19

Lily Potter

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, harry potter and the sorcerer's stone.

Now streaming on:

''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a red-blooded adventure movie, dripping with atmosphere, filled with the gruesome and the sublime, and surprisingly faithful to the novel. A lot of things could have gone wrong, and none of them have: Chris Columbus' movie is an enchanting classic that does full justice to a story that was a daunting challenge. The novel by J.K. Rowling was muscular and vivid, and the danger was that the movie would make things too cute and cuddly. It doesn't. Like an "Indiana Jones" for younger viewers, it tells a rip-roaring tale of supernatural adventure, where colorful and eccentric characters alternate with scary stuff like a three-headed dog, a pit of tendrils known as the Devil's Snare and a two-faced immortal who drinks unicorn blood. Scary, yes, but not too scary--just scary enough.

Three high-spirited, clear-eyed kids populate the center of the movie. Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry Potter, he with the round glasses, and like all of the young characters he looks much as I imagined him, but a little older. He once played David Copperfield on the BBC, and whether Harry will be the hero of his own life in this story is much in doubt at the beginning.

Deposited as a foundling on a suburban doorstep, Harry is raised by his aunt and uncle as a poor relation, then summoned by a blizzard of letters to become a student at Hogwarts School, an Oxbridge for magicians. Our first glimpse of Hogwarts sets the tone for the movie's special effects. Although computers can make anything look realistic, too much realism would be the wrong choice for "Harry Potter," which is a story in which everything, including the sets and locations, should look a little made up. The school, rising on ominous Gothic battlements from a moonlit lake, looks about as real as Xanadu in " Citizen Kane ," and its corridors, cellars and great hall, although in some cases making use of real buildings, continue the feeling of an atmospheric book illustration. At Hogwarts, Harry makes two friends and an enemy. The friends are Hermione Granger ( Emma Watson ), whose merry face and tangled curls give Harry nudges in the direction of lightening up a little, and Ron Weasley ( Rupert Grint ), all pluck, luck and untamed talents. The enemy is Draco Malfoy ( Tom Felton ), who will do anything, and plenty besides, to be sure his house places first at the end of the year.

The story you either already know, or do not want to know. What is good to know is that the adult cast, a who's who of British actors, play their roles more or less as if they believed them. There is a broad style of British acting, developed in Christmas pantomimes, which would have been fatal to this material; these actors know that, and dial down to just this side of too much. Watch Alan Rickman drawing out his words until they seem ready to snap, yet somehow staying in character. Maggie Smith , still in the prime of Miss Jean Brodie, is Prof. Minerva McGonagall, who assigns newcomers like Harry to one of the school's four houses. Richard Harris is headmaster Dumbledore, his beard so long that in an Edward Lear poem, birds would nest in it. Robbie Coltrane is the gamekeeper, Hagrid, who has a record of misbehavior and a way of saying very important things and then not believing that he said them.

Computers are used, exuberantly, to create a plausible look in the gravity-defying action scenes. Readers of the book will wonder how the movie visualizes the crucial game of Quidditch. The game, like so much else in the movie, is more or less as I visualized it, and I was reminded of Stephen King's theory that writers practice a form of telepathy, placing ideas and images in the heads of their readers. (The reason some movies don't look like their books may be that some producers don't read them.) If Quidditch is a virtuoso sequence, there are other set pieces of almost equal wizardry. A chess game with life-size, deadly pieces. A room filled with flying keys. The pit of tendrils, already mentioned, and a dark forest where a loathsome creature threatens Harry but is scared away by a centaur. And the dark shadows of Hogwarts library, cellars, hidden passages and dungeons, where an invisibility cloak can keep you out of sight but not out of trouble.

During "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," I was pretty sure I was watching a classic, one that will be around for a long time, and make many generations of fans. It takes the time to be good. It doesn't hammer the audience with easy thrills, but cares to tell a story, and to create its characters carefully. Like " The Wizard of Oz ," " Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ," "Star Wars" and "E.T.," it isn't just a movie but a world with its own magical rules. And some excellent Quidditch players.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Now playing

Matt Zoller Seitz

The Long Game

Star Wars -- Episode I: The Phantom Menace

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Clint worthington.

Irena's Vow

Christy lemire.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed

Film credits.

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

152 minutes

Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom

Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore

Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid

Alan Rickman as Prof. Snape

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

John Cleese as Nick

Maggie Smith as Prof. McGonagall

Ian Hart as Prof. Quirrell

• Steven Kloves

Based On The Novel by

• J.K. Rowling

Directed by

• Chris Columbus

Latest blog posts

A Preview of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival

Driven By Love and Necessity: An Interview With Lily Gladstone

I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It Before: Roger Corman (1926-2024)

RogerEbert.com Announces Assistant Editor, Weekly Critic, and Social Media Manager

Harry Potter – Film Review – Sample

Jan 30, 2023 | Review Writing | 0 |

Harry Potter is a film series based on the popular books by J.K. Rowling. The series consists of eight films released between 2001 and 2011, following the story of Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his true identity and battles the evil Lord Voldemort.

Overall, the Harry Potter film series is a well-made and enjoyable adaptation of the books. The films capture the magical world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its characters, bringing the books to life in a visually stunning and emotionally engaging way.

The special effects, production design, and score are all top-notch, creating a fully realized and immersive magical world. The cast of the films is excellent, with standout performances from Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron.

The films effectively convey the themes of friendship, bravery, and the fight against evil, making them appealing to both children and adults. The series also successfully builds tension and anticipation throughout, leading to an epic and satisfying conclusion.

In conclusion, the Harry Potter film series is a must-see for fans of the books and anyone looking for a fun and captivating fantasy adventure.

Summary Harry Potter is an eight-film series based on J.K. Rowling's popular books. The series follows the story of young wizard Harry Potter as he discovers his true identity and battles Lord Voldemort. The films are well-made and enjoyable adaptations, capturing the magical world of Hogwarts and its characters, with stunning special effects, production design, and score. The cast is excellent, with standout performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. The films convey themes of friendship, bravery, and the fight against evil and build tension throughout, leading to an epic conclusion. The Harry Potter film series is a must-see for fans of the books and those seeking a captivating fantasy adventure.

Harry Potter Film Review Sample

Related posts.

Sports centre – Review

Laptop – Review Writing – Sample

Review Writing – Film

Website Review – Review Writing – Sample

Leave a reply cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advancements

• Get Your Writing Reviewed

Writing Exercises

• Email Writing
• Review Writing
• Report Writing
• Article Writing

Important Pages

• Pastpapers 0510
• Less Common Vocabulary
• Specimen papers 2024
• Syllabus 0510

Reading Exercises

• Reading Comprehension
• Multiple Matching
• Note Making
• Summary Writing
• Uncategorized

Listening Links

• Listening Challenge- 1 minute Videos
• Oct/Nov 2022 - Listening Tracks
• May/June 2022 - Listening Tracks
• CAE / C1 Advanced

Solved Pastpapers

• OCT-NOV 2022
• May-June 2022
• Model Answers

Recent Posts

• Feb March 2024 – Exercise-4
• Feb-March 2024 Exercise-3
• Feb-March 2024 Exercise-2
• Feb March 2024 – Exercise-1
• OCT-NOV 2022 – SOLVED PAPER – Article WRITING – 0510/22

You cannot copy content of this page

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone review – 20 years on, it’s a nostalgic spectacular

The first film in the franchise is re-released into a very different world – but it’s as entertaining and exhilarating as ever

T he very first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or “Sorcerer’s Stone” for its release in the United States, where audiences were assumed to be unfamiliar with this alchemical term) is now re-released after 20 years, into a rather different world. Sadly, the actors who played the original Dumbledore, Snape, Uncle Vernon and Mr Ollivander – Richard Harris, Alan Rickman , Richard Griffiths and John Hurt – are no longer with us. The Harry Potter franchise itself is still a colossal commercial entity, an IP Shangri La, although its creator JK Rowling is now at the centre of an acrimonious gender politics debate – undreamed of in 2001 – and the world of children’s and YA fiction, which she almost singlehandedly revived all over the world, is strongly policed on just these issues.

It’s amazing and poignant to remember the sheer excitement of that HPATPS premiere in November 2001: I myself called it an “old-fashioned pre-September 11 news event”. Harry Potter emerged into cinemas as we were still all stunned by 9/11, but yet to see the retaliatory “war on terror”. This film, emerging four years after the original novel, marked the birth of a new consolatory pop culture myth, to rival Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, and the circumstances of its own arrival became mythic, from Rowling’s own early poverty to the snapping up of film rights.

Warner Bros had gambled on three cherubically young actors to carry the series through their own adolescence to its finale: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione and Rupert Grint as Ron. Opinions on the acting may divide here, and it was admittedly Robert Pattinson (playing Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire), who had the real career staying power. But I can’t think of these characters played by any other actors: the thought of the stories being remade or re-adapted with a different cast is heresy. I even grew to like Grint’s very broad, goofy acting, in which he was encouraged by director Chris Columbus at the outset. Radcliffe’s bespectacled moon face looks heartbreakingly unformed.

In the film we see Harry Potter coming to terms with his messianic purpose: he is released from his Dickensian incarceration in the Dursley household and sent for his first term at Hogwarts with its public-school/Oxbridge traditions. Harry learns how to play quidditch (like Tom Brown learning rugby) and he and his three pals are sorted into their various houses; they encounter the formidable teaching staff, including Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), Professor Quirrell (Ian Hart) and Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) and then meet the challenge of a deadly assault on Harry.

And it’s still a very entertaining and spectacular movie, with a rush of nostalgia to go alongside the exhilaration of fun, even though some of the “flying” effects during the big quidditch match aren’t quite what we’re used to in 2021. “Wingardium Leviosa,” says the earnest, wide-eyed Hermione … and the story is airborne again.

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter (Books)
• Harry Potter (Film)
• Daniel Radcliffe
• Emma Watson
• Rupert Grint

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

The Critic's Sanctum

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – 2001

John William’s otherworldly score, the first track of many, introduces us to the magical world of Harry Potter right at the film’s start. The use of a celesta on top of traditional orchestral elements engenders a light mystical ambiance that informs us that we’re entering a world of intrigue and mystery, possibilities fully abound. While the score enchants, an owl, a creature whose flight is as feathery as the score playing, lands on a sign for Privet Drive. The camera turns from this creature to a man, Dumbledore (Richard Harris), who wanders towards the street. He makes his way to the street proper and takes out a device from his robes which he promptly uses to capture the literal light from the street-lamps illuminating the area. With the veil of darkness now concealing affairs, Dumbledore turns towards a cat whom he refers to as Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith). In response, the camera pivots to the cat which transforms into a woman adorned in robe and hat much like Dumbledore. Already the viewer is warned that appearances do not correspond to an expected truth; everything is not what it seems. As McGonagall and Dumbledore discuss the present affairs, a large bearded man, Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), appears in a flying motorcycle and descends towards the duo. He hands Dumbledore a newborn infant, Harry. McGonagall implores with Dumbledore to reconsider his decision to leave Harry here at Privet Drive with the baby’s extended family, the Dursley’s, citing that said family, the Dursley’s, are awful “muggles” who would only make Harry’s life miserable. If the child was raised in the world of magic where the present adult trio came from, he would be treated as a celebrity of the highest order due to what he’s done. However, Dumbledore pushes back and indicates that Harry would be better off growing away from that level of fame until he’s ready; living with the only family he has left, even if they are terrible, is necessary.

The trio leaves Harry on the Dursley’s front door along with a letter made out to them explaining the nature of this new “delivery.” Dumbledore wishes the infant “Good Luck” as the camera begins in to push into the latter’s face; a lighting shaped scar on the child’s forehead begins to burst into a flash of light from which the title card appears. Suddenly, the title card disappears in another intense burst of light and the camera begins to pull out from a much older Harry’s(Daniel Radcliffe) scar. Sharp knocking from his aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw) along with an order to wake up interrupts his slumber, a slumber which is taking place in a cupboard underneath the staircases. It becomes quickly apparent that McGonagall’s assessment of the Dursley’s were correct as the location of Harry’s bedroom is far from the worst thing about his life. He tries to get out from the cupboard but is then shoved back in by his cousin, Dudley (Harry Melling) who seems to relish in bullying Harry. Finally, Harry manages to make it to the kitchen where he’s immediately made to cook breakfast while his cousin is coddled by Petunia and her husband, Vernon (Richard Griffits). It’s Dudley’s birthday and celebrations are afoot; the family is set to go to the zoo as a result. But before they leave, Vernon pulls Harry aside and warns the latter to not engage in any “funny business” under threat of punishment. The nature of this business isn’t clarified. What exactly could Harry have done in the past to warrant such treatment?

The answer becomes clear once the Dursley’s make it to the zoo with Harry in tow. The family stands in front of a snake who refuses to engage with them. Everyone sans Harry leaves. The young boy begins to speak to the snake before realizing the snake comprehends him. Cheerfully, Harry begins to question the snake before Dudley notices the now active serpent and rushes towards its enclosure, pushing Harry out of the way and to the floor. In rage-fueled retaliation, Harry stares at his cousin and suddenly the glass separating the latter from the snake disappears; Dudley falls into the snake’s enclosure and the snake escapes after thanking Harry. Petunia and Vernon rush over in obvious disbelief at the situation but notice Harry smiling at his cousin’s misfortune. Vernon stares back and it becomes apparent that “funny business” is nothing more than euphemism for “magic.” He punishes Harry for violating his orders and the days pass.

However, in spite of Vernon’s’ actions, it seems that “funny business” is here to stay. An owl drops a letter off for Harry with the same typescript as the one Dumbledore initially left at the film’s start. The letter is explicitly addressed to his abode: the cupboard underneath the staircase. Something magical is afoot. Unfortunately, the letter is quickly grabbed from Harry by Vernon and company. They see the seal on the back and the front of the letter and deny Harry access to the same. But the letters don’t stop. Owls continue to flood Privet Drive as letters begin to appear at the household en masse, before eventually busting out of every seam and corner after enough time.

Yet, Vernon persists. Instead of acquiescing and allowing Harry to read the letter and end the barrage, the head of the Dursley household upends the entire family to a remote island in the middle of nowhere. The new abode is so small and unkempt that Dudley doesn’t’ even have a proper and is made to sleep on the couch. Harry fares ever worse, being treated to nights on the sandy floor. He draws an outline of a birthday cake in the sand and wishes himself a “Happy Birthday”; Given what we know of the Dursley’s, it’s clear why his celebration is solitary. As he blows out the candles of his sand cake, the door to the abode bursts open and Hagrid, the person responsible for bringing Harry to the Dursley’s to begin with, enters. He asks for Harry and hands the young boy not only a cake, the first birthday cake of his life, but also a copy of the letter that Vernon and Petunia upended their lives to stop him from receiving. From the letter, Harry learns he’s a wizard who has been accepted to Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry whose headmaster is none other than Dumbledore. More importantly, Harry finally learns the truth about his lineage. Hagrid informs the young wizard-to-be that the latter’s parents were murdered, a sharp contrast to the Dursley’s version of the story which explained away Harry’s parents’ deaths as a result of a large car crash.

Why Dumbledore would leave Harry in such an area where his identity and lineage are disrespected so heavily is still up to question, but thankfully the abuse is made to stop. Hagrid forcefully informs the Dursley’s that Harry will be going to Hogwarts with or without their permission and ferries the young boy away from the area. The duo makes their way to a pub filled with witches and wizards. It’s here that McGonagall’s words from earlier become realizes. The crowd within the bar looks at awe upon Harry upon learning of his presence. Hosts of peoples come to him, praising and congratulating him for something, the nature of which is unknown. It’s clear that he’s a hero to them even if he doesn’t know why. Once the crowd dissipates, Hagrid leads Harry to an unsuspecting brick wall which the former promptly taps with his umbrella qua wand. In response, the bricks start to magically re-arrange themselves, opening a pathway to a whole new world hiding behind the seemingly normal façade: Diagon Alley. With a new domain open to them, the duo proceeds into the wizarding world to get Harry his respective school-materials before the semester at Hogwarts starts. Once there, Harry is able to earnestly find out not only about himself but also the mysterious circumstances surrounding his parents’ deaths. It’s at Hogwarts, where the rest of the film takes place, that director Chris Columbus is able to showcase the magical world of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in all its glory. Portraits which move and talk to students, spells which levitate objects, ghosts which pass from tables, and wonderous feast that appear from nowhere are only a few of the normal occurrences which fill the halls of the wizarding school. A standout sequence involves Quidditch, a sport played in the Wizarding world with the use of flying brooms and magical balls which plays like a mix of rugby and football/soccer. The camera dips, dives, ducks, and swings around the field as two teams try and score points on another, conveying a sense of flight and freedom that makes the games played as intense, if not more intense than any such equivalent we’re privy to. Though some of the CGI used to bring these wonders to life has aged poorly, the depiction of the otherworldly events of the film manages to capture the vitality and intrigue described in the novel by J.K. Rowling which serves as the film’s source material. Unfortunately, the film’s dedication to Rowling’s novel renders its narrative as contrived as its source material’s. Like the book, the film adopts a fragmented approach towards telling Harry’s day-to-day life at Hogwarts. We see him attending a few classes, going to a Quidditch game, and hanging out with his friends, but in spite of this, it’s unclear what a week-to-week, let alone a day-to-day schedule looks like for him or other students. Consequently, it’s difficult to evaluate what Harry or his companions, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), have learned and to what effect they’ve mastered the same; when they proceed to resolve obstacles in the latter portion of the film, the gravity of what they’re doing is lost because there’s a discord between the stated severity of their trials and the seeming ease of the solutions they employ to solve them. Thankfully, just like the book, the film’s heart and warm spirit makes up for narrative misgivings; after all, the story isn’t renowned for it’s narrative intricacy but rather for its commitment to telling a passionate and humane story capable of engendering a renewed sense of wonder. In this sense, the film excels no small part due to the acting efforts of the adult cast who are firing on all cylinders here; each of them knows precisely how far they can take it without going so far as to be a caricature. They also enable the younger set of child actors, many of whom are still finding their footing on the big screen, to rise to the occasion during heftier moments such as to achieve a nice emotional resonance as the film reaches its fantastical climax.

REPORT CARD

Go to  Page 2   for the for the spoiler discussion and more in-depth analysis. Go to  Page 3   to view this review’s progress report .

One thought on “Film Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – 2001”

I would have expected it be rated higher but you made some excellent points about not getting a clear picture of what the life of wizard at Hogwarts was actually like. Astute review!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

A place for fun and rumination.

Review of Harry Potter

How it works

Harry Potter and friends are entering their last year of wizarding school. This time, however, the rules have changed. After the death of Albus Dumbledore, the late headmaster of Hogwarts, Harry has made it his goal to finish what Dumbledore started. He and his friends partake on a long adventure across the whole world to find what is known as Horcruxes. These contain Parts of Voldemort’s soul, and may be the key to defeating him. After tailing clues and leads about the first horcrux, they finally find it in the office of ministry official Dolores Umbridge.

They steal it and head back to their safe haven at Harry’s uncle’s house. However, they also bring a death eater back with them, and the safeguard enchantments break down. Throughout the week they are in hiding in the woods, surrounded by only what they can wield as enchantments. They do not know how to destroy the Horcrux and they seemed lost. Finally, Harry finds out that the Sword of Gryffindor can help them. After a little searching, they are able to destroy it and move on. They need to find the other horcruxes, and that they do. They find two more objects and destroy them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are now at hogwarts. This is where the final battle will take place and is also where Harry has come to die. We find out from Snape that harry and Voldemort’s Snake are the final horcruxes. Neville Longbottom kills the snake, and Harry is presumably killed by Voldemort. However, we find out this is not the case, and it was only the Horcrux inside of Harry that was killed. In a great duel to end the book, Harry Potter finally kills Voldemort once and for all, now that all of the Horcruxes are finished. I really enjoyed this book, even more than I enjoyed watching the movie. It felt so good to know that Voldemort couldn’t come back, because after 7 years of fighting, even the final chapter of hogwarts for the kids is extremely rough. You can feel their pain and their triumph equally, and that is what I loved about this book.

Characterization:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is full of characters. The characters that changed the most, or the round characters, were Voldemort and Harry Potter. These happen to be the Protagonist and antagonist through the whole series, including the final chapter: the Deathly Hallows. At the beginning of the book Harry believes that to kill Voldemort, he has to hunt down the horcruxes and destroy them. Even after this long in the wizarding world, he is naive to the fact that he might have to sacrifice something to finish off the dark lord. “Yeah” said Harry, “then we’ll have nothing to do but hung horcruxes… It’ll be like a holiday won’t it?” (At the end of the second act he learns that he too, is one of the horcruxes, and must die in order for Voldemort to be destroyed. HE shifts his whole mindset from ‘I have to be the hero”, to “I have to die in order for others to live”. While he doesn’t end up dying, he is willing to make that sacrifice, and therefore becomes a round character. The flat characters include people like Hermione Granger, the Dursleys, and other side characters whose motivations and alliances never change.

Some of the basic themes in this book include: “Mortality”, “Love”, and “Good vs. Evil”.

J.K. Rowling is a world renoune author from Great Britain.

This book is full of symbols. I think the most obvious ones are the deathly hallows. More specifically: the Elder wand. The elder wand is the most powerful wand in all of the Harry Potter book history. Its wielder has the power to beat everyone they face, if used right. However when you dive in to what the elder wand might actually stand for, it gets far more interesting. In the deathly hallows story, we are told that the first brother wanted absolute power. In hearing so, master death gave him the elder wand, so he could defeat all of his opponents. So in conclusion, the elder wand must symbolize power above all other, which in turn might equal death.

The point of view used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is first Person. We are told the whole story through Harry Potter’s point of view and we only know and learn as he does. This helps us a lot, because through the story, Harry Potter finds out things that make for great plot twists. We wouldn’t have much of a story if we knew that voldemort had to kill Harry. It only turns interesting when Harry finds out this information as it’s almost too late.

The story mainly takes place in scotland at the Hogwarts. It also shifts to the woods as thats where Harry Ron and Hermione are hiding. It takes place in what would have been present day when the book was released. The setting really has little to do with the story, except for at one point or another, almost all of the wizards had passed through Hogwarts.

The center conflicts are mainly man vs man. The good vs the evil takes a dominant role in the story. However, there are some points where Harry will break out into a fight with himself, or with Ron. The fights would be considered man vs self.

An example of situational irony in Deathly Hallows is when we find out Snape was a double agent working for Dumbledore the whole time. We get to see, along with Harry after Snape dies, how much he loved Lily Potter, and how much work he did to make sure Dumbledore and Harry were set up for success.

The closest relation from the book to the real world is the theme of Power. We see all the time the mad scramble for Power, money, or a piece of both. This is also evident in the book, where it’s not just the bad guys going after full power and authority, it is some of the good people as well. It seems to be not only a shifting theme throughout the series of books, but it tends to affect the general population as well, as it does when there is a presidency change in the United States.

Cite this page

Review of Harry Potter. (2019, Nov 06). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/review-of-harry-potter/

"Review of Harry Potter." PapersOwl.com , 6 Nov 2019, https://papersowl.com/examples/review-of-harry-potter/

PapersOwl.com. (2019). Review of Harry Potter . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/review-of-harry-potter/ [Accessed: 14 May. 2024]

"Review of Harry Potter." PapersOwl.com, Nov 06, 2019. Accessed May 14, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/review-of-harry-potter/

"Review of Harry Potter," PapersOwl.com , 06-Nov-2019. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/review-of-harry-potter/. [Accessed: 14-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2019). Review of Harry Potter . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/review-of-harry-potter/ [Accessed: 14-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Film Analysis — The Description Of The Movie “Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone”

The Description of The Movie "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone"

• Categories: Film Analysis Harry Potter and The Sorcerer'S Stone Movie Review

About this sample

Words: 1167 |

Published: Mar 3, 2020

Words: 1167 | Pages: 3 | 6 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Entertainment Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1227 words

1 pages / 1270 words

4 pages / 1842 words

3 pages / 1458 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Film Analysis

Watching a good movie is one of my favorite pastimes. After a long day of school or work there is on other sensations such as curling up on the couch and watching a great movie. Epic stories throughout our history our best [...]

The movie Coco is a film full of Mexican Culture and takes place during the Día de Muertos, Day of the Dead celebration. It’s directed by Lee Unkrich and released in 2017. The main character, Miguel Rivera loves music and [...]

The movie Little Miss Sunshine provides an amusing and honest portrayal of a typical American family. This Caucasian, middle-class family embarks on a disaster filled road trip, to take seven-year-old Olive from their home town [...]

Spotlight is directed by Tom McCarthy and stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Liev Schreiber. It’s the true story of the Boston news reporters who work for the Boston Globe who uncovered a very disturbing [...]

The belief that “men and women should have equal rights and opportunities is pure feminist. This movement is based on the desire to become a better version, is more as a fight for freedom and to belong somewhere. A [...]

This article is about very interesting movie named girl interrupted. I am happy to write this article, because this movie inspired me a lot when I first watched it. Being psychologists this movie is a must watch as it holds many [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

• Movie/Show Reviews

Movie Review: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.” – Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)

Movie summary :.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the movie made after the book where the main character, Harry Potter, is delivered a letter saying he was invited to attend the magical wizardry school, Hogwarts. That being said, Harry along with his friends Ron and Hermione find out there’s an extremely powerful wizard with his minions who are looking for the Sorcerer’s Stone, which would make him and his minions extremely powerful and immortal.

My honest opinion of this movie is a solid 4/5, here’s the pros and cons.

• This movie sparks a lot of nostalgia and joy for me, as I watched a lot of Harry Potter movies when I was younger.
• The main characters, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were very nicely played by their actors in this movie and have great chemistry. Their acting and parts in this movie just sucked me in and were just overall very lively! Harry is the focal point of the entire story of course, with Hermoine being the intelligent part of the group, then Ron typically being the comedic relief for the audience to enjoy.
• J.K. Rowling honestly did a great job bringing the entire magical world together, and made Hogwarts so imaginative and bringing things to life. Experiencing the world of Wizards feels so mysterious, fulfilling, and amusing.
• I personally think the movie is a very good reenactment of the book. Bringing your imagination onto the screen changes things, and it’s exciting to see the world J.K. Rowling actually created for people to see!
• The story itself throughout the movie is played out very well. I loved everything that led up to the stone, and what Harry, Ron, and Hermoine had to go through to get to it. They basically had to go through a magical escape room and many challenging obstacles.
• Something that bothered me was just how easily convenient everything was for Harry Potter. Such as his survival, having a really smart friend to get him and his group out of ANY situation, somehow getting his hands on the invisibility cloak, and getting the fastest broom. Yes, there are problems thrown at him throughout the movie, but he just so happens to have amazing luck and gets past things a little too easily. Felt a bit like lazy writing occurred.
• Hogwarts was always a little too dangerous. It was a good school and all, but everything that happened there just felt like the teachers and staff didn’t have much concern for the students and whatnot. There were aggressive trolls in the same building as the students, unpredictable stairs that moved at any time and could cause injuries to students, and the staff had outrageous punishments that seemed way overboard.
• I feel like the relationship and story between Harry and Voldemort simply needed MORE. The movie had its climax, but things were still very unclear as to what had actually happened and WHY. While more was explained in the later Harry Potter movies, it would have been nice to have at least a little more explanation in The Sorcerer’s Stone to make things more understandable.
• Harry Potter
• Movie Review

Your donation will support the student journalists of Capital City High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Comments (0)

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Essay On Harry Potter – My Favorite Movie

Harry Potter is a beloved film series that has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. This essay explores the reasons why Harry Potter is my favorite movie, including its magical story line, dynamic characters, and timeless themes of love, friendship, and bravery.

My Favorite Movie Harry Potter –  The Magic of Harry Potter

Introduction

Harry Potter is a film series that has become a cultural phenomenon, captivating audiences of all ages with its magical story line, dynamic characters, and timeless themes. As a fan of the series, I have come to appreciate the many reasons why Harry Potter is my favorite movie.

The Magical Story line

At the heart of the Harry Potter series is a magical story line that takes viewers on an unforgettable journey through the wizarding world. From the opening scene of Harry’s arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to the final battle against Voldemort, each movie in the series is filled with thrilling adventure, mystery, and wonder.

Dynamic Characters

One of the things that makes the Harry Potter series so memorable is its cast of dynamic and lovable characters. From Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione to the complex and fascinating villains like Voldemort and Snape, each character in the series is unique and brings something special to the story.

Timeless Themes

The Harry Potter series is more than just a story about magic and wizardry. It is a story about love, friendship , and bravery in the face of adversity. Throughout the series, we see the characters grow and develop as they face challenges and obstacles, and learn important lessons about the power of love, loyalty, and self-sacrifice.

In conclusion, the Harry Potter series is my favorite movie for many reasons. Its magical storyline, dynamic characters, and timeless themes make it a movie that can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages. The series has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide and will continue to do so for generations to come. As a fan of the series, I am grateful for the joy and wonder it has brought into my life.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

Related Posts:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The “Harry Potter” Movie vs. Book Comparison Essay

Nowadays, more and more films are being made based on the books’ plots. The trend to make movies according to popular books has developed tremendously with the launch of such film projects as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. It is known that if the viewer first watches a movie and then reads the book it is based on, it will be very difficult to eliminate the images that the director, according to his vision, reflected in the film. One’s imagination ceases to work, and reading is reduced to the reproduction in the mind of already assimilated images. At the same time, one of the most important tasks of literature is to develop the imagination. The reader must do the work of visually recreating the images the author describes. For my essay, I chose the movie and the book Harry Potter, which differ in many aspects, such as the plot, the details of the narrative, and the representation of the main characters.

The movie Harry Potter is a great illustration of the book. All the actors are perfectly chosen, and the main characters have the same characteristics as the author of the book wrote about. The plot twists and turns are mostly consistent with the source material. The boy’s story, life journey, and experiences are described in the original version. He also goes to a wizarding school and finds friends and enemies. Harry develops his abilities, gets into difficult situations, and gets out of them with agility. Furthermore, the author and director of the book describe him as a brave, kind, and courageous boy.

Although the idea and the main points are the same, there was much controversy. Readers and viewers had a completely different understanding of the story because “Harry Potter” is full of screaming inconsistencies. The first difference in the plot is that the movie omits the entire first chapter of the book when wizards around the world meet and raise their glasses to the surviving boy. Instead, the movie shows Professor Albus Dumbledore and Professor Minerva McGonagall meeting, and then the events of Harry’s hapless relatives begin to unfold.

The next difference concerning this aspect is that the movie omitted important details about the creation of the Marauder’s Map. However, the book does say that Tail (Peter Pettigrew), working for the Dark Lord, was the Keeper of the Potter Mystery (Kostelej and Bagić 19). After all, he was one of those who had a hand in creating the magical thing. It was through him that Voldemort found James and Lily that ill-fated night and Sirius had nothing to do with it. Another difference is that the professor effortlessly shakes his hand when Harry meets Professor Quirrell in Diagon Alley in the first book (Kostelej and Bagić 19). However, he politely refuses to make contact with Harry in the movie. This is troubling, for he could only burn his palms if Voldemort had already taken possession of his flesh (Kostelej and Bagić 28). Furthermore, that happened after the Philosopher’s Stone was discovered.

The next aspect of comparison are the details of the narrative. Harry’s farewell to Dudley looks dramatic in the book, and the reader even begins to feel compassion for the boy raised by such stingy and arrogant parents. On the other hand, the film deprived the audience of this emotion, thus distorting the relationship between the boys. The next difference is that the books explore the story of Tom Riddle becoming the ruthless Voldemort in much greater depth. According to the movie version, the dark lord is just an orphan with a penchant for evil.

Nevertheless, the novels show that his fate is incredibly complicated and creepy. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Albus Dumbledore showed Harry a memory of the Mrax family. In the flashback, Potter saw the home of Marvolo Mrax, Voldemort’s grandfather (Kostelej and Bagić 25). The Mraxes lived poor, having used up their wealth over several generations. However, the most important detail readers learned was that Tom Riddle’s father was under the influence of a love potion, so the future dark lord lost his capacity for love at birth. Marvolo Mrax’s hut later became where Voldemort hid one of his Horcruxes, which Dumbledore found a few years later (Kostelej and Bagić 20). These details change the villain’s perception, which is impossible to achieve based on the movie.

The third aspect of comparison is the representation of the characters. Several times in the film, the audience hears phrases indicating incredible heredity; it is claimed that Harry has his mother’s eyes. Rowling rewarded Lily with a green shade of eyes if we believed the manuscripts. However, the screen shows Harry as a blue-eyed boy, which may mislead people who have read the book. Another difference is that some of Dobby’s merits were attributed to Neville in the movie. For example, the house elf was the one who got the gill for Harry during the Tournament of Three Wizards. However, the film’s writer let his classmate do it, and the same thing happened with the Room of Requirement.

Thus, the book “Harry Potter” and its film adaptation have many differences, but there are also similarities. This can be frustrating and misleading for people who read the story in the book version first and then watch the movie. However, given that the book’s author and the film’s director are two different people, it can be understood that it is impossible to achieve a complete identity. People have different views and can implement ideas differently, which is a significant factor when comparing these narrative versions.

Kostelej, Martin, and Marina Bagić Babac. “Text Analysis Of The Harry Potter Book Series.” South Eastern European Journal of Communication 4.1 (2022): 17-30.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 24). The "Harry Potter" Movie vs. Book Comparison. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-harry-potter-movie-vs-book-comparison/

"The "Harry Potter" Movie vs. Book Comparison." IvyPanda , 24 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-harry-potter-movie-vs-book-comparison/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'The "Harry Potter" Movie vs. Book Comparison'. 24 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "The "Harry Potter" Movie vs. Book Comparison." February 24, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-harry-potter-movie-vs-book-comparison/.

1. IvyPanda . "The "Harry Potter" Movie vs. Book Comparison." February 24, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-harry-potter-movie-vs-book-comparison/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The "Harry Potter" Movie vs. Book Comparison." February 24, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-harry-potter-movie-vs-book-comparison/.

• Harry Potter Books and Movies
• Rowling's “Harry Potter” Books in Connection to Mythology
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
• Reality Television Phenomenon in American Culture
• Popular Culture and Williams' Life of the Mind
• A Comparison of Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder: The Case of Sheldon Cooper
• Export of Popular Culture Products in Asia

The Harry Potter Movies' Greatest Accomplishment Isn't What You Expect

Since the Harry Potter movies hit the big screen, the franchise has accomplished many things, including things fans never thought of.

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. CBR supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find CBR's continuing coverage on Rowling here .

• The Harry Potter film series was able to keep most main cast members without recasting, creating a strong bond with fans.
• The main cast remained consistent throughout the film series, with only Dumbledore and Voldemort being recast.
• The fans grew alongside the cast and characters, forming a unique connection that keeps the magic alive.

The Harry Potter movies left behind a legacy that is hard to replicate. It is the fourth-highest-grossing film series behind only the Marvel Cinematic Universe , the Spider-Man franchise, and Star Wars, and it has become a cultural phenomenon. The Harry Potter movies also turned its young cast into international stars, making Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint household names. The Harry Potter film series also introduced renowned actors to a younger audience, from Alan Rickman to Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter.

Yet, while there are many accomplishments associated with the Harry Potter film series, there's one that is often overlooked. Unlike other franchises and film sagas, the Harry Potter movies were able to maintain almost all of their main cast from start to finish, allowing audiences and actors to grow alongside them. This created a bigger bond between fans and the stars of the Harry Potter films while also allowing the films' continuity to remain cohesive.

Harry Potter Was Able to Keep Most of Its Main Cast Throughout the Eight Films

While there were changes in the harry potter cast, only two main characters were recast.

• While most of the main cast remained the same, there were many minor characters who were recast in the Harry Potter film series.
• The Patil twins were recast, with Afshan Azadp replacing Sharon Sandhu as Padma and Shefali Chowdhury replacing Sitara Shah as Parvati.
• Lavender Brown was recast more than once, with Jessie Cave taking on the role once Lavender had a bigger part in Half-Blood Prince.
• Bill Weasley was also portrayed by different actors, though Richard Fish only played the eldest Weasley while posing for the family photograph in Prisoner of Azkaban . Domnhall Gleeson portrayed Bill once the character had a bigger role in the Harry Potter film series.

Which Actor Was the Best Dumbledore in the Harry Potter Franchise?

While there have been a few changes within the Harry Potter cast through the years, only two main characters were actually recast during the film's eight-year run. A lot of the time, it's hard to keep the same cast throughout multiple entries within the same franchise and film series. Even blockbuster franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe couldn't escape casting changes and brought in Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk/Bruce Banner even after Edward Norton's 2008 The Incredible Hulk included a post-credit scene tying the film with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man during the Phase One of the MCU . However, the Harry Potter film series successfully escaped the casting changes for the main characters. The only two exceptions were the recasting of Albus Dumbledore after Richard Harris, who played the Hogwarts' Headmaster in the first two Harry Potter films, sadly passed away, and Voldemort, who was played by Ian Hart and Richard Bremmer in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , and by Ralph Fiennes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and onward. In fact, six different actors played Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series . However, as some of them played younger versions of the character, it didn't affect the continuity of the films.

While it might seem like a small accomplishment, not many film series and franchises are able to keep their main cast from start to finish. Because of creative differences or because some actors don't want to play the same character for multiple years, many franchises have seen a recast of their main cast or the characters disappearing completely from the franchise. The Harry Potter f ilm series had no choice but to recast Dumbledore after Richard Harris' untimely death, and Voldemort's change in actor could be attributed to the character's rebirth in Goblet of Fire. Yet other than those two, the rest of the main cast remained.

The Harry Potter Movies Allowed Fans to Grow With the Characters

Most harry potter fans grew with the characters, creating a unique bond with the film series.

• Daniel Radcliffe was exactly eleven years old when he was cast to play Harry Potter, who was eleven during Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Emma Watson was only ten, while Rupert Grint was twelve.

Why the Fantastic Beasts Franchise Failed To Reach Harry Potter’s Success

If there's one thing book fans dislike, it's adding big changes to the source material when making a film or TV series adaptation. Casting Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint for the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley worked well because they not only embodied their characters, but they were also around the same age as their fictional counterparts. In the original Percy Jackson film series, for example, producers chose to age up the main characters without realizing this might affect the later films if the saga were to continue. Percy Jackson is only 12 in the first book, however, the Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief film cast seventeen-year-old Logan Lerman in the role of Percy, with Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth, who was twenty-three at the time. And while producers thought they could appeal to an older audience with the changes, they didn't take into account that fans growing with the characters would've created a bigger bond with the film series. A more faithful adaptation of the Percy Jackson book series debuted at Disney+ in 2023, and this time, the cast is around the same age as the characters from the book.

Fans growing up with the characters and the cast is one of the main reasons behind the nostalgia and connection Harry Potter fans have with the film series. Most of the adult Harry Potter fans were kids and teenagers when they first watched the films or read the books, and the memories of them growing up with the saga is a big part of why Harry Potter remains as popular today as it was twenty years ago. While the Harry Potter movies broke multiple records and left a legacy that is hard to compare to any other, it's the bond fans formed with the characters and the original cast as they grew up side-by-side that keeps the magic alive.

The Golden Trio in Harry Potter Didn't Outgrow Their Characters

Unlike other film series and even other tv series, the actors grew almost at the same time as the characters.

• Principal photography for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets began only three days after the wide release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was filmed back-to-back with Part 1.
• Daniel Radcliffe turned twenty while filming the last Harry Potter film, while Emma Watson was nineteen and Ruper Grint was twenty-one by the time production ended.

The Harry Potter Movies Left Out Hermione’s Worst Trait

An issue that most young adult and children's film series and TV shows face is that child and teen actors sometimes grow up too fast during production, and the changes are evident by the next film or season. And while giving child actors time to rest is key, producers also have to take into account that they can't let too much time pass between the filming of one entry and the next, as it could affect continuity. Delays in production can hinder a film series or TV show, much like the case of Stranger Things, with Season 5 delayed due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and scheduled to debut in 2025, almost three years after Season 4. The actors will most likely appear much older than they were in the previous season, though fans will have to wait and see if this is possibly explained within the story. The latest Percy Jackson Disney+ adaptation will hopefully be able to avoid many delays as it has already been renewed for Season 2.

The Harry Potter film series was filmed almost back-to-back in its entirety, something that is evident as the Golden Trio are about the same age as their characters throughout the saga. The Harry Potter cast grew alongside their characters, just as the fans grew with them as well. This created a deep connection and kinship between the cast and fans, as most fans feel they spent their childhood with these characters. The new Harry Potter adaptation will introduce the saga to a new generation of fans who might form the same bond and connection with its characters and cast if producers take the accomplishments of the Harry Potter movies into account during casting and filming.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry's rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.