A Mini Muggle Must Have! Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Movie Poster Book
Written: Nov 25 '01 (Updated Jan 07 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Exceptional photographs, some what wide assortment of characters, suitable for framing.
Cons: No text what so ever, pages show fingerprints very easily.
The Bottom Line: Perfect for the upcoming holidays, an inexpensive way to decorate your childs room. A must have for fans of the film!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Poster Book ... |
It’s not often that I get out of the house by myself, but when I do, I make sure that every second counts. One of my usual stops on these rare occasions is Barnes & Noble. Sure there are the chair trolls that never seem to move [or give up their spot] and the infamous coffee slurpers that annoy even the nicest people – but their hours can’t be beat and they are located a hop, skip and jump away from my other late night bastion, Starbucks.
I knew it was inevitable, I had to make my way to the kids section to pick up the requested books that the brood accidentally left laying on the kitchen table. The kids section is a bit frightening for me, all these little Rugrats running around with runny noses and completely clueless as to where their parents are. Please, do not get me wrong – I adore children, however, the small monsters that are allowed to run amuck in the store unsupervised … they are a different story.
Dodging a child that was ready to sneeze, I saw the stack of books out of the corner of my eye. There were about fifty of them, give or take a few, and most were already damaged in one way, shape or form. If there is one thing I will not tolerate is spending money on a book that is damaged, shows signs of wear and tear or has cracks in the spine. That is why I pay top dollar for my books – if I do the damage that’s cool – but I refuse to pay for a book that someone else already ‘broke in’.
The Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Poster Book is an impressive book – if it can be called a book at all. There is no text except the legal information on the back page. I had seen the post card book and was tempted to buy it an have them framed for the playroom but when I started counting all the cuts I would have to on the matting I decided to try and find larger pictures to use.
As the title may suggest, this book contains stills from the movie, 15 in all and trust me, they are completely suitable for framing. The pages are glossy stock so please be careful when handling them, your fingerprints will be visible and after a period of time the grease from your peds [finger pads] will deteriorate the colors and glossy finish.
Some of you might think that going through each poster is overkill; I say it’s necessary for those that shop online. Sure you can look at the cover of the book on a website or even see a few of the pages, but my motto is buyer beware. If it really bothers you that much, please feel free to skip to the bottom part of the review.
Poster Information
Page One
This is the cover photo of Harry Potter in Gryffindor attire. Not exactly an exceptional photo but someone sure took a liking to it.
Page Two
Class photo of Ron Weasley Very nice, exceptional color.
Page Three
Hermione Granger in Gryffindor attire. I would have picked a better shot of her, perhaps one where she is smiling or looking directly into the camera instead of away from it.
Page Four *
Split scene, top half is Harry with a Gringott’s goblin, the bottom is the scene of Harry and Hagrid walking through Gringott’s.
Page Five
Hagrid and Harry on the bridge before Harry starts searching for the 9 3/4 Platform. In the background you can see part of the ticket that Hagrid gives to Harry before he disappears. Not exactly a great photo, the color is almost completely washed out of it.
Page Six
Front side view of Hogwarts Express. All you get to see is the front car of the train but the colors are extremely nice.
Page Seven *
Split scene. Hermione, Ron and Harry when they first enter the hall prior to the Sorting ceremony. Bottom part of the scene is the dining hall with students seated, prior to having dinner.
Page Eight *
Split scene. Top is Harry with his broomstick with a few students standing behind him. Bottom scene is the first broomstick class with Madame Hooch.
Page Nine *
A very dark departure form the recent “cute” photos in the book. A dark and eerie Harry with a scared look on his face in the top scene while the bottom is the silhouette scene.
Page Ten *
The Levitation class with Hermione in the foreground and the students and classroom in the background.
Page Eleven
Harry searching for a book in the library. This would have been a great picture if the center portion of it weren't blurred.
Page Twelve *
Another dark scene, limited color in the photograph. Ron, Hermione and Harry are in the lower portion of the shot [looking rather scared I might add] with the cat in the top scene.
Page Thirteen *
Right side of the page is Harry Potter with his fellow Gryffindor team preparing for the Quidditch game. The left side of the photo is of the team walking toward the field.
Page Fourteen
Ron and Harry on the train – after Harry buys everything from the vendors cart.
Page Fifteen *
Harry and Dumbledore in the schools hospital after Harry wins the game of Wizards Chess.
· = Photos I have mounted and framed.
What You Should Know
On the backs of the pages that contain photographs are designs that you see from the film. So why is that important? So you don't have to pick and choose between which side you wish to display, frame or hang on the wall.
The pages are perforated for easy removal. Yeah, let me meet the person that said, “Removal of the pages couldn’t be easier”. After ripping part of the first page I wanted to frame, I decided that it would be better to use a sharp razor blade and thick piece of cardboard to remove them. If you are going to use this method, please be careful!
As I said earlier, these pages will hold your fingerprints. If you are going to frame then use latex gloves when handling them and make sure the glass is clean and dry before you assemble them.
Even if you choose not to frame these, they are a great way for kids to relive the film over and over without having to dish out the price of an admission ticket each time :] Since there are only fifteen posters in the book, you might only be able to get away with that trick for so long before they start to give you dirty looks.
In all honesty, there really is no use for you to buy this unless you are an avid collector or you want to frame them or hang them on your child wall. The book is sturdy but the edges will get banged up and the pages will rip. Judging from the copies at Barnes & Noble that have seen a few days of ‘leafing through’, these will last about a week to two weeks before they are ready for the trash.
My Biggest Gripe
Snape was nowhere to be found, nor were any of the ghosts or Harry’s parents. The photos are not in chronological order – which would have made some sense. I would have rather paid a few dollars more for additional posters with more characters – but then again, I just write the review, not the books.
The End Result…
So, this book is pretty much useless unless you handle it with extreme care or plan on actually using the posters in some form. If you don’t want to shell out big bucks to the actual movie posters [most of which are replicates by the way], this is a great alternative. One of my sons has turned into a certified Harry Potter freak [no pun intended] so I plan on getting the comforter pillow set, window valance, area rug and a few other odds and ends and redecorating his room Christmas Eve. The boys have all taken to sleeping in the livingroom with the hopes of catching St. Nick – which gives me plenty of time, room and space to help out Mr. Clause. [wink wink, nod nod]
The Stats
Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Poster Book
UPC Code: 78073 00699
ISBM: 0-439-28623-9
Age Recommendation: 6 - 12
Cost:
US $6.99
Canada $9.99
Published By Scholastic Inc
Size 9 x 12
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
Related Potter paraphernalia …
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter Collectors Stones
Hogwarts Express
Hogwarts Castle
Recommended:
Yes
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