I have to tell you straight out that I haven't read any of the books. By that statement i'm saying that i'm seeing the film with no preconceptions.

We first meet Harry as a baby being delivered to his aunt and uncle by the rather large Hagrid (wonderfully played by Robbie Coltrane), and a couple of wizards. Several years later we learn that this "adopted" family of Harry's makes him live under the stairs and have a really obnoxious kid of their own. What struck me about this family was the way they were portrayed. With the style of British overacting (William Shatner eat your heart out)that nearly ruined the classic "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Portrayed in this manner, the characters cannot be taken seriously. That's not to say they don't dredge up a few chuckles, they do. Especially when the obnoxious kid gets caught in the snake's cage at the zoo.

Eventually though, Harry makes it to Hogwarts school for wizards where the gist of the story takes place. On the train ride to Hogwarts, Harry meets Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger. These other kids would become his best friends at the school. It also struck me how much these three reminded me of Mark Twain's beloved characters: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Becky Thatcher. Nothing in the rest of the film would dissuade me from this connection.

At Hogwarts, the gang begins learning wizardry from a rather eccentric lot of teachers. All played by top notch British actors in a straightforward manner that was the direct opposite of the overacted beginning of the film. In a way these polar opposite acting styles work, each offsetting the other. I would have preferred a more straightforward beginning though.

The rest of the film deals with Harry's search for the Sorcerer's Stone and his attempts to keep it out of the hands of the evil wizard who killed his parents. This stone would make the evil wizard immortal. All of this with Hermione and Ron along and me not able to get the similarities to Tom, Huck, and Becky out of my mind. A few pleasant diversions such as the Quidditch game seem to serve no other purpose but to show off the wizardry of the special effects artists. At least at the time they didn't. The skills Harry garnered from playing this game would serve him later in acquiring the Sorcerer's Stone.

In the end, Harry meets up with and does battle with the evil wizard. The biggest problem the film has is right here. In a true anticlimax, the battle was far too easy for Harry. I was left shrugging and wondering: "Is that it?" It seems like this has become a staple in todays films, they do a great job building up to a climax and then cheat the audience with a copout ending.

As much as i've picked apart the film, I still enjoyed it and do recommend it. But it doesn't live up to the hype.

Recommended:
Yes