Rating- * * * (3/5)
This was, without a doubt, one of the most heavily hyped movies of the year, but of course all that means to me is that it has a lot to live up to. I decided that since there was so much buzz being generated about this movie, I would read the book to do a little research and hopefully catch the Harry Potter fever. I enjoyed the book way too much for it to have been a children’s book and by the day of the release I was as excited as anyone about the movie. I have decided at this point that reading the book first is not a good idea; I became so familiar with the plot and details of the book that I noticed every missing piece in the film. But the missing scenes were not the reason why I wasn’t impressed with the film version. The whole production seems to think that it’s bigger than itself. Even the child actors have an ere of precociousness and arrogance about themselves in the movie. I will say that seeing some of the fantastic scenes on screen, particularly the Quidditch match, was rather satisfying and enjoyable to watch but it seemed as if every seen was made with the assumption that the audience would be in complete awe from the opening frame on. If you don’t know the story or have never read any of the Harry Potter books, you will certainly enjoy the story and perhaps my having read the book beforehand detracted from the magic of the movie. Nonetheless, Harry’s complete fascination and sense of wonder about his new life as a wizard is completely lost in the film version and this was really what made the character fun and likable. Ultimately, the movie falls so in love with itself that it forgets to be good or authentic. Let’s hope the sequels will be a little more ambitious in their desire to be good movies, rather than impress everyone with the simple fact that the movie was made.