While it may not be as flashy, refined, or impressive as the rest of the films in the franchise, Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone for the Potter purists) deserves immense credit for setting up this series so wonderfully, and laying a fantastic foundation off of which the other films could be built. Director Chris Columbus was not only responsible for putting together the incredible cast, but he also captured Rowling’s wizarding world on film in a manner that felt relatable and wholly transfixing. Sorcerer’s Stone is told through the eyes of an 11-year-old, and so the film was always going to skew a bit younger than subsequent installments, but Columbus refuses to talk down to his audience and wisely sidesteps delving into cartoony kids’ movie land. And even though it’s tonally the lightest film of the bunch, Sorcerer’s Stone still works wonderfully as a fantastic entry in the Potter franchise. The winning combination of charm and smarts permeates throughout, and Columbus nails the founding friendship of our three heroes, culminating in a grand finale that lets each one of them shine. Who can resist adorable Ron Weasley commanding a giant chess set with gusto as he sits atop a stone knight?
The first (and the most crucial) movie in the Harry Potter Franchise is certainly one it's best- it happened to be my first exposure to the world of Harry Potter and the lifelong obsession that was about to follow. The first shot of Hogwarts- immediately mesmerizing with it's tall towers and windows glimmering with candle-light as the bewitching soundtrack by John Williams plays- is a testament to how well the film is made. Minor details like the gorgeous mountains and lakes that surround Hogwarts lurk in the background or at the edges of the frames and make the whole thing dreamier, and magical. It's all so enchanting that one doesn't nitpick the special effects (which while being perfectly good for that time, seem a bit funny today). The credit for this certainly goes to JK Rowling more than any one person because it's such a well realised world- it's the details of her imagination, after all, that the movie brings on the screen. The story is- as we know- one of the most interesting ones ever told in our lifetimes. The casting certainly helps- the actors have been chosen less to accurately portray the physical features of their respective characters than to innately exude particular energies- Alan Rickman as Snape looks evil before he utters a word; Emma Watson as Hermoine looks honest and sincere; McGonagall looks like the phenomenal character that she is- and at the center of it all is Daniel Radcliffe- who makes the part his own- no one else could have been Harry Potter in a million years.
