Reel Critics

Teri Simonis

Three wands up for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone!” Harry

Potter fans will enjoy a movie faithful to the book.

This was a “huge relief” to Derek who said, “There was little left to

be desired for anyone who is an avid fan.” Those not yet introduced to

J.K Rowling’s magical books will delight in the movie’s lush setting,

charming actors and vivid special effects. Derek noticed that “the credit

list for special effects ran almost as long as the two-and-a-half-hour

movie.”

He also thinks Robbie Coltrane created a wonderful Hagrid, a gentle

giant of a friend to Harry Potter. “All in all the audience was under a

spell throughout the entire film,” he said.

Sean believes the movie was “just as good or better than the book.

Though the screenplay edited out some scenes from the book, overall it

stayed true. Daniel Radcliffe plays an understated Harry Potter who

finally understands the weird things that have happened to him all his

life. He finds a home at Hogwarts, the school for wizards. Emma Watson

plays a perfect Hermione, full of herself and incredibly smart. The

backgrounds in the scenes were awesome. This movie needs to be seen twice

to catch everything.”

As testified by Derek and Sean, the movie obviously lives up to the

expectations of Harry Potter fans creating visually the magical world

children fell in love with in J.K Rowling’s books. I suppose I’ll sound

like a bit of a muggle when I say there were no surprises from screenplay

writer, Steven Kloves. I sat in a full audience hearing no gasps of shock

from scenes depicting three-headed dogs or enormous trolls. In fact, I

heard whispers from children, “This is where Harry” and “What happens

next is. . . .”

Besides the whispers, the only other sound from an enraptured

multi-generational audience was spontaneous applause at the end. Another

muggle-worthy thought occurred to me when viewing the talking portraits,

Nearly Headless Nick (John Cleese) and the tram ride into the bowels of

the goblin bank. Is Harry Potterland at Disney already planned? My

favorite performance in this movie is by Rupert Grint who plays Ron, a

good-natured friend to Harry. His red hair and dimples are adorable.

Whether or not this movie is deserving of the records it is breaking at

the box office, it is good family entertainment and worth the ticket

price.

* SEAN RUHLAND, 12, is a seventh-grader at Marine View Middle School,

DEREK RUHLAND, 14, is a freshman at Huntington Beach High School, and

TERI SIMONIS, 41, is an office assistant for the city of Huntington

Beach.