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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

2001 · Directed by Chris Columbus

Original language: English

  • adventure
  • fantasy

The story

Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.

What it’s like

Warm, glowing interiors against cold, grey English exteriors: candlelit Great Hall dinners under a ceiling full of stars, sooty Diagon Alley storefronts, mist over the castle grounds and the lakeside. Chris Columbus shoots in broad, classically composed frames with plenty of room for the sets, and John Williams' score swells with bright woodwinds, celesta and a rolling sense of wonder that never quite tips into menace. The pace is brisk and episodic, a sequence of discoveries (a shopping trip, a first flight on a broomstick, a chess-like wizard game, a corridor of forbidden doors) stitched together with easy, affectionate humour. Its mood is cosy and wide-eyed, with a low undercurrent of unease that stays mostly off-screen. The emotional register is hopeful and loyal: a lonely boy finding a home and two steadfast friends. Intensity is mild: a troll sequence, some peril in the dungeon and a climactic showdown with a cloaked figure that is tense but bloodless, with no gore and no sexual content. Suits a rainy Sunday, a comfort rewatch, or a family evening, and fits anyone wanting gentle fantasy with a snug, familiar warmth.

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