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.
Daniel Radcliffe
Harry Potter
Rupert Grint
Ron Weasley
Emma Watson
Hermione Granger
Richard Harris
Albus Dumbledore
Tom Felton
Draco Malfoy
Alan Rickman
Severus Snape
Robbie Coltrane
Rubeus Hagrid
Maggie Smith
Minerva McGonagall
Richard Griffiths
Vernon Dursley
Ian Hart
Quirinus Quirrell
Fiona Shaw
Petunia Dursley
John Hurt
Mr. Ollivander
David Bradley
Argus Filch
Matthew Lewis
Neville Longbottom
Sean Biggerstaff
Oliver Wood
Warwick Davis
Goblin Bank Teller / Filius Flitwick / Griphook (voice)
Harry Melling
Dudley Dursley
James Phelps
Fred Weasley
Oliver Phelps
George Weasley
John Cleese
Nearly Headless Nick
Chris Rankin
Percy Weasley
Alfred Enoch
Dean Thomas
Devon Murray
Seamus Finnigan
Jamie Waylett
Vincent Crabbe
Josh Herdman
Gregory Goyle
Zoë Wanamaker
Madam Hooch
Julie Walters
Molly Weasley
Bonnie Wright
Ginny Weasley
Luke Youngblood
Lee Jordan
Verne Troyer
Griphook
Adrian Rawlins
James Potter
Geraldine Somerville
Lily Potter
Elizabeth Spriggs
The Fat Lady
Richard Bremmer
Lord Voldemort
Nina Young
The Grey Lady
Terence Bayler
The Bloody Baron
Harry Taylor
Station Guard
Leslie Phillips
The Sorting Hat (voice)
Simon Fisher-Becker
Fat Friar
Derek Deadman
Bartender in Leaky Cauldron
Ray Fearon
Firenze (voice)
Eleanor Columbus
Susan Bones
Ben Borowiecki
Diagon Alley Boy
Danielle Tabor
Angelina Johnson
Leilah Sutherland
Alicia Spinnet
Emily Dale
Katie Bell
Will Theakston
Terence Higgs
Jamie Yeates
Marcus Flint
Saunders Triplets
Baby Harry Potter
David Holmes
Slytherin Beater
Scot Fearn
Adrian Pucey
Jean Southern
Trolley Witch (uncredited)
Kieri Kennedy
Child at Zoo (uncredited)
Leila Hoffman
Augusta Longbottom (uncredited)
Julianne Hough
Hogwarts Schoolgirl (uncredited)
Zoe Sugg
Girl in Potion Class (uncredited)
Jimmy Vee
Goblin (uncredited)
Derek Hough
Ravenclaw Student (uncredited)
Dani Harmer
Student (uncredited)
Mark Ballas
Hogwarts Schoolboy (uncredited)
Paul Marc Davis
Lord Draben (uncredited)
Violet Columbus
Girl with Flowers (uncredited)
Paul Grant
Goblin (uncredited)
Director
Chris Columbus
Novel
J.K. Rowling
Screenplay
Steve Kloves
July 24, 2019
8
Ahh, the magic begins.
Harry Potter is an Orphan who on his eleventh birthday discovers he's a wizard and is called to term at Hogwarts School. But Harry is soon to find out that his past, and his destiny, is a truly remarkable, magical, and terrifying thing.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone arrived in a blaze of publicity, one of the most hyped and talked about motion pictures of the decade had finally arrived. The box office was guaranteed to bulge based on fandom book base alone, regardless of if the film got bad word of mouth or not, it was destined to be a monster smash hit. To someone like me who to this day has never read any of the Harry Potter books, it was easy for me to view objectively without comparison to the source - I enjoyed it immensely upon theatre release, and I still enjoy it equally as much now.
Director Christopher Columbus, I believe has wisely stayed loyal to the source material, and thus pleased the literature masses. Yet not all newcomers to the party were that taken by the magic on show, that's a little baffling to me because the budget explodes from the screen at every turn. Oliver Twist like sets form the marvellous Diagon Alley, dream like smoke cloaks the splendid Hogwarts Express, the school itself is a monolithic delight nestling in among eerie mountains - and what about the exhilarating introduction of Quidditch? Pulsating and frantic with no amount of devilment to keep us intrigued throughout.
The characters are all perfectly formed in the first two thirds of the film, here Columbus pulls off a masterstroke by interjecting the character arcs with dashes of wonder so that we the audience never gets bored. The final reel plays out solidly as per the mysterious "who done it" core of the piece, but it's down to the previous work in the film that we actually care come the finale. Some great casting of the adults really helps to make the film triumph, with Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane (one of the best casting jobs of the decade I would say), Richard Harris, Alan Rickman and Zoe Wanamaker all doing excellent work here. The kids are all newcomers that overnight were to become household names, all fresh faced and wet behind the ears, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint & Tom Felton are a delight to watch, and they all help to keep the feeling of charm constantly glowing up on the screen.
Owls here, witches there, what's that strange three headed dog doing over there? The Harry Potter franchise begins with a bang and a whip of the wand, and I and gazillions of others personally love it. 8/10