Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

-

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [2001]

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

Direction by Chris Columbus, Original story by J.K. Rowling

Language: English

Let me just call a spade a spade: you have not had a childhood if you have not watched Harry Potter. And whilst I grew up reading the books and subsequently watching the movies, I recently decided to rewatch the movies, and all the fuzzy memories of youth came rushing back. This was the case especially in the first installment: Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone: the nostalgia of seeing all the lead actors so young and innocent made me feel so warm. 

Whilst I do love the Harry Potter series, this will be the first and last Harry Potter movie I will review: you can basically say the same thing about every one of the movies, and I would prefer to watch and review movies with a little more diversity. 

The most positive aspect of this movie was how true it stayed to the original novels. The other movies in the series tend to stray, even if only a little bit, from the original narrative of the story. And whilst this is not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things, little differences can change one's entire impression of the film. Watching the first installment of the movie brought the images my mind created whilst I was reading to real life, and that was so great to see! To find a movie that stays true to the original story is a rare treasure nowadays. 

Another huge thing about this movie was that it served as such a great basis from which the rest of the films could follow. The presentation of this new universe was executed perfectly, and it can therefore be said that this movie is almost responsible for the success of those that followed it. 

The casting was also spectacular: I can't even imagine another Potter, Granger or Weasley. The actors in this role fit the characters so well, and that is something so hard to find, especially in children's movies. This coupled with the marvellous chemistry between the trio really compounded how well this movie worked. 

I don't tend to notice music in a film, unless it is a movie that revolves specifically around the music industry, like Tár. But, I think it is safe to say that John Williams' brilliant composition of the theme may be one of the single most iconic pieces of music in the modern age. 

Whilst it may not be as visually attractive as the other movies in the franchise, this one definitely has the most heart. If you haven't watched it yet, I am really concerned as to what you're doing with your time. 

10/10

Popular posts from this blog

Moonlight

-
Image
  MOONLIGHT [2016] Starring: Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Naomie Harris Direction by Barry Jenkins Language: English In 2016, I turned 11. I had watched La La Land in the cinema, but was too young to watch Moonlight. I loved musicals even then, and so I thought I was supposed to love the movie. So I resented Moonlight when they were the ones that ended up winning the Oscar on that fateful day in 2017. The movie has always been in the back of my mind: I've been wondering about it of late, and it was only until it came up on my Netflix recommended list that I decided to watch it.  Side note: I didn't realise that A24 was involved in the production and distribution of so many critically acclaimed films! Moonlight, Lady Bird, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Whale, Aftersun. The list goes on and on. A24 is my kind of production house, that's for certain.  What can I say about Moonlight? It was alright, I guess? I don't know. I watche...
Read more

Days of Being Wild

-
Image
  Days of Being Wild [1990] Starring: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau Direction by Wong Kar-wai Language: Cantonese, Mandarin I was very lucky to find that in my city, a local independent cinema was having a Wong Kar-wai retrospective, where they were showing Wong Kar-wai's most influential movies in a bid to increase tourism to Hong Kong. I had originally wanted to watch 'In the Mood For Love' on the big screen, yet it sold out almost instantly. In response, I watched this instead, and I am so glad that I did.  If the movie does anything well, it is character development that excels. Although the movie was quite short, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of symbolism Kar-wai was able to pack into it. All of the characters felt very fleshed out, but not the the point where their storylines became repetitive, as is the case with may Western movies. Kar-wai's craft, in my opinion, is giving the audiences small hints throughout his movies, meaning t...
Read more

Bunty Aur Babli

-
Image
  Bunty Aur Babli [2005] Starring: Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan Direction by Shaad Ali Language: Hindi After reviewing a few movies, I have realised that I only watch Bollywood movies if I have listened to the songs beforehand and have enjoyed them! In this case, members of my family have singing Kajra Re  since I was born! In other reviews, I have mentioned how I tend not to enjoy crime/action films. However, a crime film put together with some incredibly extravagant choreography, a budding romance and you've got me hooked. Finally, I have seen a movie that isn't just a soppy romance in its entirety! What is interesting about this movie is the shift in narrative: the writers of Bollywood films, to this day, have an obsession with the western world. You'll be hard pressed to find a movie that doesn't take you to the streets of New York or London for a dance number. Most movies often centre around the movement of NRIs (non resident Indians) to and fr...
Read more