HARRY POTTER

Laura Camila Muñoz Vanegas

 WHAT'S THE STORY?

 When HARRY POTTER AND THE

SORCERER'S STONE begins, Harry (Daniel
Radcliffe) is an orphan who lives with the awful
Dursleys, his aunt, uncle, and cousin. On his 11th
birthday, Harry receives a mysterious letter, but his
uncle destroys it before he can read it. Letters keep
coming, and the Dursleys panic and hide away on a
remote island. But they're found by Hagrid (Robbie
Coltrane), a huge, bearded man with a weakness for
scary-looking creatures.
 It turns out that the letters were coming from Hogwarts, a boarding school for
young witches and wizards, and Harry is expected for the fall term, so Hagrid whisks
him off to begin his new life as a wizard in training. On the train to Hogwarts, Harry
meets his future best friends, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger
(Emma Watson). When school begins, things really get exciting, with classes in Potions
and Defense Against the Dark Arts, a sport called Quidditch (a sort of flying
soccer/basketball), a mysterious trap door guarded by a three-headed dog named
Fluffy, and a baby dragon named Norbert.
 Throughout the year, Harry adjusts to his magical life and begins
to come to grips with his famous status in the wizarding world and
what he represents to the darker forces there. He also learns some
important lessons about loyalty and courage.
 MY OPINION

 The start to the Harry Potter film series is filled

with visual splendor, valiant heroes, spectacular
special effects, and irresistible characters. It's only
fair to say that it's truly magical. The settings
manage to be sensationally imaginative and yet at
the same time so clearly believable and lived-in that
you'll think you could find them yourself, if you
could just get to Platform 9 3/4.
 The adult actors are simply and completely perfect. Richard Harris turns in
his all-time best performance as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Maggie Smith
(whose on-screen teaching roles extend from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to
Sister Act) brings just the right tone of dry asperity to Professor McGonagall,
and Robbie Coltrane is a half-giant with a heart to match as Hagrid.
 Alan Rickman provides shivers as potions master Professor Snape, and
the brief glimpse of Julie Walters (an Oscar nominee for Billy Elliott) will
make you glad you'll be seeing more of her in future movies. The kids are
all just fine, though mostly just called upon to look either astonished or
resolute.

 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a terrific book and a terrific
movie. Every family should enjoy them both.