Harry Potter had the distinction of being the biggest opening ever. That is until this May when Spider-Man shattered its record. However the DVD is now here and already shattering new records, at least in Britain. Those lucky chaps got the disc before us but that's ok because this is one movie worth waiting for.
J. K. Rowling has crafted a brand new world that has touched millions of children and adults alike. The story of Harry Potter became an instant classic as the first book was released in 1997. Coming into this movie I had never read the books, so keep that in mind.
Harry Potter is a typical kid, whose parents died when he was young. His aunt and uncle have raised him since he was a child but don't treat him very well. In fact they have their own son, who in Cinderalla fashion gets all the perks while poor Harry gets treated poorly.
One day Harry receives a letter in the mail. Only this is no ordinary letter, in fact it's from a school that has accepted Harry into its program, the school being called Hogwarts Magic Academy. Harry's uncle proceeds to tear up the letter not wanting Harry to read it because he doesn't want Harry to go. More letters arrive until Harry's uncle takes him away to a secret location.
Enter Hagrid who personally delivers the letter to young Harry informing him about his secret past. Thus the plot is set for Harry to become a wizard. The movie is well directed with never a spot of blandness. Although over two hours long, I felt as if the story flew by as Harry, played by Daniel Radcliffe and his two new best pals, Rupert Grint as Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione, blend together action, friendship and build on the next films.
Many movies that will have sequels tend to leave open things a bit too much. Director Chris Columbus however manages to tie loose ends nicely while leaving open possibilities for the next film. The movie does have a few quirks. For one the school plays a sport that involves flying brooms and three ringed goals. It's a team sport called Quidditch but when you get down to the gist of things, you realize that the game's rules do not make much sense. However, the special effects wizards have done such an excellent job that it's almost believable that Harry and his teammates are flying on brooms in a 3D arena.
Without spoiling the movie for those of you who haven't seen it or read the book, another key element to the success of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, is the element of suspense. The writers have done an excellent job of keeping the audience guessing as to what will happen next. This is a key element in a movie of this length, especially with fresh faced actors such as the three heroes of the story.
One more thing, I gave the disc to my mother so she could watch it, which took a little convincing because she was certain this was for kids only. She came away saying she was totally wrong, and that she really enjoyed the movie. It's easy to see why this franchise made so much money in film and books. In fact I can't wait now to jump into the book and experience Quidditch the old fashioned way.
The Disc:
Being a special edition disc and one of, if not the biggest releases this year, there was tremendous pressure on Warner Brothers to come through with something the fans deserve. This two disc set is definitely for the fans, targeted mainly at a younger audience. The second disc features all the goodies. From the Great Hall main menu you can access eight different menu sections - "Diagon's Alley," "Sorting Hat," "Tour," "Interviews," "Library," "Hogwart's Ground," "Classroom," and "Extra Credit" - each housing their own subsections and yet more subsections.
I began with a 3D virtual trip through Hogwarts Magic Academy in the tour. This is designed to give the viewer control over where the tour takes you and works well. It's something I might have appreciated more as a child however.
Other sections on the disc are well thought out with plenty of extra background on the whole world of Harry Potter. The video interview is supplemented instead of audio tracks leaving us scratching our heads as we know Columbus likes to chatter. The only real problem here is that the design is a bit complicated although very very original and neat.
Those of you who have a DVD-ROM will find that Warner Brothers made good use of the technology available to them. I only wish that our beloved PS2 would evntually get some DVD-ROM extras as I am sure many Harry Potter fans are also PlayStation 2 fans. The extras aren't quite what I had hoped for, but maybe I've just become a bit jaded.
The look of the film is excellent. Leaving the goodies to the second disc has allowed for the highest bitrate possible making for a clean looking and clear picture. There are no problems that I could see here. Soundwise the disc sounds great with perfect use of the surrounds to capture the home theater experience. Although we miss the inclusion of a DTS track, the DD 5.1 does more than an admirable job with the audio track.
bottom line:
Harry Potter is a classic and one that generations of children will fall in love with. Ebert got it right when he said this was The Wizard Of Oz for a new generation. Although I feel this disc doesn't quite acheieve our must have rating, it's still a disc that everyone should check out. The Chamber of Secrets is next and we expect even greater things.
By - Brian Gray
1/2
