by Sunni Gressock

From Merlin to Mary Poppins, there has never been a more magical story told about witches and wizards until J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Now, we may not be able to prove that Mary Poppins was a witch, but there is no hiding witches and wizards within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you’re looking for a great story filled with mystical creatures, magic, and a world completely unlike our own, it may be time to get to know Harry Potter.

The movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is based on the first book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. We are introduced to young Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) in his ‘bedroom,’ which is sadly a small closet underneath a staircase. When Harry was a small child, his parents died unexpectedly and his only living relatives were the horrible Dursleys. His Aunt and Uncle thought him only a burden from the moment he was left on their doorstep. Harry’s cousin Dudley (played by Harry Melling), treats Harry with the same kindness and respect he sees his parents give everyday: absolutely none.

On the night of Harry’s eleventh birthday, an abnormally large man named Hagrid (played by Robbie Contrane0 shows up to give Harry a message. Harry’s a wizard, and he is invited to study at the most prestigious wizarding school in the world: Hogwarts. Hagrid goes into some depth about what Harry is and what happened to his parents. This is a shock to Harry because he has lived his life believing that they died in an accident when they were actually murdered by a man named Voldemort (also known as “he who shall not be named”). Despite the Dursely’s protests, Harry leaves for Hogwarts a few days later.

On the train ride to Hogwarts, Harry meets his soon-to-be best friends, the annoying Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson) and the extremely odd Ron Weasley (played by Rupert Grint). Harry arrives at Hogwarts and starts his magical journey. He will soon learn that the evil once thought dead by the magical world is actually at large, and that somehow Harry is a huge part of that evil’s life. He will grow close to the headmaster Dumbledore (played by Richard Harris), who somehow always proves to be smarter than imaginable. He will meet Draco Malfoy (played by Tom Felton), Harry’s nemesis. Finally, the viewer will follow Harry, Ron, and Hermione through one of the most epic and widely known fantasy series every written.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a book intended for a young audience. If you weren’t brought into the Harry Potter world as a child or young adult, it may be difficult to just pick up book one and have a go while staying interested. Things brought to life visually are easier for people to become interested in, and Chris Columbus, the film’s director, did a great job of doing just that. Mark Dujsik of “Mark Reviews Movies” says, “the move adaption of Harry Potter seems to think that its job is over for simply having been made” (Dujsik, “Harry Potter”). I feel that Mark was very wrong with his statement. You can’t fit a large book into a two and a half hour movie without changing a few things. It’s actually quite the opposite.

Chris Columbus did a few things to make the movie more visually appealing to its audience. For instance, in the beginning of the movie, before Harry finds out he is a wizard, he goes to his cousin’s birthday party at a reptile house. After Dudley knocks Harry down to see a large snake move, Harry has one of his odd experiences. He speaks to the snake, and the snake responds. The glass from the cage disappears, the snake says “thank you” to Harry, and slithers out past Dudley who had been leaning on the glass. He falls into the snake’s cage and begins to scream. Next thing we know, he’s stuck behind the glass crying for his parents. They go to the reptile house in the book, but Harry never makes the glass disappear. Seeing this lightens up the mood for all watching Harry’s sad family life story being told. More importantly, we as the audience get vengeance! It’s unfair to say that “the job is over for simply being made.” Chris Columbus added in necessary scenes throughout the movie to make the audience feel the emotions that we are supposed to feel. Alan Morrison from Empire says, “fans probably couldn’t hope for a better adaptation” (Morrison, “Harry Potter”). I couldn’t agree more, Alan.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone only grew bigger when the movie came out. On November 4th, 2001, Harry Potter was released in theaters. On opening night it grossed 33.3 million dollars (Wikipedia, “Harry Potter”), breaking the single day record previously held by Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In the first weekend of release, Harry Potter made 90.3 million dollars (Wikipedia, “Harry Potter”), breaking the record for highest grossing opening weekend of all time. The movie didn’t just receive great results in the United States. Similar results were achieved across the globe. In total, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone grossed 974.4 million dollars worldwide (Wikipedia, “Harry Potter”). That’s huge.

The Harry Potter story didn’t stop at the movie. J.K. Rowling has written six more Harry Potter novels, and seven more movies have been made. Her empire is so huge that fans cannot stop asking for more. In response, she has made a website called Pottermore. It’s a website that allows fans to go more in depth with the book’s side stories as well as learn new things that were not in the books. Pottermore is currently in beta testing, but we can definitely expect it soon.

Harry Potter made wizards cool. It was the beginning of this huge fantasy craze that currently sweeps the nation. It evolved from a children’s book to a beloved story known worldwide, and we only can wish we had more. My recommendation? Go find either the book or movie of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Toss yourself into it, and join Harry’s epic story.

WORKS CITED:

Dujsik, Mark. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. “Mark Reviews Movies.” 20 January 2012. Web.

Columbus, Chris. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2001. Film.

Morrison, Alan. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. “Empire.” Bauer Consumer Media, 20 January 2012. Web.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Wikipedia. 23 January 2012.