Directed by: Chris Columbus
Written by: J.K. Rowling (novel) & Steve Kloves (screenplay)
A young boy living with his abusive aunt and uncle finds out he's a wizard and gets to go to a school meant for people like him. He also finds out he's famous in the wizard world because a powerful dark wizard didn't manage to kill him when he was a baby. He is told he is certainly destined for great things.
I've decided to watch all of the Harry Potter movies during my sister's autumn holiday, because I wanted to watch something I've watched since I was a kid. Yeah, you can tell my quest for watching all the Twilight Saga movies isn't going so well. But the thing is they aren't just nostalgic for me. I also don't like them as much anymore, which gives me kind of like a different look on them. I've seen them a million times (or read, I have seen the last ones like... once), so what can I tell about them now? It's always hard for me to talk about movies I've seen so many times, so it's great practice.
While I'm not big on fantasy, I can't deny the effect Harry Potter has had on the genre - and on my generation. It' the first fantasy series I ever watched or read, and so many people connect through Harry Potter. It's astonishing, no matter what I feel towards the series.
Watching the first movie makes me feel really bad about how horrible Harry's childhood was living with his aunt and uncle who clearly didn't care for him at all. It's gotten even more horrible now that I have grown up and I've realised how abusive they really were. Seriously, why on earth would Dumbledore give this kid to people who hate wizards? Did he honestly think that writing them a letter would make this all go well? Of course this is not the last time which makes us question Dumbledore's decisions.
Chris Columbus has mostly directed movies for the whole family. His imprint is clear. The first Harry Potter movie is clearly a very childlike fantasy. It's mostly aimed for children, and no one's trying to hide it. Sure, people of all ages can watch it, and the book isn't just meant for kids, but the movie is just so clearly meant for children, which can make it slightly annoying. But it's fascinating to see how that changes when the series goes on. The movies change a lot considering their target audience was growing up the whole time, and they eventually look like a dark young adult fantasy instead of this colourful fantasy for children..
This first movie adaptation annoys me so much. They've followed the book closely, some lines are straight from the book. Yet so much is missing. So many important details are gone. Of course not everything can make it to the film but still it bothers many viewers who have read the books. Also even if the movie is long it seems to happen so fast.
It's an entertaining movie but after so any years they lose some of their magic. It's sad, of course, but it's mostly the fault of the audience (in this case, me) and not the movies.
6 / 10
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