Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

An exceptional big-screen half-term treat.

Harry Potter's first venture onto the screen is a solid blockbuster.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is, despite its trickery, that plainest and least surprising of artifacts: the work of art that is exactly the sum of its parts, neither more nor less.

First Potter movie is a magical ride but also intense.

A near-perfect commercial and cultural commodity.

I hear the J.K. Rowling books are great, and on the basis of this 2001 movie I'm ready to believe it.

... a painstakingly literal translations of J.K Rowling’s first novel, a near-perfect replica created with a kind of funhouse spectacle of the wonders of the magical world come to life.

...a decent-enough first installment that admittedly does a nice job of establishing Rowling's impressively detailed world and characters...

The Harry Potter movies are the rare series to defy the notion that the books are always better.

It's always thrilling to see kids taking matters into their own hands, outthinking their peers, outwitting adults, and defeating superior enemies.