Disappointing. - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Reviews

Now I, having read the Harry Potter books but not being an avid reader of them, walked into The Sorcerer's Stone not expecting too much; just some disposable entertainment. Unfortunetely, that's basically what I got. Yes, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is an imaginative little tale about the boy who survived the Dark Lord's wrath starting his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but overall, it just doesn't add up. It's uneven, and actually seems almost too loyal to the book. The child actors playing Harry, Hermione, and Ron (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint) actually look like their acting most of the time, not embodying their characters. But then again, their characters are hollow to the core, Harry's the only one with the slightest amount of emotional insight, but there's only one scene where Radcliffe plays the emotive part well. However, Harry Potter isn't awful. It is humorous and witty in some spots, and adult actors such as Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and many other British character actors add some spice and taste to this generally bland, overlong film. Another bonus is that the imaginavtive scope of Harry Potter is large. The visual effects are masterful, making Hogwarts seem as magical as can be. Definetely not "The Wizard of Oz of its time", as Richard Roeper said, but worth a look for the final act and the uniqueness that went into the story.