Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
78 %
Reviews Counted: 181 Fresh: 142 Rotten:39 Average Rating: 7/10
Consensus:
Being so faithful to the book is both the movie's strength and weakness. The movie unfolds exactly as written in the book, so there is little room for surprises or discoveries. For Potter fans, what more can you ask for?
Runtime: 2 hrs 37 mins
Theatrical Release: Nov 16, 2001 Wide
Box Office: $317,557,891
Synopsis: As Harry Potter’s (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) 11th birthday draws near, he anticipates little in the way of excitement or presents from the Dursleys, Harry’s unpleasant relatives who took him in following his parents’ deaths and forced him to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. But this... [More]
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman
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Top Critic
I hear the J.K. Rowling books are great, and on the basis of this 2001 movie I'm ready to believe it.
03/05/08
Top Critic
Suffering from too much fantasy over too little reality, Sorcerer's Stone sets Harry Potter up for a longer and fruitful career as a screen legend.
07/24/07
Because the film is so glossy, so flippant in its presentation of the world that author J.K. Rowling has spent her sizable novels dissecting, that I still don't have a good idea what all the fuss is about.
07/14/07
The quickest, zappiest two and a half hours of entertainment you'll ever see.
07/08/07
Even though a few of the book's scenes have been cut, fans probably couldn't hope for a better adaptation. It bodes well for the rest of the series, when strong stories start taking precedence over set-up.
12/30/06
What a feast for children! Long, and engrossing. Kids will love it! Wizard!
02/09/06
I couldn't find one mis-step, one wrong move, or one disappointment in the transition from print to celluloid.
09/30/05
Columbus' rendition of the first Harry Potter is a slavish adapation of the book, lacking imagination or vision, though not as bad as to be insufferable to watch
09/04/05
Unfortunately, many fine performances are nearly wasted by Columbus's predictable direction and an overbearing, relentless soundtrack.
12/06/04
Even though this movie impresses and delights on it's own, it is more exciting to view it as a teaser for the films to come
12/06/04
Even without a whit of singing, it is the 'Wizard of Oz' of our time. (Published 12-22-01)
10/30/04
A sense of loss accompanied my appreciation of the movie. The images created by my own imagination...will now be changed forever.
06/22/04
There's nothing more appropriate, more scary, more mysterious, more thought-provoking, more chilling, more exciting, more dynamic and more fun for the whole family than this.
02/24/04
Though generally overrated, it's a good start to what will undoubtedly become an epic film franchise.
01/15/04
A Xerox copy of the book, and a copy is never as good as the original.
04/20/03
Full of well-designed atmospheric charm, full of wondrous, expensive effects and mediocre-at-best acting, full of media hype and holiday-season merchandising opportunities.
02/08/03
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HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE - solid flick for the whole family!
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• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at Rotten Tomatoes
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• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at AskMen
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at IGN
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at AskMen
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