bnorthup
11-16-2001, 12:30 AM
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (PG)
At the Circus
2.5 Stars
Humorless script takes the magic out of Harry’s wand
By Katherine Northup
Helena High freshman
I guess I should admit that I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter books. I’ve read all of them four or five times each. They are the kind of books that you can read over and over again, and every time you notice something you hadn’t seen before.
Because I liked the books, I was looking forward to the movie. I had hoped that it would be as good as the books.
But soon after the movie started, I began to notice that something important was missing: the humor. What’s a children’s movie without humor? They edited out most of the jokes.
I soon realized that the hype over “Harry Potter” was too big. The movie just didn’t live up to my expectations.
As all Potter fans know, the story is about a boy named Harry Potter and his adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As far as the basic story goes, the movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was pretty much just the book with pictures. There weren't any major changes in the story and that was good. Basically, if you know the book, you know the movie
Some scenes were left out, though. I kept expecting things to happen and when they didn't, I got annoyed. For example, the movie producers left out the wizard duel between Harry and Malfoy, and they left out the majority of scenes that Norbert-the-baby-Dragon is in.
Though the characters looked like they were supposed to in the book, in my opinion, some of the acting was sketchy. Granted, it is hard to find actors and actresses who can act well at that age.
Hermione, Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore were perfectly cast. However, Ron wasn't nearly as fiery as he was in the books. In the movie, he didn’t have the fire.
Harry himself was a strange character to look at. He fit the physical description from the book fairly well, but he seemed way too mild.
But on an even more annoying note, the directors not only left out Peeves, the Poltergeist, but also almost all of the comedy. They left out pretty much all of the Weasley twins’ best lines. That bothered me to no end. It ruined the movie, for me anyway.
It seemed like the writers concentrated too much on being faithful to the story and not enough on making it fun. I really dislike it when people do that.
If I had to recommend this movie to anyone, it would simply be whoever wanted to see it. Just don't be fooled by all the hype. But go if you must.
It's not the sort of movie that I would sit through unless I had to. Maybe I’ll like the movie better later, but right now I’m just deeply annoyed at the writers and the director.
J.K. Rowling did a wonderful job on the books, but the movie didn't do them too much justice. As always the books are better than the movie.
END
At the Circus
2.5 Stars
Humorless script takes the magic out of Harry’s wand
By Katherine Northup
Helena High freshman
I guess I should admit that I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter books. I’ve read all of them four or five times each. They are the kind of books that you can read over and over again, and every time you notice something you hadn’t seen before.
Because I liked the books, I was looking forward to the movie. I had hoped that it would be as good as the books.
But soon after the movie started, I began to notice that something important was missing: the humor. What’s a children’s movie without humor? They edited out most of the jokes.
I soon realized that the hype over “Harry Potter” was too big. The movie just didn’t live up to my expectations.
As all Potter fans know, the story is about a boy named Harry Potter and his adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As far as the basic story goes, the movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was pretty much just the book with pictures. There weren't any major changes in the story and that was good. Basically, if you know the book, you know the movie
Some scenes were left out, though. I kept expecting things to happen and when they didn't, I got annoyed. For example, the movie producers left out the wizard duel between Harry and Malfoy, and they left out the majority of scenes that Norbert-the-baby-Dragon is in.
Though the characters looked like they were supposed to in the book, in my opinion, some of the acting was sketchy. Granted, it is hard to find actors and actresses who can act well at that age.
Hermione, Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore were perfectly cast. However, Ron wasn't nearly as fiery as he was in the books. In the movie, he didn’t have the fire.
Harry himself was a strange character to look at. He fit the physical description from the book fairly well, but he seemed way too mild.
But on an even more annoying note, the directors not only left out Peeves, the Poltergeist, but also almost all of the comedy. They left out pretty much all of the Weasley twins’ best lines. That bothered me to no end. It ruined the movie, for me anyway.
It seemed like the writers concentrated too much on being faithful to the story and not enough on making it fun. I really dislike it when people do that.
If I had to recommend this movie to anyone, it would simply be whoever wanted to see it. Just don't be fooled by all the hype. But go if you must.
It's not the sort of movie that I would sit through unless I had to. Maybe I’ll like the movie better later, but right now I’m just deeply annoyed at the writers and the director.
J.K. Rowling did a wonderful job on the books, but the movie didn't do them too much justice. As always the books are better than the movie.
END