Steve Kloves

Teenage wizards are on the run from magical fascists.

I was unimpressed with the book, which I found unmemorable (except for the bits that were supposed to be sad, which I thought were funny thanks to their persistent frequency). I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, though, despite its faults - e.g., not explaining every detail. But I don't really care that they didn't explain little things like the mirror Harry keeps looking into. Presumably it's not important to the story, and there's enough show more important stuff for them to spend the Explaining Time explaining. And if there weren't six other movies and a book that you could assume contained the answers, you might think of it as intriguingly mysterious rather than carelessly unexplained. In fact, I'd say it's that sort of thing that makes this movie work. They don't spend three hours cramming every detail into the movie to make sure the audience gets everything they would get from the book, like they do in some of the other Harry Potter movies. Instead, they just tell the story. It has room to breath. Its focus is appropriately narrow for a movie. And most importantly, there are only three main characters. As I recall, the books only ever had three main characters; now one of the movies can say the same thing. They get to develop, and Have Scenes, and even do some acting.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: C
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: B

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 3.2/4 show less

How do you satisfy fans of the Harry Potter series? You take them to see Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Part I of course! It is clear from the very beginning of the movie that the story is nearing a climactic end. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are off on another adventure, but this time they have left the safe confines of Hogwarts and are out in the even more dangerous and frightening world. The stakes are high from the beginning as beloved characters are killed off and lives are irrevocably show more altered. The trio has taken it upon themselves to find all of Voldemort’s horcruxes (objects that contain pieces of the evil wizard’s soul) and seem to be the only people in the wizarding world willing and capable of taking on the task so that Voldemort can be permanently defeated.
Part I packs a sense of urgency that the previous Harry Potter movies were lacking, and the pressure on the trio of friends is obvious as it strains the very ties of their friendships. The compelling storyline is also packed with information that may seem arbitrary for someone who has not read the novels, but which will certainly be necessary for the comprehension of the forthcoming Part 2. Those viewers who have read the novels will be pleased that hardly any stone has been left unturned in the big screen adaptation. The score appropriately makes dark plays on the already existing Harry Potter themes, adding an underlying sense of dread, and the special effects will, at times, have viewers jumping out of their seats. This is the darkest chapter of the Harry Potter series to date, and has several parts that are violent and frightening, but well suited to the evolution of the story from the naïve innocence of eleven year old children to the heavy burden that weighs on them as the stand on the cusp of adulthood. With this movie, it is best to abide by the rating. Recommended for ages 13 and up. show less

This is a nice conclusion to the long drawn out series, but WHY ON EARTH does everybody have to get married at the end? Hey, I've been married for 27 years, so I have nothing against it, but there is really nothing to prepare us for it, and what kind of message is it supposed to send? How long before Harry and Hermione have an affair and Ron shoots one or both of them? Or casts some sort of spell. Whatever. After watching the whole series, I had no desire for another installment, but it was show more quite an experience to watch the three main actors grow up. Radcliffe, in particular, was amazing to be able to play a character with such high expectations and pull it off. show less

The three children are superbly cast, with great chemistry which develops as they get to know each other better. The message of the book - that love overcomes everything, that integrity and honesty are the most important traits - comes through clearly, and I found myself gripped, almost as if I did not know what was coming.

There are some scary moments towards the end, and a little minor bad language, so the rating for this film is PG in both the US and UK.

Longer review after watching for the show more third time: https://suesdvdreviews.blogspot.com/2023/09/harry-potter-and-philosophers-stone.... show less