Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is probably my favourite film from the franchise, though this is largely for nostalgic reasons, it definitely has strengths. Richard Harris' Dumbledore is calm and wise, as he should be, we trust and revere him implicitly, Snape (Rickman) has the appropriate level of menacing sweep, his opening scene is arguably the highlight of the entire series as he informs us, quivering in our over-sized robes in our first week, that we can learn how to put a stopped in death, and Emma Watson is delightfully bossy as Hermione. She is, of the main three, the one who shines throughout all, with arguably the hardest part, she brings emotion, intelligence and a hefty helping of guts to a well-loved character. The film is not big and brash, unlike some its successors, it is simple and relies on the quality of the story being told and the actors doing that. It makes little or no go at impressing the audience, and in doing so, embodies a childlike inquisitiveness and charms its audience into caring about mirrors and stones and 'silly incantations.' That is its pivotal achievement; that it can take the viewer back to a moment before they knew what a tax return was, or that Voldermort would rise again. Right from the moment Richard Griffiths practically sneers 'No post on Sundays,' you know the film will make an admirable attempt at recreating the magic of the books, but try as it might, it eventually falls short of the standard required to do justice to a novel, which whilst it may not be expertly crafted, had enough about it to capture the hearts of a generation. At eleven Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was one of the most awe inspiring things I'd seen, but several years on, it leaves something to be desired.
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