HARRY POTTER 3 NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Harry Potter 3 from imdb

Harry Potter is having a tough time with his relatives (yet again). He runs away after using magic to blow Uncle Vernon's sister Marge who was being offensive towards Harry's parents. Initially scared for using magic outside the school, he is pleasantly surprised that he won't be penalized after all. However, he soon learns that a dangerous criminal and Voldemort's trusted aide Sirius Black has escaped from the Azkaban prison and wants to kill Harry to avenge the Dark Lord. To worsen the conditions for Harry, vile shape-shifters called Dementors are appointed to guard the school gates and inexplicably happen to have the most horrible effect on him. Little does Harry know that by the end of this year, many holes in his past (whatever he knows of it) will be filled up and he will have a clearer vision of what the future has in store... Written by Soumitra

In the summer before his third year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter becomes fed up with his horrible aunt and uncle, and after accidentally inflating his visiting aunt Marge, he runs away. Unfortunately, there's much more danger in the wizarding world than harry thought; convicted mass murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped from the wizarding prison Azkaban. Black is known as Lord Voldemort's most devoted follower, and he's after Harry to avenge Voldemort and finish the job. But not everything is what it seems, and inside of Hogwarts there may just be a traitor... Written by Esamey

"He's at Hogwarts. He's at Hogwarts." The infamous Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison and all sources believe he's after Harry Potter's life. What connection could there be between Harry's past and this crazed murderer? Can Harry figure it out before Black gets to him? And why does Mr. Weasley think Harry may want to find Black first? A shocking insight to a night 12 years ago. Written by Trinka

Harry's life is in mortal danger yet again, this time more than ever. First, a killer named Sirus Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison, and it seems that he broke out just to finish what his master wanted to do 13 years ago: kill Harry Potter!. Also, for Harry's protection, Azkaban has sent hundreds of Dementors to guard Hogwarts in an attempt to catch Black. But will they turn out to be a great help or a big mistake? Written by Prince

Approaching his third year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter has had enough of his muggle relatives. He runs away from them (finally) and enters his third term facing trouble from more than one side: for using magic outside the school and from the news that a notorious criminal, serial killer Sirius Black, has escaped the wizard's prison at Azkaban and apparently is headed for Harry. The school calls in supernatural help against Black in the form of Dementors, but unusual things continue to put Harry in peril. He is thrown into a confusing panoply of shifting alliegences and shifting shapes where nobody is who or what they seem. Who is the real criminal? What is the real crime? Who is telling or knows the truth? Written by Anonymous

Here is a review for the movie Harry Potter 3 from dvdtalk

The movie

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has, in a way, the toughest challenge of any of the three Harry Potter films to date, in trying to live up to the merits of J.K. Rowling's book. The Sorcerer's Stone did a nice job of capturing the book's charm while introducing us to the characters and setting of Harry Potter's world, and The Chamber of Secrets even improved on the source material, making a highly entertaining adaptation of the weakest of the Harry Potter books. To me, though, The Prisoner of Azkaban stands out as the best of Harry Potter books yet published, combining a distinctly darker tone with a tense, tightly-plotted, often frightening story.

And overall, the film rises to the challenge. The film version of Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts is not a totally smooth ride, but it's one that has enough punch in its story and enough surprises up its sleeve to more than make up for a weak opening. At this point, audiences know the characters and setting very well, so The Prisoner of Azkaban is able to focus on the engaging (and often rather frightening) plot to good effect.

The film is very faithful to the original book, which ironically is the source of the one real weakness of the film. The opening fifteen minutes or so of The Prisoner of Azkaban aren't handled well at all: we get what amounts to a scene of slapstick humor at the Dursley's home, complete with obtrusive theme music that sounds like it came out of a sitcom. While this is precisely how the book opens, on screen it plays out badly, seeming as though the filmmakers are deliberately catering to the youngest audience members rather than those who have "grown up" along with Harry Potter. Harry's eventual burst of temper and rebellion make sense in the book, since we're privy to his thoughts, but in the film, his actions seem abrupt and slightly out of character. All in all, it's a rather inauspicious start for what turns out to be an excellent film.

Fortunately, however, once Harry leaves the Dursleys, the film settles down to telling its real story, and one useful marker of how well it succeeds is that the nearly two-and-a-half-hour film doesn't feel nearly that long. While never feeling rushed, the story moves along at a brisk pace, with new events always unfolding, and with something always keeping us intrigued by what's going to happen next. Here, the film takes a more assertive tack with adapting the original book, to good result. For instance, the Quiddich matches that that take up a considerable share of the book, and which would have slowed down the film's storyline for no particularly good reason in the film, are cut down to a single scene and altered to incorporate a brush with the Dementors, serving to advance the plot.

All in all, The Prisoner of Azkaban is a nicely plotted film, with the various suspenseful threads dealing with Sirius Black, the fate of Buckbeak, and Professor Lupin unfolding in a very interesting manner, with some solid twists and turns toward the end of the film. As with the earlier films, we get some well-known actors in new supporting roles, but once again it's great to see how the actors immerse themselves in their characters. Emma Thompson is nearly unrecognizable in an excellent small role as the professor of Divination, and while Gary Oldman doesn't fit my own personal image of Sirius Black, he's spot-on for the way Rowling describes the character. Alan Rickman continues to be delightfully nasty as Snape, and Michael Gambon steps in with an admirable performance as Dumbledore, replacing the late Richard Harris.

The Prisoner of Azkaban is a film that relies heavily on CGI: there's hardly a scene that doesn't call for some sort of special effect, however small. What's really impressive, though, is the way that CGI seems to have grown up and taken its place as just another tool in the filmmaker's kit. All the magical effects and fantastical creatures in The Prisoner of Azkaban are there because the story, setting, or mood of the scene demand their presence... not because the filmmakers want to show off their cool CGI. The result is a feeling of "wholeness" to the film, and a sense that we've really stepped into Harry's world. When we meet Buckbeak, we share Harry's awe... but most importantly, we're awed because of the beauty and majesty of the creature in the story, rather than by the technological wizardry that created it. When we see the Marauder's Map, we're intrigued by its potential for mischief, not just by how cool it looks. (Well, to be honest, I also admired the technical wizardry behind these effects, but it's secondary and we're not drawn out of the film to do it.)

This is a film that's going to be a favorite of young viewers as well as adults, so I'll mention that parents will want to make sure to watch it along with younger (under 13 kids). While it's only rated PG, not PG-13, there are quite a few disturbing and frightening elements in the film, from the chilling Dementors to the appearance of a giant spider. This shift toward a darker tone is very effective in terms of the overall story, and it is well suited to the audience who has grown up with Harry Potter; it just means that younger siblings might find it quite scary.

The DVD

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a two-disc set, packaged in a single-wide plastic keepcase. It's a different style of packaging than the first two films, but I'm glad to see the switch, since the plastic case stands up better to wear and tear and is easier to access.

Video

I'm pleased to report that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has an excellent transfer. The widescreen edition presents the film in its original theatrical 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is anamorphically enhanced.

The image is crisp and clean, with no noise or print flaws appearing anywhere; it's also a nicely detailed transfer, with only a slight amount of edge enhancement appearing in some of the more visually demanding scenes. Colors are handled very well; everything looks natural while also having a bright, vibrant feel. I did notice that contrast seems to be a bit on the heavy side, but I think that we're looking at an artistic decision to make the film, overall, look darker; dark scenes tend to have a lot of black areas, but there's always enough light and detail where it matters. All in all, we're looking at a very nice transfer that will allow you to sit back and thoroughly enjoy the ride.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is, like the video transfer, handled very well, and it certainly adds to the enjoyment of the film. The "meat and potatoes" of the soundtrack is taken care of with crisp, clear dialogue and an effective balance of voices, background music, and special effects. It's the surround sound that gives the track its extra sparkle. Throughout the film, the side and rear channels are used very effectively to create a sense of immersiveness; on many occasions, the directional effects create the impression that you're really in the middle of things, which is particularly effective in the scarier scenes.

Dubbed Spanish 5.1 and French 5.1 tracks are also included, along with English closed captions.

Extras

Unfortunately, my first impression of The Prisoner of Azkaban on DVD was negative, thanks to a truly horrible menu design. The film begins playing automatically when it's inserted in the player, which is always annoying, but what's worse is trying to go to the main menu. There's a long animated menu opener, which gets a failing grade from me on two counts: 1) It contains numerous spoiler images from the film, and 2) It is not skippable. Navigating between sub-menus is also slowed down by the non-skippable animations.

Once you get past the menus, the bonus content is reasonable, if not mind-blowing. Disc 1 is mainly devoted to the film; the only special features there are a cast and crew list (just a list of characters and names, with no additional information) and trailers for the three Harry Potter films.

On Disc 2 we find the bulk of the special features. (Incidentally, viewers can choose to have the menus in either English or French.) In an example the kind of cutesy menu design that's been an affliction of the Harry Potter DVDs so far, the features are categorized not by their actual content, but by different areas of Hogwarts.

The most interesting material is found in the "Divination" section. First of all, five unfinished/deleted scenes are presented in "Trelawney's Crystal Ball," ranging from about 30 seconds to 2 minutes. They're in rough format, sometimes with blue-screens still in evidence, but will be of mild interest to fans. Next up in this section is "Creating the Vision," a 12-minute featurette that focuses on the overall making of the film and its adaptation from the book; we hear from director Alfonso Cuarón and J.K. Rowling, among others.

The most substantial single bonus feature is the "Head to Shrunken Head" featurette in the Divination section. This is actually a compilation of 43 minutes of interviews with cast and crew, in which the actors and crew members discuss their experiences with making the film. There's a "play all" feature, or viewers can select individual interviews with the "Heroes," "Gryffindors," "Slytherins," Lupin, Sirius Black, Dumbledore, Hagrid, the Dursleys, and the filmmakers (the director, the production designer, and the director of photography.) The actors are listed by their characters' names rather than their own, probably to help younger viewers who don't know the actors' names.

The "Great Hall" section is, in my opinion, a great waste of time, as all we get here are some rather lame DVD games, which incidentally contain quite a few spoilers, so it's best to avoid them until after seeing the film. "Catch Scabbers!" is a puzzle-type game in which viewers "help Crookshanks catch Scabbers," as the name implies, and "The Quest of Sir Cadogan" also asks viewers to help the knight complete his quest. "Choir Practice" is a rendition of the song from the film, played to a montage of clips from the film with the lyrics printed on-screen.

The "Defense Against the Dark Arts" section is likewise rather pointless. "Magic You May Have Missed" is a memory/observation game using clips from the film, and "Tour Lupin's Classroom" is just a 360-degree rendition of the room from the film that viewers can rotate through. The "Tour Honeydukes" section is even more pointless, as it's nothing more than another 360-degree room tour, this time of the sweet shop.

We finally get to some more interesting material once again in the "Hogwarts Grounds" section. Inside "Hagrid's Hut" there's a 5-minute featurette called "Care of Magical Creatures," which is an intriguing look at the animal trainers and the animal stars of the film. The 15-minute "Conjuring a Scene" is also quite interesting, as it gives us a look at the makeup and special effects that were used on characters like Sirius Black and Professor Lupin. Lastly, the "Hogwarts Grounds" section has a preview of the game based on the movie, and a link to DVD-ROM content.

Final thoughts

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a worthy installment in the Harry Potter series of films, offering an entertaining, well-paced story and shifting quite effectively to a darker, scarier tone for the film. The DVD transfer is excellent, with great video and sound quality, and while the special features fall more on the "quantity" rather than "quality" side of the scale, there are still several features that will be worth watching for fans of the films. Overall, the film earns a "highly recommended" mark from me.

Here is the direct download for the movie Harry Potter 3.

HARRY POTTER 2 NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Harry Potter 2 from imdb

Forced to spend his summer holidays with his muggle relations, Harry Potter gets a real shock when he gets a surprise visitor: Dobby the house-elf, who warns Harry Potter against returning to Hogwarts, for terrible things are going to happen. Harry decides to ignore Dobby's warning and continues with his pre-arranged schedule. But at Hogwarts, strange and terrible things are indeed happening: Harry is suddenly hearing mysterious voices from inside the walls, muggle-born students are being attacked, and a message scrawled on the wall in blood puts everyone on his/her guard - "The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies Of The Heir, Beware" . Written by Soumitra

It's Year 2 at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter (Radcliffe), Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) are back learning, but their year doesn't go past quietly. Members of the school are turning up petrified and bloody writing are appearing on the walls, revealing to everyone, that someone has opened the chamber of secrets. The attacks continue, bringing the possibility of the closure of Hogwarts. Harry and his friends are now forced to secretly uncover the truth about the chamber before the school closes or any lives are taken. Written by Film_Fan

Harry Potter is in his second year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is visited by a house-elf named Dobby and warned not to go back to Hogwarts. Harry ignores his warning, and returns. He is still famous, although still disliked by Snape, Malfoy, and the rest of the Slytherins. But then, strange things start to happen. People are becoming petrified, and no-one knows what is doing it. Harry keeps hearing a voice.. a voice which seems to be coming from within the walls. They are told the story of the Chamber of Secrets. It is said that only Salazar Slytherin's true descendent will be able to open it. Harry, it turns out, is a Parsel-tongue. This means that he is able to speak/understand snakes. Everyone thinks that it's him that has opened the Chamber of Secrets because that is what Slytherin was famous for. Written by Sarah

Harry Potter's adventures continue...Harry Potter begins his second year at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, but is warned by a mysterious creature that danger awaits him at the school. Malevolent voices whisper from the walls. Soon it's not just Harry who is worried about survival, as dreadful things begin to happen at Hogwarts. Written by Kateway

Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts School of Wizardry for his second year. After a confrontation with a house elf named Dobby, Harry escapes to the Weasley house with Ron Weasley in a flying car. They are then late for the train and have to ride it to school. When they get there, strange happenings invade the school. "Mudbloods" (people of Muggle families) are "petrified" by an evil monster lurking in the grounds. When every one suspects that it is him, the trio then set out to find the culprit and find out more than they bargained for: the diary of Tom Riddle, why Hagrid was expelled and what the Chamber of Secrets is and why is it so feared in Hogwarts. Written by Michael Johnston {highoncaffiene@hotmail.com}

Here is a review for the movie Harry Potter 2 from dvdtalk

The Movie: A rare sequel that improves upon the original, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" still has some concerns, but the darker tone and mystery of the story make for a more involving movie. The film opens with Harry once again living at his evil relatives before being rescued by his friends from school. However, before he left with his friends, Harry was warned by house-elf Dobby that he'd be in terrible danger if he returns to school for another semester at Hogwarts. Once he's back at school, rejoined with friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), the warnings start to become true. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and friends spy a warning that those who aren't pure-blood wizards will be in serious trouble. When several of the students turn up petrified, Harry - who turns up in the wrong place at the wrong time - becomes a suspect. It's up to Harry to find out who's behind the strange occurances and what is in the school's dark "Chamber of Secrets" before more students are in danger and the school is closed. Many of the characters from the first film - strict Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), Professor Snape (Alan Rickman, perfect in the role), headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris, in his final role), Draco (Tom Felton) and Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane). New characters, such as Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), Draco's father, also make an impression. Felton is more delightfully evil this time around as Draco, too, while Harris is especially good in his final performance. I like several aspects of "Chamber of Secrets", both great and small, over the prior film. "Sorcerer's Stone" boasted marvelous digital effects, nearly all of which were seamless and visually inspired. However, the sequel not only boasts the same level of effects work, but integrates them into the story in a better (and somewhat more restrained) fashion. I also liked the fact that the film's locations are used a bit more strongly in this film, with the cinematography nicely highlighting the haunting and beautiful architecture. The darker tone is also well-handled, as are the mystery elements. That said, the second film still has some issues of its own. As with the first film, the nearly three-hour running time begins to feel unnecessary at times. Once again, we get an entertaining first act, a zippy last act and a middle act that often just holds the attenion, but occasionally becomes a bit tedious during some stretches. As with the first film, I still feel Radcliffe is the least interesting of the three leads. Graves is funnier here than he was in the last film and it's especially unfortunate that lovable know-it-all Hermione, played so well by Emma Watson, gets less screen time here. Overall though, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is a welcome return. The performances are great, the material is a bit more involving and richer, and the mystery and adventure are somewhat more exciting and compelling. An excellent sequel, but I'm particularly interested in what new director Alfonso Cuaron ("Y Tu Mama Tambien") has in store for the next sequel. The DVD VIDEO: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is presented by Warner Brothers in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (a severely cropped pan & scan version will also be available). The second film has a somewhat darker, more shadowy feel than the first picture, capably presented by Roger Pratt ("Batman", "Iris")'s cinematography. Sharpness and detail are, as one might expect, first rate; the presentation boasts fine detail and depth to the image. Of course, it's not as amazing as the very impressive DLP presentation I saw theatrically last Winter, but it's still very nice, nonetheless.

Although there are some occasional faults visible throughout this presentation, the picture quality overall is better than that of the DVD of the first picture. While grain gave some scenes from the first film a rather harsh appearance, grain isn't really an issue here. As one might expect, the print looked terrific, with not a speck or mark to be seen. Edge enhancement does become a slight issue in a few scenes, but I was never bothered by it.

The film's rich, dark color palette looked accurately rendered here, with nice saturation and no flaws. Black level remained solid, while flesh tones looked accurate and natural. This is a very, very nice transfer; it's not perfect, but at its best, it looks fantastic.


SOUND: As with the previous film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 EX. This film's sound design benefits from the addition of sound designer Randy Thom (the award winning sound designer of such films as "Cast Away", "Final Fantasy: The Sprits Within" and "Jumanji") to the film's sound crew. Thom and the film's sound crew have created a soundtrack that, while still maybe not as aggressive as it could have been, is a more entertaining and lively effort than the prior "Potter" film's sound.

One of the film's examples several instances of fun sound design comes early on, when the students are pulling the Mandrakes out of their pots. The screams of the little creatures can be heard from all around the viewer, including the back surround. A scene soon after with pixies also sends the sounds of the little creatures scurrying around the listening space. The sound design of the Quidditch match also is better realized here, with a more enveloping and aggressive feel to the sound than I remember from the scene in the first film. In other words, the danger and excitement of the Quidditch match is communicated better this time around not only in terms of the visuals, but the sound.

The film's second hour does have some stretches of rather front-heavy sound, mainly because the dialogue-heavy passages don't have much need for rear speaker use (although maybe some ambience would have been nice). Still, as the film heads into the third act, there are some additional sound surprises to be found as the surrounds once again kick in during several scenes. Audio quality is certainly up to expectations for such a massive project. The film's sound remained dynamic and crisp throughout, with the John Williams score, dialogue and effects remaining clean and easily heard. Some of the effects sound especially punchy, and low bass is also present during many scenes. This is a very, very enjoyable soundtrack.

EXTRAS: Once again, Warner Brothers has provided a set of supplements that seem targeted towards the DVD's younger viewers, although some of the supplements (and the navigation) are improved over the DVD for the prior film. Director Chris Columbus, who will not be doing the third film, still has not recorded a commentary. On the first disc, viewers will find the film's theatrical trailer, bios and "Year One At Hogwarts", which is a basic guide to the first film. The most worthwhile feature on the second disc are the deleted scenes. While the nearly three hour picture is long as is, some of these deleted or extended scenes offer some entertaining action (a little more Quidditch, for example) or involving character moments that are fun to watch. Also interesting are the interviews, including a 16-minute interview with novelist JK Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves. The two writers discuss and joke (in terms of how Kloves doesn't always get information about what's happening in the future stories about the characters) about the process of trying to bring the series to the screen. There are also brief interviews with the lead and supporting actors (viewers click on a question and we hear the responses from the cast in terms of the "students" - there are more standard interviews from the cast who play the professors ). Also on disc two are production sketches, a 16-minute featurette on production design, games, behind-the-scenes tours, a preview of the video game and more information about Branagh's character, who has his own section. There's also DVD-ROM features, including a Hogwart's timeline, screensavers, additional games and more. Final Thoughts: I found "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" to be a darker, more mysterious and involving film than the previous picture. It's not without some concerns, but the performances are good, it's imaginative and it puts digital effects to better use. The DVD for the sequel is also an improvement, as audio/video quality were consistently excellent, and the supplements seemed a bit better. With a project this massive, it still feels as if there could/should be far more supplements exploring the making of the film. Still, I'll certainly give "Chamber of Secrets" a recommendation.


Here is the direct download for the movie Harry Potter 2.

HARRY POTTER 1 NOW AVAILABLE

Here is the summary for the movie Harry Potter 1 from imdb

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first film in the Harry Potter series based on the novels by J.K. Rowling. It is the tale of Harry Potter, an ordinary 11-year-old boy serving as a sort of slave for his aunt and uncle who learns that he is actually a wizard and has been invited to attend the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is snatched away from his mundane existence by Hagrid, the grounds keeper for Hogwarts, and quickly thrown into a world completely foreign to both him and the viewer. Famous for an incident that happened at his birth, Harry makes friends easily at his new school. He soon finds, however, that the wizarding world is far more dangerous for him than he would have imagined, and he quickly learns that not all wizards are ones to be trusted. Written by Carly

Harry Potter is an average bespectacled 11 year old boy who has lived with the Dursley family ever since his parents died in a car crash. For some reason the family has always mistreated him. On his 11th birthday a giant man named Rubeus Hagrid hands him a letter telling him that he has been accepted as a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry learns that his parents were wizards and were killed by an evil wizard Voldemort, a truth that was hidden from him all these years. He embarks for his new life as a student, gathering two good friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger along the way. They soon learn that something very valuable is hidden somewhere inside the school and Voldemort is very anxious to lay his hands on it. Written by Soumitra

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy celebrating his 11th birthday, but he is far from wrong. A giant named Hagrid appears, and gives Harry the all important news. He is a wizard. Now his journey in life gets more intense as he travels to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry to learn the trade of being a wizard. Here, he meets his friends who would be by his side for many years to come. Ron Weasley is not very brave friend and Hermione is the smart friend. But not everything is quiet at Hogwarts as Harry suspects someone is planning to steal the philosopher's stone. Written by simon

Young Harry Potter has to lead a hard life: His parents have died in a car crash when he was still a baby, and he is being brought up by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. For some reason unbeknownst to the bespectacled ten-year-old, the Dursleys let him live in the small chamber under the stairs, and treat him more like vermin than like a family member. His fat cousin Dudley, the Dursley's real son, keeps bothering Harry all the time. On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter finally receives a mysterious letter from a certain Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, telling him that he is chosen as one of the future students of that supposedly renowned school. Hagrid, the gigantic man who brought the letter, finally introduces Harry into the real circumstances of his life: His parents were a wizard and a witch, they were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort protecting him. Harry still has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead from that event. Since he survived the attack as a baby, and also somehow deprived Voldemort from his powers, he has been famous in the wizarding world ever since. The Dursleys, strong disbelievers in that magical crap, never told Harry anything about his true self. So, Harry is strongly surprised, yet absolutely happy to start his training. At Hogwarts, Harry meets his teachers, and becomes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The three of them accidentally find out that the potions master, Severus Snape, seems to plot on stealing something that is guarded by a three-headed dog. Since nobody would believe some first years to have found out such important things that even would incriminate a Hogwarts teacher, they take it on themselves to find out what Snape is up to. Their quest for the truth leads across many obstacles, from keeping up the everyday school life, a bewitched Quidditch match (Quidditch is a popular wizard sport), Fluffy, the three-headed monster dog and quite some tasks one has to overcome to get to the guarded object. Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}

On his 11th birthday, young Harry Potter discovers the life he never knew he had, the life of a wizard. In his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he meets his two best friends Ron Weasley, an expert at Wizard Chess, and Hermione Granger, a girl with non-magic parents. Harry learns the game of Quiditch and Wizard Chess on his way to facing a Dark Arts teacher who is bent on destroying him. Written by Shaun Ouimette {xextreemshaun589@hotmail.com}

Here is a review for the movie Harry Potter 1 from dvdtalk


The Movie:

Having read the first three books in the Harry Potter series (I'm still working on the fourth), I was really looking forward to this movie. I had some apprehension in the fact that Chris Columbus was directing the movie though. Columbus has not had the best track record in recent years with such movies as Bicentennial Man and Stepmom. He had a good run in the late 80s and early 90s, but he has fallen since then.

Needless to say, that apprehension was not needed in this case. While leaving some little touches from the book out of the movie and creating some allusions to the coming books/movies, it stays pretty faithful to the book and is pretty much the personification of the images in my head that I got from the book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is about a boy named Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and his entrance into the wizard world where he is already a celebrity and doesn't even know it. Why doesn't he know it? Well, he's grown up most of his young life with his Muggle (non-magical) Uncle, Aunt and Cousin who all don't treat him very well. You see, Harry lives in a small compartment under the stairs and not a bedroom. Harry lives a pretty poor existance until a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft shows up via an owl.

His Uncle takes the letter away from him, but the owls keep coming with letters. At one point there are tons of letters that come through the chimney when Harry's Uncle blocks the mail slot in his door. They go to a secluded area, but the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid (played by Robbie Coltrane, who does Hagrid great justice), shows up and takes Harry to Hogwarts. He also tells Harry that his parents were killed by the evil Wizard Voldemort and that they didn't die in a car crash like his relatives had said. His lighting strike-like scar on his head came from Voldemort when he unsuccessfully tried to kill Harry when he was a baby.

Our first showing of the wizard's world is in Diagon Alley. This is where Harry finds out his parents left him a lot of money and he gets his school supplies. The most interesting part is when he goes to the wand shop where John Hurt plays the curator of the shop. After going through a couple wands (and blowing stuff up), Hurt grabs a wand and gives it to Harry wondering if this special wand will work. When it does work Hurt lets Harry in on some information about his wand

Then it's off to Hogwarts via a train station that's actually located in the wall between platform 9 and 10 in the train station...platform 9 3/4 in fact. Once on the train we meet up with the other young main characters: red-headed Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and bookworm Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

Once at Hogwarts we meet up with the staff and other students: Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris), Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), potions Professor Snape (the always great Alan Rickman) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) as the antagonist student to Harry. All parts are done well and this is really a well acted movie. The added benefit of an all British cast just adds to this movie. Spielberg had originally wanted to do this movie, but he wanted Americans in the role. I just can't see that personally.

At Hogwarts, Harry has adventures with Ron and Hermione that involve things such as a troll and a three-headed dog aptly named Fluffy. Where does the Sorcerer's Stone come into all of this? Well, Hagrid picked it up in Diagon Alley and Fluffy is guarding it. Someone at Hogwarts wants it and Harry is getting searing pains from his scar. The rest of the movie involves Harry, Ron and Hermione tracking down who is trying to take the Sorcerer's Stone and why it's so important.

There were a few sections that really stood out to me in the movie. The first is the section where the Sorting Hat sorts out first-year students to one of four houses (or dormitories): Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Those four names are the people that started Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat itself is an excellent use of CGI and the voice is perfect for it.

The second section is the Quiddich match. Although very obvious that it is mostly CGI, the section works rather well. Quiddich is difficult to explain and I thought it would be very hard to pull off in the movie, but ILM did an excellent job of it.

Another section that was very interesting involves Harry, a mirror and a cloak. Seeing these parts on the screen after reading them in the book made me feel they accurately portrayed what I was seeing in my mind when I read the book.

Now the major question is if you haven't read the books will you like the movie? I took my wife and mother to see this movie and neither had read any of the books. The both loved the movie and totally understood everything that was going on. They both said they wanted to see it again just to see what they missed.

Final Thoughts: In the end, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a great movie. Although many parts were left out, the movie still runs 142 minutes. Not once did I look at my watch or feel bored in the movie. There are some parts they cut that I wish they would have kept in, but I can understand the need to keep the movie from being over 3 hours long. I still don't totally agree with Columbus as the director. To me he just doesn't have that special touch. With this movie he seems to have left a lot of it to Industrial Light and Magic, who are magicians themselves. A high-water mark has been set that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will have to meet or overcome. And for reference, the next book is a little better than this one.

I highly recommend going to see this movie. It doesn't matter if you're a child, adult or a person who has never read any of the books. This is an example of a highly hyped movie that delivers on it's hype. I cannot wait for the DVD release of this great movie.


Here is the direct download for the movie Harry Potter 1.