Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone DVD: Witches, Wizards, and Giants; oh my!(Epic Adventure W/O)

First and foremost, I’d like to think Jeremy1456 for inviting me to this “Epic Adventure W/O” where you can write about anything that’s “epic” in some way. Whether it be a video game such as Eternal Darkness, a movie like The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, or a book like the Harry Potter series. Originally I was going to recall the events that happened in LOTR, but that was too long ago when I saw it; then I thought I’d try the game called Eternal Darkness that released for the Gamecube on Monday, but that was scrapped because I wasn’t sure if I could play the game enough to writ out a good review and have it ready by today(well obviously I finished it much more sooner than anticipated, but since I had already typed this out, I decided to just go ahead and post it anyway); so then when I figured out why the DVD player in my PS2 wasn’t working(had to plug the AV cables directly into the TV because a DVD player can’t run through a VCR, d’oh!), I rented a few DVDs, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone being one of them. I thought this as being sort of epic, so I decided to use it as my specimen...er, contribution.

So anyway, once you’ve finished, or even before you read my review, check out these awesome participants that decided to embark on an epic adventure for this W/O held by the high and mighty Jeremy1456:

Jeremy1456(the big cheese of this W/O)
Kenshin-Guy
NetNut746
Pavona21
Pearl-drum-man
Prophet3
Rock_On(the one and only me, haha)
Swanton00
Yarrick





Potions and Broomsticks:
I didn’t hear of the Harry Potter series until the fourth book, Goblet of Fire(otherwise known as the 900 page giant) had been out for at lest a month or two. I wasn’t really into the series, in fact I thought it was stupid, so I avoided it at all costs(basically staying away from the books area whenever I went to Wally World with me mum).

But then on November 17, 2001 I was in the Wal-Mart lay away waiting for 6 or 7 hours for the clock to strike midnight, and the Nintendo Gamecube would be released(yes, that was a plug). But what was I to do in my little corner in the Wally World layaway all by meself(well, there were other people waiting in line, but none that I knew), stare off into space for 6 or 7 hours? I don’t think so, so I did what any un-ordinary man would do(an ordinary man would have brought a Gameboy Advance), and went and found a book to read. Since I wouldn’t have to waste my money on the book, I decided to take the first book in the Harry Potter series back to my little Wally Layaway corner, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. And you know what? I finished the book with 15 minutes to spare before the release. I loved the book, it was fascinating from cover to cover, but I’ll save that for the book review.

Then I hear about the first Harry Potter movie that was going to come out that December or so. I went and saw it, and a good movie, it was.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:
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The movie starts out with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and a tall feller’ named Hagrid carrying a baby named Harry Potter, and leaving him on the doorstep of his aunt and uncle’s porch until it’s “time”.

Flash forward some years later...

Harry Potter is no ordinary boy, and the lightning shaped scar on his forehead isn’t a mark left after getting in a car accident when his parents, Lilly and James Potter, as his Aunt and Uncle Dudley told him. Harry Potter’s a wizard, and there is a wizard world set parallel to London where this takes place.

When Harry Potter was a baby, an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort, or “he-who-must-not-be-named,” killed Harry’s Parents, and tried to kill Harry. But something stopped him that night, his powers wee drained, and Lord Voldemort fled. In the midst of Lord Voldemort’s unsuccessful attack, a cursed scar was left on Harry’s forehead. This unsuccessful attack was spread throughout the wizard world, and there wasn’t one wizard who hadn’t heard the name ‘Harry Potter’.

After growing up with the knowledge of his parents, dying in a car accident and being mistreated by his aunt and uncle, on his eleventh birthday he gets saved by Hagrid, the grounds keeper , and brings Harry to Diagon Alley, where Hagrid explains to Harry how he’s a wizard, and they get Harry’s school supply.

Ok that was kind of blunt, but I figured it was getting boring. So anyway, to make a long novel short, Harry goes to Hogwarts and almost instantly makes friends with a cute little girl named Hermione and a red-headed boy named Ron(or Ronald). While he made friends, he also made a few enemies, like Draco Malfoy.

The movie revolves around Harry’s life at Hogwarts, going to different classes(this is a school after all), Harry learning more about the wizarding world, and the Sorcerer’s Stone. There is something hidden within the confines of the castle. Something that when ends up in the wrong hands, can revive something very evil, allowing immortality.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on a hunt for what’s hidden in the castle, who wants it, why they want it, and who they are. The Harry Potter is a very magical series, and all of it is brought well from the book to the movie as a lot of people might have imagined the world.

The world of Harry Potter:
The world of Harry Potter is a very magical and epic place. From the wizard sport called Quidditch that’s played on brooms some 50 feet in the air, to the magical wizard stuff that just wraps you into the story and your own fantasy world.

Ok so how about the characters. Character friendships weren’t really built like they were in the book, but on the other hand you understand character personalities right away. First of all there’s Harry Potter, besides Voldemort, the most famous wizard in the world because of his encounter with Lord Voldemort. His character is built throughout the movie, and you see him with no friends, to a whole group of friends.

Then there’s Hagrid, a half giant who was expelled in his third year at Hogwarts(for something he didn’t do, more on that in the next two books), but was allowed back as grounds keeper by Professor Dumbledore. You don't learn much about Hagrid in this movie/book, but will be talked about more in the rest of the movies/books.

Now you’ve got Professor Snape, the potions teacher who fancies the dark arts and has always wanted the position as teacher of the Defense of the Dark Arts. Professor Snape is the head of the Slytherin’ house and hates Harry Potter. Snape is the teacher that is accused by Harry, Hermione, and Ron as the one who’s trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone for Voldemort so he can resurrect back to his full health.

Special Effects, DVD Extras, and Final Impressions:
The special effects in this movie are truly phenomenal. Chris Columbus did an excellent job at bringing J.K. Rollings book to life. The fictious wizardry world is brought to life in the movie because of the great special effects. Whether it be a troll and a three-headed dog, to the broom stick sport Quidditch. The movie grabs you from the beginning, as he starts in his first year out of a seven year course at Hogwarts to become a wizard, and all the events through the movie leads to one VERY un-expected ending(unless you paid VERY close attention to some hidden clues), and even more mysteriousness occurs in the next movie/books.

This was my very first DVD that I wathced, so I don’t know how the extras should be. But the Harry Potter DVD includes:

*Never before seen footage
*Self-guided tour of Hogwarts
*Mix potions, perform transfigurations, explore Diagon Alley, catch a snitch, and much, much more
*Theatrical trailers
*Scene access
*Languages & subtitles: English and Espanol

The only special features I looked at was the never before seen scenes, theatrical trailers(has anyone seen the Chamber of Secrets trailers if they went and saw Scooby-Doo?), and the interviews where they talked about the making of the movie, and talked about the upcoming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

~Happy Viewing