Volume CXXXIII, Number 11 November 30, 2001 f

Harry Potter mania sweeps into cinemas
MONICA GUZMAN
COLUMNIST

It was a chaos like no other in the history of the movies. An eleven-year-old British wizard with round-rimmed glasses waved his wand and families all across the country overcrowded their local movie theaters. Tickets sold out hours in advance. Screaming kids waited in tears in stuffy cinema lobbies while their parents squabbled over tickets as though they were seeking the golden snitch. All in all, it was more hectic than a tight game of Quidditch.

Apparently, audiences didn't mind one bit. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone flew all the way to the top on a lightning-quick Nimbus 2000: its opening weekend became the most successful of any movie in history, making a whopping $93.5 million. Go Harry.

Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire) took on the task of putting the enormously popular J. K. Rowling series on film, and he delivered a visually energetic adaptation. In fact, many a Harry Potter fan has told me that deciding which is best--the movie or the book--is not so easy. So Columbus can breathe a sigh of relief. He managed to live up to the hype.

I am ashamed to admit that I have never read the book (trust me, this will soon change). But even on its own the movie was so amazing that I, in a rare event, found it worthwhile to pay $16 to see it twice--both times in sold out screens.
Granted, most of its magic is due to the amazing story of Harry Potter, the ordinary kid who suddenly realizes he's something more, then courageously leads two of his newfound friends to adventure. So he's got the intrigue of Luke Skywalker and the daring of Tommy Pickles. What more could you want?

Then there's the visual effects. If I, a college freshman, was sitting there wide-eyed whispering "Wow" under my breath during the awesome Quidditch match and the life size Wizard's Chess game (both times that I saw it, mind you), the little kids must have been going nuts. These scenes were intense.

Now on to the acting: Daniel Radcliffe, the luckiest child actor of the year, was chosen for the coveted role of Harry Potter only days before shooting began. It's a good thing the casting directors took their time--Radcliffe was great. He's cute, he's British, and he can ride a broomstick like no other. I have no complaints about the rest of the all-British cast; I do love authenticity.

Bottom line: believe the hype. This movie is great fun even for us college-age "muggles," and should not be missed.