Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Name: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy, Family
Released: November 16, 2001
Duration: 152 min
Rating: 65
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe

2001

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 1027 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	Your Score
7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 1027 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: November 16, 2001 | PG

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe

Summary: An adaptation of the first of J.K. Rowling's immensely popular novels about Harry Potter, a boy whose life is tranformed on his eleventh birthday when he learns that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own.

Director: Chris Columbus

Genre(s): Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 152 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

It’s still a very entertaining and spectacular movie, with a rush of nostalgia to go alongside the exhilaration of fun. Read full review

New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf

Happily, then, the first movie of the Harry Potter series casts a splendid spell, as screenwriter Steve Kloves has transcribed J.K. Rowling's novel nearly to a T, with precious little tweaked or trimmed. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

What saves Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is what created it in the first place: J.K. Rowling's enrapturing imagination. At those sporadic moments when the film allows us to share in Harry's wonder, it lets us recapture our own as well. Read full review

Peter Travers

Is the movie any good? At the dawn of the twenty-first century, when art is defined by commerce, this question is beside the point. Read full review

Rene Rodriguez

It's a very busy movie, designed to appeal to short attention spans, and it leaves you feeling full, but not satisfied, because it's missing the most important ingredient of all: genuine magic. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

The English cast is fun; but this is more spectacle than story, and the Steve Kloves script deserves better handling than director Chris Columbus -- plus any number of studio deliberators -- gave it. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Given that movies can now show us everything, the manifestations that Ms. Rowling described could be less magical only if they were delivered at a news conference. Read full review

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User Reviews

EstebanF.

Feb 27, 2006

This is the most-"loyal"-to-the-book Harry Potter movie, and it's from one of the best books. Logically, results in a wonderfull, amazing movie. Even if the effects aren't so good compared with the later films, the plot line is incredible. I have to repeat it, the "loyalty" to the This is the most-"loyal"-to-the-book Harry Potter movie, and it's from one of the best books. Logically, results in a wonderfull, amazing movie. Even if the effects aren't so good compared with the later films, the plot line is incredible. I have to repeat it, the "loyalty" to the book was amazing, that made this film awesome. I watched it 7 times in video and 2 times in the cinema. Yes, you heard well. I repeated a movie in the cinema, without beeing a super-fan. I loved it.… Expand

8 of 12 users found this helpful

MaddoxWhite

Apr 24, 2021

An amazing fantasy/mystery movie. Really good adaption of the books. Also Snape.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

koo_xin

Aug 20, 2022

The Harry Potter book series is consistently great. The movies, however, much less so.

The later films are not the greatest whilst the first film is an absolute masterpiece. Ironically it is one of the lowest rated. If you could travel back in time to the early 2000s you would quicklyThe Harry Potter book series is consistently great. The movies, however, much less so.

The later films are not the greatest whilst the first film is an absolute masterpiece. Ironically it is one of the lowest rated. If you could travel back in time to the early 2000s you would quickly remember just how gigantic this film was. For YEARS, even after the 2nd film, it was this film that was constantly rerun on TV stations. It was HUGE and deservedly so.

The visuals are stunning, the pacing is fantastic, the dialogue is witty, the scary parts are truly terrifying, but most of all, the music is unforgettable and brilliant.

Harry's Wondrous World represents this movie so well. It makes you feel giddy with childish excitement while leaving you with an unmistakable sense of dread. JK Rowling owes a lot of her success to this masterpiece of a film.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SrPepe

Jan 3, 2018

El comienzo de uno de los viajes más increíbles y una saga hermosa. Muy buena película.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

cag11

Nov 30, 2013

Even though it was all kids, or for the most part, Chris Columbus did it pretty well this time in 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'. It stayed really true to the book and had decent effect for its time.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

TrilobiteG

Aug 3, 2015

Not a bad start to one of the most successful franchises in history, mainly because it does so well with character introduction and development, but this movie gets slightly boring in a sense that they could show off so much more magic too it and go into more detail with the drusleys andNot a bad start to one of the most successful franchises in history, mainly because it does so well with character introduction and development, but this movie gets slightly boring in a sense that they could show off so much more magic too it and go into more detail with the drusleys and more fantasy action in the third act. Pretty good movie… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Beacherwahwah

Oct 21, 2016

Just watched this and it sucks hard! Horrible CGI effects, horrible acting from the youths (apart from Harry who was okay)....utterly charmless. I did like John Williams score though.

1 of 12 users found this helpful111

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