![1st harry potter film 1st harry potter film](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/c630d2e738d3bb015c33a5a338108b21.jpg)
“I like the movie better,” offered a viewer. “I thought the book was very detailed and the movie was very good but it sort of just quickened it a little too much,” said another. “I like the book,” one young viewer said. She found that most loved the movie, but loved the book more. The late NPR correspondent Margot Adler spoke to a bunch of kids and their parents as they left a Manhattan movie theater. What did young Potterheads make of the movie? People lined up outside the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square in London’s West End for the first public showing of the Harry Potter movie on November 12, 2001. “At those moments when the film allows us to share in Harry’s wonder, it lets us recapture our own.”Ĭritical acclaim isn’t everything, of course. “Despite its copycat nature, what finally saves ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ is what created it in the first place: Rowling’s exceptional imagination,” Turan concluded. And he praised the leading trio of child actors as “excellent” (though mistakenly referred to Ron as Fred, and also saved his highest compliments for Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid). Still, he applauded the moviemakers for building a visually magical world and paring down the lengthy book without resorting to cliches or clunky dialogue. On the one hand, he said, “woe to those who would mess with that story.” On the other, even an impressive replica doesn’t leave much room for risk-taking, objection or celebration. Turan described that as both a blessing and a curse. “Like hulking NFL offensive linemen signed on to safeguard a valuable quarterback, every Harry Potter hire was made with an eye toward ensuring that hordes of fanatical fans won’t be disappointed,” he said on air. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offered a mixed but overall positive review, focused on the movie’s extreme loyalty to the book. NPR’s critic called it a “copycat” of the book To celebrate, we’re dusting off our Pensieve to revisit NPR’s coverage of the very first movie. It has influenced everything from popular culture to children’s literature to classroom curriculums. Seven books, eight movies, multiple theme parks, millions of book sales, a Broadway show and several spinoffs later, the beloved franchise has left its mark on millions of muggles. 16, 2001, four years after the series’ first book hit the shelves. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” premiered on Nov. The film that brought the wizarding world to life - from Hogwarts to Hedwig to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named - is now 20 years old. A young Daniel Radcliffe stars as Harry Potter in “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone,” which premiered in 2001.