Harry Potter movie critics say, 'it's cool'
• For some, 'Potter' peddlers cast pall rather than spell
• 'Harry Potter' film truly lives up to acclaim
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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| Photo illustration by Martha Hernandez • The Honolulu Advertiser |
The same giddy adoration that has spurred adults and children to buy 116 million copies of the Harry Potter books, not to mention boatloads of HP merchandise, is now expected to send movie-goers surging into theaters today to see the $125 million film adaptation of book one in the series, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Screenings began just past midnight today.
Fans are organizing groups and, in some Mainland cities, even buying out theaters to see the movie. The bank Deutsche Banc Alex.Brown has rented out theaters in 10 U.S. cities and invited clients and their children to see the movie.
Industry experts predict that when advance sales are finally tallied up, they will easily exceed that of 1997's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," the previous record-holder. "Harry Potter" will play at a record 3,672 locations, on about 8,200 screens — also a record, said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. head of distribution.
Fandango Inc., an Internet movie-ticket seller, said about one of every 20 transactions is for blocks of 25 to 50 tickets.
"I can't remember this type of frenzy for a film since really the first "Star Wars" came out," said Fandango spokesman John Singh. Most films see purchases of two to four tickets per transaction, he said.
For a handful of children in Hawai'i, however, all this hype is old hat.
They've already seen the film, having scored tickets to see an advance screening of the film last weekend.
The Advertiser invited them to write film reviews, sharing their reactions whether negative or positive. We made just a few adjustments in spelling and punctuation, but left most of the children's words untouched to preserve their voices.
Did the movie meet their expectations? And even more importantly for fans, did the Quidditch match look properly realistic and thrilling?
Most responded with a thundering "Yes!"
Movie a winner down to last detail
"Harry Potter fans — don't worry! The movie is great, down to the last detail. Everything looks just as it should, including the exciting Quidditch game. And if you are a Muggle without a clue, you will still enjoy the journey from Privet Drive to Hogwarts as Harry discovers his true identity. My rating: 9 1/2 out of 10."
— Ian Ross, fifth grade, Hawaii International School
"'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' was really cool. It had awesome special effects. The movie had a lot of detail. The coolest thing about the movie was when they played Wizard Chess, because the big stone models came alive. It was really freaky when they sliced their opponents when they came in range. The Quidditch match was stupendous in the way the brooms soared. They made it look so easy, the way they zoomed around — it made it look cool. The way they made Fluffy (the three-headed dog) look sent a chill up my spine! It made me feel like I was at Hogwarts... . It's a movie you want to see again and again." — Kenneth Kuroda, fifth grade, Pu'ohala Elementary School
Wizard chess awesome ...
Friendship on flying brooms
"...It was cool when they were flying on their brooms. I wish I had an invisible coat like Harry. This was a good movie because it showed how to be good friends. ..."
— Joshua Fukuhara, second grade, Holy Trinity School
"'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' the best movie of the year! I liked how the effects were coming to life, and I felt like I was there. For example, when Harry was playing Wizard Chess, it felt like I was being attacked by other chess pieces. Also, when flames of fire caught Harry's eye, it felt like flames were getting closer and closer. This is an amazing movie to see. ..." — Noelle Chan, fourth grade, Iolani School
'Amazing movie!'
"I think the movie was great because the graphics were really good. I liked three things in this movie. First was the Quidditch game. It looked amazing! How fun it would be if I was on a broomstick! The Bludgers and the Quaffle (balls that zoom through the air during a Quidditch game) didn't look like what I thought it would look like. Second, Harry's parents actually didn't look like Harry... . (Third,) I thought Harry's wand looked neat... ." — Bricen Liu, seventh grade, Moanalua Middle School
Those zooming Quaffle balls
"I liked every part of the show because it's cool. It wasn't what I thought because some parts were missing. ... (And) one of the parts in the show that wasn't in the book was when things exploded when Harry picked up a wand. ... Though the book had more details, every Harry Potter fan should see the movie because of the surprises in the movie. Can't wait for the next three!" — Devinn Zakahi, fifth grade, Pu'ohala Elementary School
Can't wait for next Potter movie
"The 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' movie was one of the best movies I had ever seen in my life! What I liked was when they showed the scene with (villain) Lord Voldemort. That was cool! The thing I didn't like about the movie was when some of the best parts of the book weren't shown in the movie. Still, it was very exciting! ... "Many people were saying that the Harry Potter movie was a bit too scary for the younger children, and I thought they were right. ... I guess they thought it was a bit scary because at some parts there was a shadow walking slowly by or it might be when someone came by surprise. Some other people thought it was funny at some parts. I thought it was funny, too!" — Zoe Garcia, sixth grade, Kane'ohe Elementary School
Lord Voldemort best villain
"I didn't like it that much because there was nothing new if you read the books already. So if you read the book it's like you can't get surprised since there's nothing new. The only stuff that impressed me was the Quidditch game." — John Otaguro, eighth grade, Stevenson Middle School
Nothing new for this reader
