Harry Potter Years 1-3
by Alfonso Cuarón, Chris Columbus
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Actor: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Rupert GrintDirector: Alfonso Cuarón, Chris Columbus
Producer: Chris Columbus
Producer: Callum McDougall
Producer: Chris Carreras
Producer: David Barron
Writer: J.K. Rowling
Writer: Steve Kloves
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 455 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-23
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
DVD Reviews of Harry Potter Years 1-3
DVD Review: A Good Set
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a good boxed set. IT contains the widescreen versions of the first three Harry Potter Movies and each has an extra disk of extra features for those who like that sort of thing. It is a good package and well worth the money for fans.
A review of each of the films appears below but I feel called to add something. For technical excellence, I would give each of them 5 stars. As far as MY OWN enjoyment goes, I rank them 5, 4 and 3 stars for the first second and third films.
HARRY POTTER AND THE SOCERER"S STONE - An Excellent Adaptation
Adapting a book for a film necessarily requires some adaptations and changes. These are usually for the worse. This film is an exception. Compromises have been made but it has been splendidly done. Most of the story from the book has been carried over and the work has been done in a creditable fashion. This is particularly nice in that a fantasy film is particularly difficult in this regard.
The story is of a young man who is unaware that he was born a wizard. After the death of his parents, he was raised by relatives who detest him and have tried to keep him from learning about his heritage or even knowing that there is any such thing as magic. The magic community has not forgotten him, however. The young man has a past and famous parents. He is also the only person ever to have survived a fight with "he who must not be named". He did this at the age of 2. Now, he has been accepted at an academy for wizards. His eyes are opened to numerous possibilities and soon he is involved in solving a mystery. Things are not all as they seem at the Hogwarts Academy. Foul things are happening and young Harry Potter is determined to figure them out. That in itself constitutes an education.
This is an extremely entertaining film for kids of all ages. It is well done and will appeal on different levels to people of all ages.
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS - Good, But Not As Good
This, the second Harry Potter, manages to reclaim the technical excellence of the first but is not quite up to the same standard. Part of this is because more of the book is left out than was the case with the first film. Partly, this is because of necessity. You can almost never do a complete book adaptation. Something always gets lost. The first was notable for how well it succeeded in this respect. The second does well also, it just doesn't do quite as well. I suppose the other reason is that I just loathe snakes.
This story involves snakes. Especially, it involves a basilisk, the king of serpents, whose gaze can kill. This beast has as its mission to kill all those not of pure blood in the magical Hogwarts academy. This goes on as Lord Valdemort, the evil wizard, makes another bid to come back and achieve power. It is Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione who can put a stop to all the nonsense.
The magical effects are wonderful. So too is much of the cheeky repartee. While this one can be suitable to people of all ages, some of it may be a bit intense for the youngest of viewers. It is also contraindicated if you despise snakes. I do, but managed to enjoy the film anyway.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKEBAN - A Needless Letdown
I was disappointed with this film but my reasons differ somewhat from those given by other reviewers. This one still has the technical excellence of the first two in terms of effects and production values. It also does a fair job of following the book although there are elements that have to be cut in any such adaptation. It is certainly a darker episode than the first two but so was the book. My complaint is different. The new director needlessly made changes that didn't have to be made.
Some of the changes involve sets. The feel of the story is different. There is no real story telling reason for the change; it seems the changes were made for their own sake.
Other changes that seem to be made for their own sake do involve the story line. Nothing was accomplished by the changes. They don't seem to have added to the story and, I must admit, they don't really detract all that much. They are just different without having to be. It is almost as if the book was not good enough. That is a far cry from a book being too difficult to film.
The story involves Harry's 3rd year at the Hogwarts Academy for wizards. Once again, skullduggery is afoot and Harry and his friends are intent on straightening things out. This time, a fearsome wizard has escaped from prison and it is common knowledge that the wizard wants Harry dead. His being Harry's Godfather makes the tale more convoluted and the twists and turns really start occurring when many of the characters are not who they seem to be.
It's a good movie adaptation of a book but it is not in the same league as the others.
Description of Harry Potter Years 1-3
The filmed version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, adapted from the wildly popular book by J.K. Rowling, stunningly brings to life Harry Potter's world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The greatest strength of the film comes from its faithfulness to the novel, and this new cinematic world is filled with all the details of Rowling's imagination, thanks to exuberant sets, elaborate costumes, clever makeup and visual effects, and a crème de la crème cast, including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, and more. Especially fine is the interplay between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his schoolmates Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), as well as his protector, the looming Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane). The second-half adventure--involving the titular sorcerer's stone--doesn't translate perfectly from page to screen, ultimately because of the film's fidelity to the novel; this is a case of making a movie for the book's fans, as opposed to a transcending film. Writer Steve Kloves and director Chris Columbus keep the spooks in check, making this a true family film, and with its resourceful hero wide-eyed and ready, one can't wait for Harry's return.First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors. Harry's second year at Hogwarts involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents with younger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of several Hogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry, Ron, and Hermione to a 50-year-old mystery in the monster-laden Chamber of Secrets. House elves, squealing mandrakes, giant spiders, and venomous serpents populate this loyal adaptation (by director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves), and Kenneth Branagh delightfully tops the supreme supporting cast as the vainglorious charlatan Gilderoy Lockhart. At 161 minutes, the film suffers from lack of depth and uneven pacing, and John Williams's score mostly reprises established themes. The young, fast-growing cast offers ample compensation, however, as does the late Richard Harris in his final screen appearance as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Brimming with cleverness, wonderment, and big-budget splendor, Chamber honors the legacy of J.K. Rowling's novels.
Some movie-loving wizards must have cast a magic spell on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, because it's another grand slam for the Harry Potter franchise. Demonstrating remarkable versatility after the arthouse success of Y Tu Mamá También, director Alfonso Cuarón proves a perfect choice to guide Harry, Hermione, and Ron into treacherous puberty as the now 13-year-old students at Hogwarts face a new and daunting challenge: Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison, and for reasons yet unknown (unless, of course, you've read J.K. Rowling's book, considered by many to be the best in the series), he's after Harry in a bid for revenge. This dark and dangerous mystery drives the action while Harry and his third-year classmates discover the flying hippogriff Buckbeak (a marvelous CGI creature), the benevolent but enigmatic Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), horrifying black-robed Dementors, sneaky Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), and the wonderful advantage of having a Time-Turner just when you need one. The familiar Hogwarts staff returns in fine form (including the delightful Michael Gambon, replacing the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Emma Thompson as the goggle-eyed Sybil Trelawney), and even Julie Christie joins this prestigious production for a brief but welcome cameo. Technically dazzling, fast-paced, and chock-full of Rowling's boundless imagination, The Prisoner of Azkaban is a Potter-movie classic. (Ages 8 and older)
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