On his 11th birthday, an orphan with mystical powers is taken in at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to refine his skill. While there he uncovers a plot to steal a sacred magical artifact.

Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter enjoyed an extremely popular run in both print and on screen. This film is sure to be loved by children of all ages, but the enjoyment is less so for adults.

I found the first 40 minutes of this film much more interesting than the remainder. Harry's introduction to the world of magic is enjoyable and fun. But once he's immersed in that world the story becomes loose and our enjoyment suffers because of this.

The film's story isn't mysterious enough for me. Although plot twists are well timed and do attempt to enhance interest in the film, I found most of it rather contrived. Similarly, the action sequences often appear out of nowhere and feel "pieced in". A character introduced as Harry's rival student wizard is absolutely wasted - nothing becomes of this character. There's also no villain to hate. With no rival and no villain it's hard to care that much about the good guys, you need contrast for that.

Director, Chris Columbus does achieve some visual splendor with lighting and camera techniques in several scenes. The heavy special effects in this film are occasionally brilliant, but largely uneven; clearly there are some scenes that Columbus needed to be better than others. I was impressed with Harry's cloak of invisibility and with a scene featuring an angry troll, both looked very good; conversely the scene of a broomstick field sporting event looked like it was done in 1989. Many green-screened shots are obvious, also.

Daniel Radcliffe performs very well in the title role. He gives a light touch to Harry that is leagues ahead of what most child actors offer. Emma Watson, despite her over annunciating EVERY syllable, comes off as a charming female friend. Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman certainly know their craft are fun to watch. A wonderful John Cleese cameo is way too short.

Harry Potter is a lot of fun and children will certainly have their parents wearing out VCR tape heads all across our great land for years to come, but I was generally under whelmed across the board.

Directed by Chris Columbus.