Tools
dir. Chris Columbus
Opens Fri Nov 16 at various theaters.
If I were reviewing J. K. Rowling's first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I wouldn't be kind. It's not so much a book as a compilation of bits and thoughts from every fantasy novel ever written. Our hero--nascent wizard Harry Potter--glides through every challenge he faces, often overcoming trouble for reasons he doesn't understand; and while effortless power may be desirable in our personal lives, it makes for a lousy read. Most significantly, while the book has villains, Rowling's writing isn't up to making them seem truly scary; in fact, for all its magic, it's a pretty safe and cozy world. (If children's literature can be said to have a purpose distinct from the purposes of literature in general, it's to introduce children to the harsh realities of life in a way that won't actually cost them eyes or limbs. Saccharine tales of rainbow-hued unicorns or earnest anthropomorphic tugboats are not only dull, they miss the point. Any children's book that has lasted has some kind of bite--even Winnie the Pooh must exert himself to overcome problems that, if not resolved, could have serious consequences within his whimsical world.)
What The Sorcerer's Stone has going for it is a relentless plot; there's barely a moment to breathe, let alone develop the characters, between action-packed episodes. Fortunately, there have been three more Harry Potter books since that first one, and each has improved significantly on all that came before, to the point that number four--Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire--is an excellent piece of work, much darker and more complex than its predecessors.
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But I'm not reviewing the book, I'm reviewing the movie, which both benefits and suffers from the relentless plotting of its source.
The impressively faithful script is a canny and skillful edit of the story: Harry Potter lives in a cupboard in the home of his cruel foster family of "muggles"--boring, ordinary people who want nothing more than to live boring, ordinary lives. Since strange, inexplicable things happen around Harry all the time, these muggles punish him routinely. But on his 11th birthday, a letter arrives, inviting Harry to enroll in Hogwarts, the Eton of the magical world. Harry was not only born a wizard, he's already a famous one. His fame issues from events he can't remember but which left a lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. Soon he's concocting potions, flying on brooms, wandering through dark woods, and generally trying to decipher the perils and promises of his new and glorious life.
The design of the movie also dazzles; it's like they went to Hogwarts and shot on location. On film, the world of The Sorcerer's Stone is much darker and more mysterious than it was in print. It's astonishing that the movie's characters and settings can be so fully realized. I can't imagine that anyone will be disappointed by Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid (children across the land will adore Hogwarts' enormous, hairy, and kind-hearted caretaker), or Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall (the stern but affectionate mistress of Gryffindor, a sort of enchanted fraternity), or John Cleese as the ghost Nearly Headless Nick, or Richard Harris as white-bearded school headmaster Albus Dumbledore... the list goes on and on. (Between Harry Potter, Star Wars: Episode 2, and Lord of the Rings, there's never been a better time to be a wily British thespian.) Particularly crucial is Alan Rickman as the slippery and malevolent Professor Snape, whose glorious wealth of glowers, glares, and dark menacing murmurs undergirds all this fanciful architecture with a genuine sense of threat. He's perfect. Everyone is.
In fact, it's a little unsettling how thoroughly perfect the look of the movie is. It's a testament to the talent and smarts of the design team, but also to the prefabricated nature of the source. It's not that Rowling is unimaginative; it's much more insidious than that. By synthesizing a little Tolkien, a pinch of Narnia, a drop of King Arthur, and a smidgen of writers you've never heard of but whose writings have filtered down... presto: She's created a fantasy world that we're already familiar with, complete with a ready-made wardrobe and set. (Her most original contribution is probably the sport of Quidditch, since fantasy writers aren't traditionally athletic.) I say this not to diminish her accomplishment--most art just rearranges what's come before, and she's done a superb job--but to express a little unease about how narrow our notions of the fantastic have become.
None of this should be interpreted to mean that you won't enjoy this movie. Because you will. It's very enjoyable. It will no doubt stand the test of time as an enduring children's classic.
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