Harry Potter is Satan and Encourages Witchcraft

Harry Potter is the work of the devil. He carries the mark of Satan on his forehead. These stories encourage children to explore witchcraft and to turn away from God. We should burn all the Harry Potter books and ban the English from making movies altogether!

Just kidding....I've been hearing this kind of junk lately and thought it was funny.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is one heck of a movie. It has the kind of cross-genre appeal that makes both kids and parents want to see it and enjoy it. It ranks up there with the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films in its ability to reach out to vast numbers of people, which is why it set a box office record of $90+ million on its opening weekend.

The story is about an orphaned boy who discovers that his parents were wizards, and that he is also a wizard. He is sent to a wizard training school and most of the story takes place in the large school/castle. The main story is that an evil wizard has been trying to break into the castle and steal a powerful gem called The Sorcerer's Stone.

This movie was very well cast, even down to Harry Potter himself. This kid, who looks like a young John Lennon, will win you over the first time he smiles. The supporting cast, especially his redheaded friend, are all excellent. Alan Rickman (Hans from Die Hard) and Richard Harris, along with many others, provide great supporting roles, but this movie is all about the kids. Robbie Coltrane (who was in one of the Bond movies) is a major scene stealer.

The special effects in this movie are excellent, and it includes a game sequence that is sort of a combination Pod Race/Return of the Jedi speeder bike race. In the game, the kids fly around on brooms and play a sort of aerial soccer. Its exciting and well filmed and I'm sure right now there is some kid running around his house with a broomstick trying to fly.

The only problem I found with this movie is that it had a couple of flaws in the editing department. I noticed a couple of places where the transition from scene to scene could have been a little more smoother.

Ultimately, this is a 2 and a half hour movie and I never noticed it being that long. Thats a good thing! Go see Harry Potter and find out what real storytelling is about.