Like the Ten Commandments and Gone with the Wind, Harry Potter has joined the pantheon of films judged to be Not as Good as the Book.
Although the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is on Sunday, the previews are next week, and the official release is on November 16, the first reviews are seeping out.
Empire magazine admits it has seen only 15 minutes of the film, but pronounces itself impressed. "There's no doubting that the casting is impressive. Add to that some stunning sets and deliciously dark-toned cinematography, and we've got high hopes for this being a winner."
Time magazine, however, claims to have seen the lot, from first owl to closing broomstick, and has reservations. "The big screen adaptation is a film of such eye-popping grandeur, dazzling special effects and sumptuous production values that you may not notice right away that supporting characters like Peeves, a troublesome ghost, and Piers, a troublesome boy, have been given the heave-ho," grumbles its writer, Jess Cagle. "Sorcerer's Stone does have a dusty verité Lest we burden it with expectations too great, however, we must note that it is not a perfect movie ..."
Cagle calls the film by its title in the US - first used for the book's American edition, to avoid the academic connotation of "philosopher's". She claims to have seen the entire film in London weeks ago. "I flew to London and saw the film two weeks ago, before any critics (including Time's) were allowed to see and review it."
The London office of the film's producer, Warner Brothers, expressed mild surprise at the review, which dismisses the film as "essentially a greatest hits compilation of the book itself".
"To be very very truthful, we didn't actually have the film in London weeks ago," a Warner spokeswoman said. "I gather the piece is a bit iffy?" "Like we care?" she, the crew, and the fans might well have added.
Warner is besieged with requests for invitations to the premiere - for which every seat has long since been allocated. Many cinemas have sold out tickets for all screenings for days after the November 16 release.
As for the crew, Leavesden studios in Hertfordshire has been booked for another year, to make the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. JK Rowling has published four Harry Potter tales, and plans seven in all. The film's director, Chris Columbus, is nobly prepared to lash himself to the mast for the whole voyage. He told Empire magazine: "It would basically mean doing nothing else for the next seven years of my life, and I'm prepared to do that."
· Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has not been dubbed, Warner Bros insisted. The studio admitted that 13-year-old Joe Sowerbutts had done some voiceover work for the film, but insisted only Daniel will be heard speaking Harry's words.
