AnneCarlini.com Home
 
  Giveaways!
  Insider Gossip
  Monthly Hot Picks
  Book Reviews
  CD Reviews
  Concert Reviews
  DVD Reviews
  Game Reviews
  Movie Reviews
  Check Out The NEW Anne Carlini Productions!
  [NEW!] Sasha Lane & Brandon Perea [‘Twisters’]
  [NEW!] Sir Ian McKellen [‘The Critic’]
  Josh Lovelace (NEEDTOBREATHE)
  Michael Des Barres [2024]
  Belouis Some (2024)
  Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel (2024)
  Fabienne Shine (Shakin’ Street)
  Crystal Gayle
  Ellen Foley
  Mark Ruffalo (‘Poor Things’)
  Paul Giamatti (‘The Holdovers’)
  The Home of WAXEN WARES Candles!
  Michigan Siding Company for ALL Your Outdoor Needs
  MTU Hypnosis for ALL your Day-To-Day Needs!
  COMMENTS FROM EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE READERS!


©2024 annecarlini.com
TIT

Harry Potter Sorcerer’s Stone: Magical Movie Mode
(Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, et al / 2-Disc DVD / PG / 2021 / Warner Bros.)

Overview: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that the 2001 beloved family film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will be released on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD with Magical Movie Mode, a new and exciting way to experience the timeless modern classic.

Magical Movie Mode will be released on August 17th, 2021 to celebrate the magical adventure film’s 20th anniversary.

The Harry Potter Magical Movie Mode is a wondrous new way to experience Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, allowing fans the ability to discover filmmaking secrets, spell incantations, creatures, magical artifacts, trivia, and more in this enchanting collection of fun activities and curiosities.

Let the magic begin!

DVD Verdict: The Wizarding World is recognized as one of the world’s best-loved franchises and represents a vast, interconnected world which touches all aspects of Harry Potter fans’ lives.

Today it encompasses bestselling novels, blockbuster Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, a multi award-winning stage play, innovative products and apparel, state-of-the-art video and mobile games, unique retail experiences and live entertainment – including world-class Universal theme parks, exhibitions, the popular Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter attraction, and two new virtual reality experiences at Harry Potter New York.

But, before you embark on all that wonderment, allow us to flash you back 20 years to what yo expect from the movie itself!

Harry Potter finds out he is the orphaned son of two wizards and embarks on an amazing journey. During his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry learns he is destined for great things and discovers a Dark wizard is determined to destroy him.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (aka Philosopher’s Stone in the UK) was the first of eight films based on the seven best selling novels by J.K. Rowling. While I certainly don’t think it is one of the better films, it is the one that starts them off and crucially it does so in the right way.

The tone of the Sorcerer’s Stone is considerably lighter than the rest of the series. It is quite childish at times and you never really feel there is any danger. That is a problem because in some scenes you probably should feel a threat.

The effects in the series overall are fantastic, but in this one they are patchy. The troll, fluffy, the quidditch and Voldemort when he appears all look quite cartoonish.

The biggest success of the first HP film is the world building. So many fantasy films throw you straight into a complicated, elaborate plot and spend ages trying to explain what is going on. The result is that you never feel like you have been transported into another world.

That is what Chris Columbus got right about this one. The plot here feels, for large parts, less important than introducing the world itself. The focus of the film is primarily on the wonder and magic of the world.

The sets and locations are fantastic. Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and Gringotts all look great. The costumes are also stunning and give the film a real vibrancy.

The soundtrack from John Williams is iconic. The cast features some of the best British and Irish talent from the last half-century and they all give memorable performances. The kids definitely grow into their roles, but I had no problem with any of them here.

Some of the later films have far more depth, character development and danger about them but they are allowed to because of the foundations laid in this one.

When you see Hogwarts, the owls, etc. in the later films you automatically know it is the Harry Potter world and crucially feel a connection to it.

Ergo, for my money, that is the Sorcerer’s Stone’s greatest triumph.

As for those aforementioned Magical Movie Mode reveals that you can all now enjoy within these two (2) DVDs, well, I won’t give any of them away (or even tell you where to find the pesky harder-to-locate ones!), but I will say that given that Chris Columbus directed both Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as well as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the franchise’s first two films, his commentary in the new mode does most definitely give viewers a far more personal insight into what it was like bringing the Harry Potter novel to life for the first time.

As for the plethora of other additional content, well, you get many deleted scenes, some quizzes testing your potent knowledge of a vast array of topics from the film, and special graphic and audio features that will pop up on select scenes to entice you to click and find out more hidden stuff - drawing you (albeit willingly!) further into Harry’s world, and much more!

In truth, all this Magical Movie Mode stuff should all be eagerly welcomed by those that continue to be enchanted by the Wizarding World, especially in lieu of the fact that Daniel Radcliffe has already stated that a 20-year Harry Potter cast reunion isn’t likely to happen.

But, and in closing, this is only one part of the many 20th anniversary celebrations you can expect to see this year, as we approach nearly two decades since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (aka Philosopher’s Stone) first hit our cinema screens - so keep an eye out for more announcements soon!

The Blu-ray 2-disc set of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Magical Movie Mode will be available for $19.98 SRP and includes the theatrical film and the Magical Movie Mode version of the film in high definition.

It will also be available on DVD as a 2-disc set for $16.98 SRP and includes the theatrical film and Magical Movie Mode version of the film in standard definition.

The film will also be available on Digital on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies.

Amazon Purchase Links

www.WarnerBros.com





...Archives