Magical...but not spell-binding

Neville Billimoria

Imagine you spent the first 12 years of your life where your bedroom was a broom cupboard. A place, where your stingy aunt and uncle wouldn't give you a penny as pocket money.

Then, imagine you found out that you are actually one of the most famous celebrities in the wizard world who had galleons, sickles and knuts to spare!

If you could imagine this, well, you could have imagined yourself as Daniel Radcliffe, the lad who portrays Harry Potter -- The Boy Who Lived in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

For those of you who don't know already, here's how the story goes. Harry's parents are murdered when he is only two. Their killer, Voldemort a powerful dark wizard, disappears after an attempt to kill Harry.

Soon after Harry turns 12, he is invited to join a school for witchcraft and wizardry called Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, Harry makes friends with Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasly (Rupert Grint), who help him in his fight against evil, and his arch enemy Draco Malfoy, (played to perfection in the film by Tom Felton) and his evil cohorts Crabbe and Goyle.

There are two ways to find out how Harry survives.

i) Read the Book.
ii) Watch the film.

The film does have its ups and downs.

First the plus points.

The film stays true to the book. Director Chris Columbus obviously put a lot of thought to the special effects, because many of the scenes must have been very hard to depict on screen thanks to writer J K Rowling's vibrant description of a host of imaginary beings.

The downside of the film is that it did not contain as much 'magic' as I expected. Actually the film only really showcases the spell 'Wingardium Leviosa', a levitation charm cast by Hermione.

The duration of the film is short, but the director's ability to compress a six-hour book (that's how long I took to read it), into a two-hour film is a wonder in itself.

But here's to all Harry Potter fans, 'Draco Dormenius Nunquam Titalantus' (never bother a sleeping dragon).

(Eleven-year-old Neville Billimoria studies at Mumbai's Cathedral & John Connan School.)