Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Magical Movie Mode Edition
review by Bobby Blakey
There are few franchise that were as big as the wizarding world of Harry Potter. It has not only spawned a new series of films, but an entire section of Universal Studios theme park and merchandise. Now to celebrate the original films 20th Anniversary with the Magical Movie Mode Edition.
For those muggles that haven’t had the privilege to witness the magic, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone follows Harry Potter who 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.
I could go into the film itself, but at this point most people that are interested have already checked it out. I will say that I really do love the first few chapters in the franchise that offered up a great introduction and evolution of the kids setting the tone for a fun world that you can never get tired of or fully see all it has to offer. Visually there are some of the older CGI moments that are unsurprisingly dated and this higher quality scan of the films enhance them, but also show some of their flaws. For me this made it all the better allowing it to be what it is and maintaining what made it so magical when it was first released.
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. It includes director’s commentary from Chris Columbus offering candid insight and amusing anecdotes from the production of the first film, deleted scenes, quizzes testing your potent knowledge of a vast array of topics from the film, graphics and audio during select scenes in the film draw you further into Harry’s world, and much more.
This element is a fun new experience that immerses you into the film. Much like the old school Infinifilm from New Line where it offers up various features during the film. This one though allows you to get involved with the quizzes and what not as well. It did seem to cut out elements of the film in this mode and streamline it more which might annoy some, but didn’t seem to really overly affect the overall film and instead just makes it a fun new way to enjoy it.
Experience the magic all over again and grab your copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer;s Stone Magical Movie Mode available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.