Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The first film based on J.K. Rowling’s novels about a young boy who, on his eleventh birthday, discovers that he is the orphaned boy of two powerful wizards and has unique magical powers of his own. Invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. At Hogwarts, he finds the home and the family he has never had.

Aroview: Immensely popular, this star-studded adaptation of JK Rowling’s first book thankfully captures the essence of orphan Harry’s tale of apprenticeship to Hogwarts School for Wizards.

With its unpretentiously derivative world – part-Tolkien, part-C.S. Lewis, part-Dickens – this has special f/x galore, scary moments and a true understanding of its appeal to kids, only missing the satire that clinched the books for adults.