Harry Potter Years DVD
Warner Home Video
Rated: PG
Genre: Family
Length: 452 minutes
Director: Chris Columbus
Year: (2001, 2002, 2004)
Britt Gillette's Harry Potter DVD Years 1-3 Collection Review
An international phenomena, Harry Potter created real life magic when it conjured images in the heads of millions of children, inspiring them to read an actual book! Riding a crest of popularity, the Harry Potter books have moved to the big screen bringing to life the memorable creations of author J.K. Rowling. To date, three films are finished - The Sorcerer's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, and The Prisoner of Azkaban. More are on the way, and as promised, fans have not been disappointed by the big screen transition. Directed by Chris Columbus, the special effects in these films are absolutely astounding. Complete with moving stairwells, talking paintings, and flying candles, Hogwarts springs to life for Harry Potter and his fellow classmates. Even more magical is this franchise's ability to entertain audiences of every age with relative ease…
Year 1 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The first book and film in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, will mesmerize newcomers. The story follows the life of orphan Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) who, due to his parents' death in a car accident, is forced to live underneath the staircase at the home of his ungrateful Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths) and Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw). Annoyed by their incessant driveling over their own son, Harry dreams of a life without them. When an owl arrives with a mysterious letter addressed for Harry, Uncle Vernon disposes of it only to have owls continually arrive by the thousands with replicate copies for Harry. But Uncle Vernon is insistent that Harry not read the letters.
He packs up the family and takes them away to a remote location. But at the new house, the family is discovered by Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) who finally delivers the message to Harry that he is a famous wizard invited to begin attending wizardry school at the Hogswarts school for witches and wizards. Against his Uncle's wishes, Harry follows Hagrid who explains the origin of the mysterious lightning bolt mark on Harry forehead as well as the true circumstances of his parents' deaths. An evil wizard named Voldemort (he who must not be named) killed Harry's parents in an attempt to set up his evil regime. When he went to kill Harry, his wand carved the tiny lightning bolt on Harry's forehead just before he was killed himself by the young baby. As a result, Harry is famous among the world of wizardry.
En route to getting his school supplies, Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley where such tools of wizardry are sold. Soon after, Harry befriends Ronald Weasley (Rupert Grint) as the two embark on their first train ride to Hogwarts. On the train, they enjoy some wizard candy and meet a new friend, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). Together, the three are initiated into the rules and regulations of the Hogwarts school where The Sorting Hat chooses to place them each in the Gryffindor clan over Slytherin, home of Harry's classmate nemesis Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Hogwarts is presided over by Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris), and Harry and his classmates are taught by the harsh professors Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Severus Snape (Alan Rickman).
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover that something mysterious is guarded by a three-headed dog. Believing that Professor Snape is somehow involved, they set out on a quest to find out what the dog is guarding. Along the way, Harry is chosen to be one of the rare first-year students to play Quidditch, the three friends must overcome a series of obstacles to find out what the dog is guarding, and Harry must face down the evil wizard who killed his parents. In the end, Hogwarts and wizards everywhere are once again saved by the boy genius, Harry Potter…
Year 2 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The second book and film in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is just as exciting as the first. While staying at his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's house, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is visited by a house elf named Dobby. The elf warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts for his second year at the famous school for witchcraft and wizardry. Harry ignores the warning and takes his annual train ride with friends Ron Dursley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).
But when the three friends arrive at Hogwarts, a series of strange events begin to take place. People are becoming petrified throughout the school, and no one is ever witness to point out the culprit. Unfortunately, Harry is often the first to stumble upon the petrified victims, which garners quite a bit of suspicion. In addition, Harry continues to hear a strange voice, and his classmates are frightened when he is able to speak to a snake (which makes him a Parsel-tongue). In the midst of these strange events, Harry and his friends learn about the Chamber of Secrets, a hidden lair within Hogwarts of which is said only the true descendent of Salazar Slytherin will be able to open.
When the Chamber of Secrets is opened, everyone at Hogwarts believes that Harry is the one who did it. But perhaps it was opened by Tom Riddle - a former student Harry has recently learned about through the aid of a magical book. When Harry investigates, he must face down a giant snake as well as his evil nemesis Lord Voldemort…
Year 3 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Another year has passed and it's time for yet another semester at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry… In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, everyone's favorite witches and wizards return for an adventure wrought with danger and suspense.
The film begins with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) back at the Dursleys' house on Privet Drive where an obnoxious relative demeans the memory of Harry's father, causing the young wizard to violate the cardinal rule of student witches and wizards. With a vengeful gaze, Harry practices magic in the outside world, causing the offending relative to continually swell into an inflatable ball until she floats out of the house and into the night sky. Sick of the treatment meted out by his aunt and uncle, Harry leaves their house for good. When he runs away, he notices a dangerous, bloodthirsty wolf before escaping from the area on a magical bus. En route to Hogwarts, Harry is told of the escape of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) from the infamous prison of Azkaban. Sirius Black is a known accomplice of Voldemort (a.k.a. he-who-must-not-be-named), and the fugitive criminal dominates the topics of conversation in Harry's world.
When Harry takes his usual train ride to Hogwarts with friends Ronald Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), the three encounter a deadly "Dementor" (Latin for mind-remover) which attacks Harry before the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Remus Lupin (David Thewles), casts a spell that causes the Dementor to flee.
Meanwhile, the annual orientation at Hogwarts is peppered with a number of notable events and special effects. Among them are the usual game of Quidditch, Hagrid's presentation of Buckbeak the Hippogriff (a majestic, half-horse/half-bird creature), and the twins' delivery of the Marauder's Map to Harry in effort to aid in his evasion of pesky Hogwarts administrators.
When Buckbeak is falsely accused and condemned to death for attacking Draco Malfoy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione devise a plan to save his life. While implementing their plan, the three students run into Sirius Black and Professor Lupin who reveal the true object of Sirius Black's wrath - Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall). Pettigrew is the real betrayer of Harry Potter's parents, and years earlier, he pinned his own crimes on Sirius Black. Professor Lupin and Sirius Black are friends of Harry's parents and would never do harm to Harry. Since his betrayal of the Potters, Peter Pettigrew has been living in the form of a rat - the same rat that Ronald Weasley and his family have used at Hogwarts for years. With their mystery solved, the crew plans to return to Hogwarts, but they're delayed when Professor Lupin (a closet werewolf) is exposed to the light of the full moon. Sirius Black wrestles the creature away from Harry and his friends, but he incurs serious injuries in the process. As the Dementors close in for the kill, Harry attempts to save the life of Sirius Black, and does so with the aid of an extremely powerful wizard…
Fun for the whole family, Harry Potter Years 1-3 Collection offers a film series packed with special effects that will amaze, characters that will awe, and an entire world that will spark the imagination. Few movie goers can watch Harry Potter and not stand in awe of the creative genius of J.K. Rowling. As a result, each Harry Potter film is an absolute must-see…
Britt Gillette
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Posted on 20 December 2004