In fact, they feel like a bolt on at the end of the film.īut credit where credit’s due. Granted, there’s a lot of scene-setting going on here, but by the time that’s all done, there’s barely room to squeeze in the story elements hinted at in the film’s title. In the first film in particular, it feels like a very risk-free approach being taken (something, to the franchise’s credit, that you can’t say of all of the five films to date), as Columbus squeezes as much of the book onto the screen as possible. He hadn’t had experience in such an effects-driven film, but in terms of churning out accessible family fare – and considering that Warner Bros would spend heavily to bring in effects experts anyway – he was a comfortable choice.Ĭolumbus’ approach to the material could best be described as reverential. By this stage, Columbus had on his directorial CV films such as the two Home Alones, Stepmom, Nine Months and Mrs Doubtfire. Warner Bros, in the end, opted for a safe pair of hands, in the shape of Chris Columbus. With shops offering midnight openings whenever a new instalment of the written adventures was released, there can rarely have been a book series with such a ready, built in, young audience waiting to go. Such was the success of the books that when it was announced, therefore, that Warner Bros had done a deal to bring the books to the big screen, it was assumed pretty much from the off that we were looking at a money minting franchise here.

Rowling’s creation, even the harshest would at least have to cede that point. While much snobbery seems to get aimed in the direction of J.K. Contrary to popular belief, children were still reading books before the adventures of the boy wizard first arrived, but there’s little doubt that the Harry Potter series nonetheless gave the book selling industry a massive shot in the arm, and also, you suspect, got many more interested in reading than they were before.

Rowling’s Harry Potter juggernaut came to life. There was a time that some of us can remember before J.K.

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