Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone2001

Feels like everyone brought their A game. Fitting that the director who developed a timeless child-story classic in Home Alone would direct. He was directing above his weight class in terms of scale, but his signature magic is all over this. Things happen for a reason, kids while flawed are capable and admirable, something that most movies with kids can’t seem to do anymore. John Williams’ score is super iconic, child actors don’t wow but do a great job, production design was remarkable and forward-thinking to last so long through the series, and many effects still hold up quite well. Despite some moments, the film hasn’t aged poorly. The cast is also stacked: Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Warwick Davis, John Hurt, John Cleese, David Bradley, and of course the late Richard Harris, the perfect Dumbledore (Michael Gambin’s a great actor, but his Dumbledore game is non-existent). I’m not a Potter fan, but this movie (and Alfonso Cuaron’s Prisoner of Azkaban) almost makes me want to be.