Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

Every time a blockbuster film gets released on DVD, the envelope seems to get pushed a little further. From Terminator 2’s in-depth production analysis to Moulin Rouge’s director-created interactive menus to Star Wars: Episode 1’s documentaries upon documentaries upon documentaries, we’ve come to expect that the special feature quality will be in direct proportion to the F/X budget of the particular film. We can now add Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to the list, since this magic-heavy film comes to home theater with a DVD package that is more than just smoke and mirrors.

Although Potter does appeal to adults (check how many people are reading the books during your next commute if you don’t believe us), the DVD plays to its real strength: children with at least a modicum of intelligence. Rather than cramming a ton of behind-the-scenes features (which, let’s face it, bore most adults), Potter uses that disc space to include cool interactive games that allow children to explore some of the things only hinted at in the movie. With so many parents complaining that their kids watch the same video over and over, it’s refreshing to see one that actually gives them a reason to keep going back. Hell, we found ourselves playing around with it…for, you know, review purposes only.