Mail delivering owls, hopping chocolate frogs, floating candles, three headed dogs and kids on broomsticks. It doesn't come from Hollywood; it comes from England. In fact, one of the only (if not the sole) American to work on Harry Potter was its director, Chris Columbus. Thankfully, HP is not a British version of Home Alone.

For those of you who managed to stay away from J.K. Rowling's tremendously popular books, don't worry. The movie stays so close to the book that I started to wonder which scenes could have been slimmed down in order to shorten the two and a half hour length of the movie. Lord of the Rings fans, take note: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone makes a good case as to why many book-to-movie adaptations don't stick directly with the author's vision.

At the same time, the attention to little details was amazing. From the perfectly stacked boxes of wands, to every aspect at Hogwarts School, to the creepy Forbidden Forest, there is plenty of eye candy to look at. However, the set design does not overpower the cast. Alan Rickman was perfect as the slimy Snape, and Robbie Coltrane provided much comic relief as the huge but caring Hagrid, as did the brief moments with John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor House.

But as it should be, the film belongs to the kids. Rupert Grint as Ron and Emma Watson as the know-it-all Hermione almost steal the movie from Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. The three stars have such a rapport on screen that it wouldn't make sense to have anyone else in those roles.

One note of advice: If you plan on seeing Harry Potter, make sure to try and see a late show. Hopefully that way, you can enjoy the movie without having to hear a Harry Potter devout three rows ahead spout off exactly what will happen in the next scene. And if the ticket lines are still too long for you, you can always grab the books and prepare for Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, due on screen in November 2002.

Rating: 4 fairies
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, John Cleese, Zoe Wanamaker
Official Website: http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/