Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - What a read, what a movie! :)

I guess this sounds strange, but I just discovered the Harry Potter series. Of course, I have heard about it before, and I even watched a Harry Potter movie in the cinema years ago, but recently, I just discovered this series "for the first time."

Do you know why I discovered it? I had no interest in the series at all, but then my son just started reading the first book called The Philosopher's Stone. Sometimes he read himself and other times, I read aloud to him. Do you know what happened? He fell in love with the book, and so did I.

And then came the big question - what about the movie? Can he watch it?

Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone (the movie)

I immediately discovered that I could stream the movie on Netflix. The first three movies are registered as recommended for people seven years or older, while the last four movies are recommended to those 11 or older. I had my doubts about the age recommendation, and that is why I decided to watch the movie myself, before I might end up showing it to my son.

Now, it is a real joy to watch the movie while reading the book. I often feel as if watching a movie based on a book is like watching an entirely different story, but here I felt as if the movie actually is based on built on the book, and they have done their uttermost to actually follow the story of the book. And that is brilliant, because the book is entertaining, fun, and packed with magic.

It also felt extremely fun to watch the movie, simply because of the actors. Emma Watson is now a nice looking lady, but here it is like watching her as a baby. So cute :) Harry Potter is played by Daniel Radcliffe, and he is also looking like a baby here. He hasn't had such a fantastic career after Harry Potter (like Emma Watson), but he is still a good actor.

The story of Harry Potter...

What I also enjoyed a lot as I discovered this book and the movie, is that fact that the story keeps surprising me. It has some great twists to the story, and I also loved the fact that I could follow it together with my kid. It became like a wonderful father/son moment when we together went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to enjoy the company of Hagrid, Ron, Dumbledore, Malfoy, and all the others.

I guess most people know this movie and the series already, but if you don't... Harry Potter is growing up without parents, and is placed with some other family members. They don't appreciate him, and he is not actually having a great time. But, just before he turns 11, he is getting some strange invitations that the family tries to hide from him. In the end, he gets to see the invitation, which is inviting him to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the midst of this, he also discovers more about what happened to his parents, and his friendship with Ron and Hermione is growing along the way (as he joins the school).

But, there is an enemy who is after him... the man whose name nobody likes to say (He Who Must Not Be Named), who in real life is known as Voldemort.

All in all, this is a fantastic ride into a magical world, and I am enjoying it myself, and the fact that I can enter it together with my son just makes it all the more wonderful!

Reading the book is recommended...

It is much easier just to watch the movie, but reading the book is giving you so much extras, background information, and some great laughs, so I recommend starting with the book(s) if you have the time! :)

Are you ready for some fun? Go ahead and watch the Harry Potter movies and read the books!