Every Wizarding World Movie Ranked

When it was released over twenty years ago (!), The Philosopher's Stone had its fair share of detractors, many of whom criticised the weak acting of its young stars and formulaic story. After all this time, though, these flaws have come to add to the overall charm of the movie.

It's almost too easy to watch The Philosopher's Stone and cringe at Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson's performances, or the way in which the story uncomfortably lurches from one exposition-heavy plotline to the next, but it's hard to walk away from it all unchanged by the spectacle and wonder of it all.

By the numbers as it may be, the franchise's nostalgic debut is packed with excellent visuals, imaginative worldbuilding, and remarkable characters. It's not particularly high stakes, but it crafts a world in which the potential feels limitless.

In another life, The Philosopher's Stone would have been darker and more daring, but what we got still works as a piece of family-friendly drama that's aged into a lovely, inventive modern classic. You can feel it just getting started.