Harry Potter : Years 1-3 - The Special Editions Box Set (6 Discs) [DVD]

Description

Product Description All three films in the phenomenally successful Harry Potter trilogy. 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (2001) is the first feature film outing for the bespectacled boy wizard. Newly enrolled at Hogwarts School, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his chums Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) have a surpise encounter with a three-headed dog guarding a secret trapdoor. They then begin to suspect that something important might be hidden beneath the school - and when they investigate it leads to an encounter with the evil wizard Voldemort (Ian Hart). Will Harry be able to keep up with his studies, lead his team to victory in the school sport Quidditch, and still triumph over the dreaded Voldemort? In 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' (2002), Harry and his chums return to Hogwarts School of Witchery and Wizardry for their second year. Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) and Sprout (Miriam Margoyles) have joined the staff and Harry and friends soon find that once again all is not right at the school - pupils seem to be petrified, literally, and a monster is on the loose. In the third film, 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' (2004), there is a shadow hanging over Harryas he and his friends return to Hogwarts for their third year: dangerous serial killer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from the Wizards' prison, the Azkaban Fortress - and he wants revenge for the death of his master, Voldemort, who Harry defeated 13 years earlier. For Harry's protection, Azkaban has sent an army of soul-sucking Dementors to guard Hogwarts from a possible attack by Black - but they turn out to be as much of a threat to Harry as Black himself. As myth, magic and teenage hormones combine to weave their dark spell, Harry uncovers a few more crucial secrets about his mysterious past... From .co.uk The filmed version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, adapted from the wildly popular book by J.K. Rowling, stunningly brings to life Harry Potter's world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The greatest strength of the film comes from its faithfulness to the novel, and this new cinematic world is filled with all the details of Rowling's imagination, thanks to exuberant sets, elaborate costumes, clever makeup and visual effects, and a crème de la crème cast, including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, and more. Especially fine is the interplay between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his schoolmates Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), as well as his protector, the looming Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane). The second-half adventure--involving the titular stone--doesn't translate perfectly from page to screen, ultimately because of the film's fidelity to the novel; this is a case of making a movie for the book's fans, as opposed to a transcending film. Writer Steve Kloves and director Chris Columbus keep the spooks in check, making this a true family film, and with its resourceful hero wide-eyed and ready, one can't wait for Harry's return. First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors. Harry's second year at Hogwarts involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents with younger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of several Hogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry, Ron, and Hermione to a 50-year-old mystery in the monster-laden Chamber of Secrets. House elves, squealing mandrakes, giant spiders, and venomous serpents populate this loyal adaptation (by director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves), and Kenneth Branagh delightfully tops the supreme supporting cast as the vainglorious charlatan Gilderoy Lockhart. At 161 minutes, the film suffers from lack of depth and uneven pacing, and John Williams's score mostly reprises established themes. The young, fast-growing cast offers ample compensation, however, as does the late Richard Harris in his final screen appearance as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Brimming with cleverness, wonderment, and big-budget splendor, Chamber honours the legacy of J.K. Rowling's novels. Some movie-loving wizards must have cast a magic spell on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, because it's another grand slam for the Harry Potter franchise. Demonstrating remarkable versatility after the arthouse success of Y Tu Mamá También, director Alfonso Cuarón proves a perfect choice to guide Harry, Hermione, and Ron into treacherous puberty as the now 13-year-old students at Hogwarts face a new and daunting challenge: Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison, and for reasons yet unknown (unless, of course, you've read J.K. Rowling's book, considered by many to be the best in the series), he's after Harry in a bid for revenge. This dark and dangerous mystery drives the action while Harry and his third-year classmates discover the flying hippogriff Buckbeak (a marvelous CGI creature), the benevolent but enigmatic Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), horrifying black-robed Dementors, sneaky Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), and the wonderful advantage of having a Time-Turner just when you need one. The familiar Hogwarts staff returns in fine form (including the delightful Michael Gambon, replacing the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Emma Thompson as the goggle-eyed Sybil Trelawney), and even Julie Christie joins this prestigious production for a brief but welcome cameo. Technically dazzling, fast-paced, and chock-full of Rowling's boundless imagination, The Prisoner of Azkaban is a Potter-movie classic.