I wouldn't say I've remained as big of a fan of Harry Potter as many of my friends, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed rewatching this film. The opening sequence with Dumbledore "turning out the lights" remains an incredibly well-paced sequence that is literally thrilling to watch; a feeling that is matched by the entrance of Hagrid moments later.

In terms of setting up the world, the core plot threads and the characters, The Philosopher's Stone is surprisingly well put together. My recollection was that the child actors were awful and the story woefully lacking in depth, but I now feel that that was an unfair appraisal. Watson, Grint and Radcliffe are certainly not perfect in their roles, but it rarely bothered me or snapped me out of the story. Plus, the surrounding cast is fantastic, both in acting skills and just plain audacity. It was great fun spotting "new" actors who I had never realised were in the film when I was a kid, such as John Cleese's Nearly-Headless Nick! Overall I thoroughly enjoyed myself.