Great cornerstone, above-average flick

Ah, Mr. Potter, what to write about you! Up until about two weeks before the release of HP 7.1, I hadn't the foggiest idea about your adventures. I might have appreciated this cornerstone in the series more if I had seen it some ten years ago, when it first released. Instead, I was given the DVDs by a good friend who was upgrading to these Ultimate Editions. With nothing to lose but a couple of hours of my day, I decided to dive headfirst into Hogwarts. That decision opened me up to not only a great fantasy world but an incredibly well-constructed film series. I agree that the filmmakers had to start at the beginning. They also had to contend with legions of preteen fans and their fickle parents. All I can say is that they got just about everything right! It hasn't appealed to me in my older age simply because of the age gap between myself and our unassuming hero. The first two films were clearly geared toward that child audience that has grown up right alongside this series, as it should. Can't fault them for that!
As anyone reading this can see, I have a large collection and have my share of "super dooper, double-decker" editions. This Ultimate set is the first of a planned eight part whopper, and it does not disappoint! I rank these right up there with the LOTR extended editions for value added content. All of the features from the DVD is here as well as the first part of an eight part documentary that is truly a complete look into the making of this entire series.

I cannot recommend this set highly enough!!

7/10