Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11146 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-23
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 588 minutes

Synopsis
For the HARRY POTTER completist: all four films including THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, CHAMBER OF SECRETS, PRISONER OF AZKABAN, and GOBLET OF FIRE. Adapted from the ubiquitous J.K. Rowling novels, HARRY POTTER's irresistible mix of fantasy, magic, and adventure has captured the imaginations of children and adults the world over. Follow Harry's rise through the ranks of Hogwarts as he learns the art of sorcery, plays the odd game of Quidditch, and saves the world from the dark forces that conspire to overthrow it.

Customer Reviews

Books Are Supreme
How convenient this box set was brought out just as Order Of The Phoenix hits the cinemas, so that all who have not seen the first 4 years can be brought up to speed.
No one will argue that the films even match the books, they don't. The best example is Goblet Of Fire, which falls so far short of the promise of the novel. You have the change of Dumbledore in film 3, from Richard Harris (R.I.P, the true Dumbledore) to his forgetable replacement, a singular piece of bad casting, and the almost inexpressibly bad acting displayed by Radcliffe. Honestly, watch the 1st film, truly cringe worthy. In my humble opinion they should have awaited the release of all 7 films before releasing a box set, but we should be used to this sort of cash in by now.
Of course, the effects are good, but the films just don't capture Hogwarts. This series of books, if nothing else, should provide the incentive for parents to get their kids reading, rather than join the brain dead hordes which seem to populate Britain these days. Parents, I beg you, don't let your kids down when you could be buying the books.

Great Buy
The Harry Potter films are all very good and having a nice box set of the first four films is great. It is a fantastic gift for anyone who enjoys the Harry Potter books. It is definitely value for money and I would recommend anyone to buy it!!

The Boy Who Lived Brought to Life!
Adapted from JK Rowling's amazing magical novels, this DVD boxset features the first four films in the Harry Potter series.

Year 1 - Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone:
Harry Potter learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses magical powers of his own.
Harry then begins his first year at Hogwarts and with the help of his new friends Ron and Hermoine, takes on Lord Voldemort for the first time to stop him from using the mysterious Philosopher's Stone.

Year 2 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:
Cars fly, trees fight back and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year of a danger that may threaten his life. The Chamber of Secrets reopens and the heir of Slitherin returns to Hogwarts.

Year 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
With the escaped criminal, Sirius Black on the loose and terrifying Dementors on guard everywhere, this begins Harry's darkest and most dangerous year at Hogwarts.

Year 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire:
When Harry Potter's name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, he becomes a competitor in a grueling battle for glory among three wizarding schools - the Triwizard Tournament.

The scripts stick very close to the books' storylines, with only a small few scenes missing in the first three films. Anyone who has read The Goblet of Fire though will find huge chunks of the story missing, such as the whole lead-up to the Quidditch World Cup and the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W) storyline. To be fair though, it is a massive book so I suppose some of the minor storylines had to be cut. I just dread to think what will be cut from the upcoming Order of the Phoenix film!

When I watched the first Harry Potter film I had already read the first four books and had created visions in my mind of what the characters and places all looked like and I could not believe how spot-on the cast and locations were, with only minor differences to the books.

The acting from the younger cast members does get progressively better as the films go on, mainly due to age and experience, although the three leads (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) do perform excellently from the start, providing fascinating entertainment. Older cast members include top well-known actors like Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Alan Rickman (Snape), Maggie Smith (McGonagall), Richard Harris (Dumbledore in years 1 & 2), Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in years 3 & 4) and Ralph Fiennes (Voldermort in year 4), to just name a few.

This boxset is one that every fan of Harry Potter should own and although the films are aimed more at children than the books are, they are still great fun to watch with lots of exciting action and are also full of laughs that the whole family can enjoy.