Harry Potter weaves magic over Manila

As much as I love watching movies in a cold movie theater with a bucket of popcorn, there’s still a certain magic to watching videos in the comforts of my home. I can press pause on the video player if I have to go to the bathroom, play back or skip to my favorite scenes and play the movie as loudly or softly as I want to. And, if all that’s not enough, DVDs provide other features to enjoy, like extra interviews with the actors or the director. That’s why a lot of people, like me, are ecstatic when their favorite movie is released on video.

I’m sure all Harry Potter fans were absolutely thrilled when the video of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was recently released. Finally, a chance to see the movie over and over again! I attended the video launch at Glorietta 4, and was so impressed at everything that was being offered. It was definitely a big day for everyone who is into Harry Potter.

It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of activities to help people get into the magical mood. You could sample the DVD for free, get your face painted, join a coloring contest, get your picture taken and get it twenty minutes later, and even buy Harry Potter merchandise! Having so much to do stirred the kid in me, but I restrained myself from doing everything and let the other kids run around and enjoy themselves. I watched as they eagerly colored pictures, gave the photographer their biggest smiles as they stood beside Harry, Ron and Hermione, sat quietly as they got colorful pictures drawn on their cheeks or arms, and browsed through all the merchandise. It definitely paid to be a Harry Potter fan that day.

When the program started, I knew that the video, especially the DVD, was something that everyone was going to enjoy. The VHS and VCD version have two footages that weren’t in the movie, while the DVD came in two discs. One was the film, the other was a bonus disc that had different games and material that every Harry Potter fan would love. If in the past you had to use your imagination to tour Hogwarts, visit the classrooms, play Quidditch or buy an owl or a magic wand, now all you need is the DVD to do all of these. Take the interactive tour of Hogwarts and see where Harry stays and studies. Walk down Diagon Alley to go shopping for wizard essentials. Use the remote to catch the magic snitch after learning Quidditch. Or if you’d prefer to stay in reality, listen to the interviews with producer David Heyman and director Christopher Columbus.

The DVD also has DVD-ROM features that are truly impressive. Video biographies of the Hogwarts faculty, trading cards that users can collect and trade on-line, sorting by the Sorting Hat, screensavers you can download, even personalized owl e-mails if you want updates and information on Harry Potter!

Maybe it was the entertaining dances and magicians on stage. Maybe it was all the cool activities being offered. Maybe it’s been too long since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released, but I was astonished at how different this video was from the rest. If you’re a fan, then you must have this video, whether it’s the VHS, VCD or DVD.

Warning: with all the new footages and cool features, you might be spoiled for life and prefer to wait for the video of all upcoming movies instead of watching them in the theater.