Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (With Rifftrax)

By: LinnieG
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Battlefield Earth. Glitter. Fantastic Four. Some films are just better with an audio commentary, especially if that commentary makes fun of the film. Luckily for the movie-renting public, the creative minds behind Mystery Science Theatre 3000 have reunited to give us the glorious gift that is Rifftrax. Currently, over fifty films (ranging from blockbusters like Jurassic Park to travesties like Roadhouse) now feature cheap, downloadable audio commentaries done by riff-master Mike Nelson. Check out his new website, www.rifftrax.com, for more details and a complete listing of all the films he’s riffing on.
Mike, Kevin, and Bill come together to riff the first installment of the wildly popular Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The movie itself is nothing special – it isn’t unbearable, but it isn’t the greatest film of all either – and the rifftrack gives it a comedic flair.
The rifftrack for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone occasionally veers into in-joke territory, making cracks that elicit laughter from only the extremely nerdy. References to lolcats.com (“I can has wizard?”) and Schnappi das Kleine Krokodile pop up (I was very surprised not to hear any “O RLY?” jokes), but they’re rounded-out with other, more accessible references. Jokes about the film industry (“Dear Daniel, we own you for the rest of your teenage years…”), Draco Malfoy’s master race-good looks (“What will the fürher say?”) and previous acting choices of certain Harry Potter actors (“Go-star-in-a Die-Hard-ia!”) round out the general nerdiess and give us something to laugh at.