This coming Sunday, July 31, thousands of “Potterheads” will celebrate around the world the birthday of Harry Potter, the most famous wizard in the world. The same fans, who for 25 years have repeatedly read the same books and seen the same movies, often vent their anger on the filmmakers because they failed to include important details from the book’s plot into the movie, which they claim hurt the cinematic work quite a bit.
Therefore, I have compiled for you the 10 biggest changes that happened in the movies and that pissed me off the most. The task was not easy, you can find quite a few changes in each film in the series, but these just stood out to me in particular (and no, Daniel Radcliffe’s non-green eyes did not make the list).
10. The Potions Riddle
At the climax of the first film, Harry Ron and Hermione have to face a series of obstacles on their way to stop Professor Snape (or so they believe) from obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone. But what you don’t see in the film are two important obstacles: Professor Quirrell’s obstacle – a security troll who was already put to sleep before the students arrived, and the most important obstacle – Professor Snape’s potions obstacle.
Snape’s logic puzzle proved a challenge for 11-year-old Hermione, who had to embrace her feverish mind. She finally manages to figure out that there is enough potion left just to send Harry forward. So it is true that large parts of the first film were devoted to presenting Hermione as annoying and arrogant, but precisely the moment when reason and logic won over any magical talent – the production chose to leave out.
9. Hermione Granger
True, Emma Watson is a great actress who played Hermione to the best of her ability, but over the years many viewers were able to notice that the script often tended to emphasize her wisdom at the expense of Ron Weasley, who was chosen to be the dumbest side of the triangle (just emphasizing – the writer does not think that Ron Stupid, only the script made him so).
Since it is impossible to detail every such case, I have attached the following video for you, from the creator of Screen Rant, which compiled almost 10 minutes of lines stolen from Ron and addressed to Hermione.
8. Quidditch
The most popular sport in the wizarding world, and one that was clearly invented to give Harry Potter a chance to stand out in a world full of 11-year-old wizards who were better than him, disappeared entirely from the movies as the series progressed. While in the first and second film we get to see at least one game properly, from the third film onwards we only get chips at best.
The plot of Quidditch is a central part of the books “The Prisoner of Azkaban” and “The Half-Blood Prince”, but it also plays a significant role in the book “Order of the Phoenix”. Despite this, she did not receive the respect she deserved, except for a few short scenes that did not respect the important plot in the books.
7. Ludo Bagman and Bertha Jorkins
Throughout the fourth book, the character of the Quidditch star in the past and the Ministry of Magic man in the present is woven into all the plot lines. He helps organize the Quidditch World Championship and the Triwizard Tournament, in which he is also a referee. In between, he is busy avoiding Fred and George Weasley after stealing their money. Despite his importance to the plot, Bagman’s character does not exist at all in the film and his role was transferred to Bertie Crouch Sr.
Unlike Begman who was present at Hogwarts, Bertha Jorkins disappeared at the beginning, but the story of her disappearance is also important to the plot and the return of Voldemort. Why then was it deleted as if it didn’t exist? Screenwriters have the solution.
6. The house elves
The magical and lovable creatures we were already exposed to in the “Chamber of Secrets” gradually disappeared as the films progressed. In fact, with the exception of Dobby and Kreacher (Sirius’ elf and then Harry), the elves are not present at all, not even in the final battle against the Death Eaters, where they emerge from the kitchens and go to defend Hogwarts, led by Kreacher.
The goblins are also not present in many other nodes, but mainly in the fourth film – Neville Longbottom is the one who introduces Harry to the “Zimizim” algae, which will enable him to succeed in the second mission. Also, Hermione’s fight to free the elves is completely gone. Even Winky’s character disappears, which makes it a little difficult for the viewer to understand some of the moves happening on the screen.
5. Phineas Nigelus Black
Sirius Black’s great-grandfather, the first headmaster of Hogwarts to come from Slytherin and the only one until the ascension of Severus Snape. On the face of it, a portrait of a long-dead wizard shouldn’t have much importance, but his presence in the Black family home does.
Black acts as a messenger for Dumbledore (after all, every former headmaster should help and serve the current headmaster of Hogwarts to the best of his ability) and delivers messages to Harry during his stay at the Black family house. Then, in the seventh book, he helps the trio find out what’s going on at Hogwarts under Snape’s hands and keeps them connected to Ginny, Neville and others.
4. Albus Dumbledore’s funeral
The final chapter of the sixth book, in which all the characters get to say goodbye to the principal who was brutally murdered by a teacher at his school, was completely deleted from the film. Instead of seeing all the important characters, as well as magical creatures, pay their last respects to Dumbledore, we got to see some wands being raised into the night sky.
True, the character of Dumbledore did not disappear and in the seventh book a more painful and darker history of his was revealed, but the lament of the phoenix and the funeral are still engraved among many readers as an important moment like no other in the series.
We stopped for a moment: before I mention the three biggest changes of the plot between the books and the movies, it is important to mention a number of changes that failed to pass the test and enter the top ten: the character of Phibes who completely disappeared, the full story behind the prophecy, Charlie Weasley, the reconciliation between Harry and Dudley, The snacks for the air conditioners of the Weasley brothers and of course – the character of Ginny Weasley who turned from “badass”, is real to nothing more than a pretty face. Of course there are many other things that were not addressed in the movies. But now – the big three!
3. Who are you Lord Voldemort?
The ultimate villain, the absolute evil in the magical world and moviegoers don’t understand at all how different his character in the movies is from the one in the books. To understand, you need to read “The Half-Blood Prince”, in which Albus Dumbledore gives Harry lessons for an entire year in which he exposes the young Potter to the history of Voldemort, from his days as “Tom Riddle” at the orphanage to the first years after he left Hogwarts.
Over the course of several episodes, Harry is exposed to how Voldemort transforms from a lonely but powerful child into a dark leader. How he is attracted to everything that will link him to Hogwarts and how he builds his way to immortal life and the creation of Horcruxes. Harry even learns about the great similarity between himself and Voldemort, the one thanks to whom he was marked as his equal since he was a one-year-old baby.
Instead of all the important details, in the film we get only a few minutes of the young Voldemort’s plot, one that leaves us no possibility to truly understand his character. But at least there was screen time for a cringeworthy scene of Ginny tying shoelaces for Harry.
2. The death of Fred Weasley
One of the saddest moments in the seventh book (which does not lack sadness) is the death of Fred, a few minutes after the Weasley family put up with Percy joining the battle against the Death Eaters at Hogwarts. At the climax of the battle, Harry, Ron, George and Percy find themselves fighting Death Eaters, including Paius Thickens, the Minister of Magic. Percy in the heat of battle announces his resignation and turns Thickens into a sea urchin-like creature, prompting Fred to ask if Percy has learned to joke. Only Shepherd never finished the sentence. The wall we were leaning on explodes and kills Fred.
Harry goes into shock, Ron only wants to hunt down and kill the Death Eaters who murdered his brother, but they have no choice but to push Fred into an alcove until the battle is over and they can bury him with dignity.
And in the movie? is nothing. About three or four seconds when you see the Weasley family sobbing over Fred’s body, it is not at all clear how he was killed. Sorry, but this is really not the way to say goodbye to a character who has accompanied us since the first movie.
1. Neville Longbottom
Probably the character who suffered the most in the transition between the books and the movies. The story of the main trio would not be complete without his rib. Over the course of five books, Neville builds his status as one of Harry’s closest friends, despite being a very incompetent and timid wizard, unless we’re talking about plant lore.
After the battle at the Ministry of Magic, Neville receives a new wand, replacing the old one he inherited from his father, which allows him to advance as a wizard and develop his abilities. Neville’s backstory is completely absent from the movies, as is his progress in book six and even his rebellion against Snape in book seven.
In the movie, they did include his standing against Voldemort and the fact that he destroyed the Horcruxes in my songs, but without the explanation that Neville could have been the chosen boy – if it weren’t for Voldemort’s choice of Harry, the moment lost a lot of meaning.
In conclusion – yes, changes between the books and the movies are sometimes essential, but more often than not the viewers and fans are left disappointed because they didn’t get a satisfactory cinematic version. Therefore it is possible, and perhaps even desirable, to hope that one day someone will pick up the glove and produce a new series, in which each book will have a season of 8-10 episodes. We may not get everything, but at least we will get a lot more.