In 1997,J.K. Rowling’sHarry Potterfranchise changed the face of children’s literature forever. Audiences quickly fell in love with its creative magical world and relatable characters, creating a fandom that endures today. Before the books were finished, Warner Bros. bought the film rights and created equally-beloved movies.
Everyone loves to point out how the book omitted plot lines and characters to the point where manyevents in the movies don’t make sense.However, there are a few instances where the films improved on Rowling’s foundation, be it because of talented actors or screenwriters offering a second opinion.
10Harry’s Love Life
To say that Harry Potter’s (Daniel Radcliff) love life is complicated would be an understatement. Between the emotional trauma of being the chosen one to defeat Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and living with his abusive relatives, it’s a wonder that Harry is as stable as he is to form romantic relationships. After a short fling with Cho Chang (Katie Leung), he eventually falls for and marries Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright).
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Harry’s relationships work better in the movies for a few reasons. Due to the condensed nature of the films compared to the book, and the actor’s on-screen chemistry, they come across as more believable and with the appropriate level of time and pacing. It also doesn’t help that Rowling wasn’t the best at writing romance from the perspective of a teenage boy.
9Ron and Hermione Romance
Harry is quick tomake friends with fellow Gryffindors, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Wattson). While all three would be great companions, Ron and Hermione had a habit of getting on each other’s nerves due to their clashing personalities. Over time and many tribulations, the two would fall in love.
Much like with Harry’s romance, the presence of physical actors with facial expressions allowed this romance to get more mileage than its literary counterpart. The films also aren’t locked to Harry’s point of view, allowing for more private moments with Ron and Hermione. Some of these can be seen as early asThe Prisoner of Azkaban.
8The Time Turner Escapades
After learning of the innocents of Sirius Black (Gary Oldmen) in his parent’s murder, Harry pleads with his friends to find a way to save him. At first, it doesn’t seem possible,until Dumbledore(Michael Gambon) subtly suggests Hermione use her secret Time Turner. With Harry, she goes back to before the execution of the hippogriff, Buckbeak, allowing them to save him as well.
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For the most part, the time-travel adventure plays the same between book to film. However, the movie adds a section where Harry and Hermione are stalked by Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), freshly transformed into a werewolf. Buckbeak ends up protecting the children, allowing him to repay them for saving his life.
7Neville Longbottom
Attending Hogwarts the same year as Harry, Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) started off as the loser of his grade. He was often subjugated to bullying and had a tricky time mastering spells. As the years go on, Nevil saw tremendous improvement in his magical and leadership skills and played a pivotal role in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Neville was given an expanded role in the moviesat the expense of Dobby(Toby Jones). Examples of this include Neville giving Harry Gillyweed inThe Goblet of Fire, and finding the Room of Requirements inOrder of the Phoenix.Though it comes at the expense of everyone’s favorite house elf, it does mean movie watchers get to see more of Neville’s growth, especially when it is compared to the magical accidents he would suffer in early films.
6Destroying the Horcruxes
In order to defeat Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off to hunt down the Horcruxes: items infused with pieces of Voldemort’s soul. This proves to be a difficult hunt, especially since they can only be destroyed by special items. In terms of meta problems, the books are told from Harry’s POV, so unless he is there to witness the Horcrux’s destruction, readers don’t get to see it.
This perspective doesn’t limit film, so the movies get to show Ron and Hermione destroying a Horcrux each. They also took a few liberties to make the items more dangerous, such as having Voldemort’s soul manifest in nearby elements like water or fire as the item was destroyed. The locket also played mind games with Ron by forcing him to see visions of Harry and Hermione together.
5The Final Showdown
The climactic Battle for Hogwarts saw the heroes of the Wizarding World make a final stand against Voldemort so Harry and his friends could destroy his Horcruxes in the castle. Many fan favorites gave their lives, as did Harry for a brief moment, but ultimately good won. While the film wasn’t able to capture all the epic moments of the battle, it one-upped the book with the showdown between Harry and Tom.
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To call the book’s final wizard duel anticlimactic is an understatement: Harry and Voldemort circled one another, talked a bit, threw one spell each, and Voldemort dropped. The film decided to make the fight more of a spectacle, with Harry and Voldemort chasing one another through the castle and demonstrating various powers. Nagini is also alive longer than she was in the books, so Harry’s battle is also buying himself time for his friends to finish the last Horcrux.
4Dolores Umbridge
When Harry and Dumbledore claim that Voldemort has returned from the dead, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) thinks Dumbledore is gunning for his job. To prevent him from making an army, he assigns Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. She slowly gained more power as the semester went on and ensured that the students wouldn’t learn anything that could make them a threat to the Ministry.
Umbridgewas despised by readersofOrder of the Phoenix,but Staunton’s portrayal took things to a new level. Thanks to film being a visual medium, audiences get to see and hear every level of false sweetness in her voice and actions rather than having them explained. Staunton captured all the nuances required to pull this off effectively, including how she walks, holds her head, and tone of voice.
3Draco’s Plan to Kill Dumbledore
When Harry arrived at Hogwarts, he made a quick enemy in Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Born into an elite pureblood family, Draco looks down on everyone who isn’t pureblood or rich, which naturally causes conflict with Harry’s friends, Ron and Hermione. As the years go on and Draco is forced to make harder choices, particularly duringThe Half-Blood Prince.
Since the movies aren’t limited to one person’s POV, the audience can see Draco during his moments of vulnerability. This makes him more relatable and empathetic than his book counterpart, thanks in no small part to Felton’s phenomenal acting. He’s no longer Harry’s spoiled and elitist rival, but a scared boy forced to make bad choices on pain of death.
2Severus Snape
The one teacher Harry couldn’t connect with was the potion teacher, Severus Snape (Alan Rickman).A victim of bullying from James Potter, Snape chooses to make Harry’s life miserable to get back at his father. As the series goes on, it’s revealed that Snape is a secret double agent working to take down Voldemort due to his love for Harry’s mother, Lily.
While Snape was well-liked in literary form, there’s no understating the popularity of Rickman’s take on the character. Rowling told Rickman secrets about Snape that hadn’t yet been revealed, allowing him to better immerse himself in the character. The films also toned down some of Snape’s worst traits, such as his tendency to bring students to tears.
As part of Harry’s eleventh birthday present, Hagrid bought him a snowy owl. Harry called her Hedwig and she became one of his most trusted companions. Sadly, she died during the Battle of the Seven Potters, but the film’s version is considered by many to be the superior-conclusion for this beloved avian.
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In the book, Hedwig was still in her cage and was killed bya stray killing cursethat just so happens to strike her. In the film, Harry let her out, so she could fly free, but she came back to the battle to protect him. She died flying in front of a killing curse aimed at Harry, which unfortunately let the Death Eaters identify him for Voldemort.
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