This is a post for those who love Harry Potter — for those who’ve read every book and who’ve seen every movie, for those who’ve spent years geeking out about all things regarding “The Boy Who Lived,” for those who’ve come to the (epically protracted) end of the Potter Pop Phenomenon (now that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 has reached theaters and is destroying box office records) with confident, unshakable affection for J.K. Rowling’s creation. Cynics and ignoramuses, keep out! We want only the super-fans, for their opinions are the most credible and interesting, and because they, more than anyone, have earned the right to quibble.
Now, this may strike some of you as strange, even heretical. ‘Quibble?’ How could anyone ‘quibble’ about Harry Potter? The Goddess Rowling spun a flawless golden yarn! Except for Hagrid. I always wanted to Avada Kedavra that bumbling bearded buffoon and DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD!?
You sure did! And it felt good, didn’t it? Let’s face it: Rowling’s seven-volume saga was an extraordinary feat of storytelling, but it wasn’t perfect. Not everything was magical. Not every choice was genius. And having come to grips with that truth myself, I’m curious to hear your own nitpicks. And so we create this safe zone of sharing, for the unburdening of prickly perspectives that perhaps you’ve been too afraid to express for fear of being judged harshly by what film director Alfonso Cuaron once called “the Harry Potter Taliban” other Potter fans. I’ll go first. Here’s my list of beefs (partial; in no particular order) – things this unwavering Potterphile wishes had been done differently, or not done at all. Some of my complaints are rational. Others, not so much, yet I feel them nonetheless. I don’t claim to be “right,” and I’m not trying to convince you of anything. I’m just being a fan. A fan with quibbles! And they must be expressed publicly! (Right after the irritating house ad/link.)
I WISH DOBBY HAD NEVER BEEN BORN.
I have friends who wept when Dobby got gutted in Rowling’s last Potter book. Not me. I felt nothing for that … that… thing. To be clear, I hate gratingly obsequious, esteemed challenged, psychologically damaged, physically emaciated, workaholic house elves who speak in the third person and whose cinematic form resembles Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Just as a general rule. What?! Was I supposed to laugh at this unctuous urchin’s antics? Was I supposed to feel sorry for him? Was I supposed to have both reactions at once and then be impressed by his paradoxical complexity? Well, that didn’t happen. For me, the second book was stained by his significance to the plot, and the seventh movie (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1) was emotionally stunted for trying to amplify his small death into grand tragedy. You know who I feel bad for? Hedwig. Harry’s valiant owl served him longer and more faithfully and with greater distinction than Dobby ever did, and was he given a sobby-soggy cinematic funeral after he was violently zapped from the sky while defending his master from Death Eaters? NO. That was just WRONG. Anyway: Dobby blows. I don’t care if his character arc — some blah blah blah about “liberation” and “inner strength” and “sacrifice” or something — is poignantly moving to kids and the profoundly insecure. The wobble-headed floppy-eared mole-boy is irksomeness incarnate! I want to sew his leathery hide into a football and punt him! DOBBY IS THE JAR JAR BINKS OF HARRY POTTER…
Okay, maybe that’s taking it too far. Let me put it soberly: I just wish a cooler character had fulfilled his function in the narrative.
I WISH LUPIN HAD BEEN GIVEN MORE TO DO.
The thoughtful, inspiring professor with the tragic full moon disability ranks among my favorite characters in the Potter saga. Best. Teacher. Ever! The one who taught Harry and friends about conquering fear and managing the monster that lies within all of us. I thought he had earned a place of great significance in Harry’s life – even more so than, say, his godfather, Sirius Black. I looked forward to seeing their rapport grow after “Moony’s” memorable debut in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And yet, Lupin never again had the presence and significance he once possessed and should have maintained in Harry’s journey. The emotional punch of his ultimate fate suffered as a consequence of the neglect — especially in the movie version of the serial. A pity.
I WISH HARRY HADN’T FALLEN IN LOVE WITH GINNY.
Never bought it. Cho Chang Forever!
I WISH HARRY’S FINAL VICTORY OVER VOLDEMORT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TECHNICALITIES OF ELDER WAND ALLEGIANCE.
Not that it doesn’t make sense. It does. And to be clear, I think it works. But it bugs me to this day that the most dramatic, cathartic moment in Rowling’s story pivots on a twist that required a bunch of exposition to explain. Maybe she felt it was necessary. Voldemort was a magnificent mage, more powerful than Harry. There’s no reason that the snout-nosed fiend should have lost their duel unless he made a mistake. Fair enough. But this mistake? Don’t you think Voldemort — so savvy about elaborate resurrection schemes — should have had the mental moxy to puzzle out his wand malfunction and tried to rectify the problem before barging into the final battle? (Isn’t there a spell for that? Revealicus Rightfulownershipicus!) Moreover, if Harry had earned The Elder Wand’s loyalty by disarming its previous owner (Draco), why didn’t Voldemort win The Elder Wand’s allegiance after zapping Harry into limbo during their skirmish in The Forbidden Forest? Even if there’s a reasonable answer — and I can see one coalescing in my head as I type these words — again, it bothers me that understanding the how and why of Voldemort’s defeat demands so much thought. Harry deserved a clean-kill victory. Maybe Rowling wasn’t comfortable with giving him that. Maybe she didn’t want Harry to “win” by killing anyone, even someone as loathsome as Voldemort. Messianic Chosen Ones don’t murder their way to righteous, world-saving victory. See: Luke Skywalker. So Voldemort had to be responsible for his own demise – and by insisting on working a wand that by the rules of fine print couldn’t slay its rightful owner, the (suddenly dumb) dark lord’s killing curse rebounded on him, robbing him of triumph. Again: It all works, even if it’s not as satisfying as I want it to be. And it’s not like I can come up with anything better. After all: I’m no J.K. Rowling.
I could continue quibbling – about how Rowling wrapped up the Dursleys; about the fuzzy relationship between the wizarding and non-magical worlds; and about the small fortune Harry’s parents left him – but I’m more interested in hearing your complaints than droning on. What about Harry Potter did you find buggy? Feel free to vent without shame in the message boards below. No one will judge you or make fun of you. Promise! (Oh, and for the record: HAGRID ROCKS.)
@EWDocJensen
Neville and Luna should’ve hooked up. At least the movies made that canon.
J.K. Rowling stated before that Neville married Hannah Abbott. Luna married someone(forget the name)close to her interests in things that Hermoine says doesn’t exist.
I believe she married Newt Scamander’s (author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) son. I found it fitting.
Yeah, she married Rolf Scamander. But I do like Neville and Luna together too…
I must be the only person on Earth who noticed this, but I swear towards the end of DH it looked like she was setting up Luna with Dean, and I loved it; I thought in a way they were weirdly perfect for each other. Finding out about Rolf Scamander was a bit of a disappointment. And I def don’t think Hannah Abbott was awesome enough for the awesomeness that turned out to be Neville. Nothing against her, but I was rooting for somebody cooler.
The following things bothered me
1. Luna should have been the girl for Harry – the connection they had at the end of OOTP was special
2. Lupin should have been given more to do after The Prisoner of Azkaban – he all but disappeared from the story going forward
3. More of Neville’s story should have been told
4. I would have loved to hear more about the Wandmaker Olivander – the way Rowling described him in the first book was very fascinating – she said something about Harry having a bad feeling about him, very creepy
5. An excellent plot twist would have been if one of the good guys was working for the evil side the whole time and not Prof Quirrel, fake Moody, etc but someone from the beginning until the end.
6. The half blood prince in general was a weak book. There was no cohesive story, just Harry obsessing over the identity of the HBP. Tom’s backstory was neat, but thats it
I could not disagree more with your comment about Half-Blood Prince being a weak book. On the contrary, I found it to be the best-written book of the entire series. Yes, the action of Book 7 was more exciting, but I found the development of the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore in HBP to be absolutely perfect, and I thought it was brilliant how she had Dumbledore teach Harry about Voldemort’s past as the best way to defeat him. It was a great lesson for children and adults alike that studying history is a wonderful insight into human character, flaws, achievements, etc. Also, I found the ending and the setup for the 7th book to be perfect, particularly the complexity of Snape’s character and the feeling as a reader of still being unsure as to his true identity. OK, jumping off my nerd soapbox now.
Maybe the biggest thing that bothered me about the final movie was that Harry did not use the elder wand to repare his broken wand. I thought that Rowling was brilliant to use the elder wand in that way. I was really disappointed when that part was left out of the movie.
I agree with Brandon regarding Harry not using the Elder Wand to fix his own-so now he has no wand??? I really left the theatre feeling silly because I couldn’t figure that out
A Harry/Luna romance would have been a million different kinds of squicky. Ditto a Neville/Luna romance. Her being married off to the son of one of her heroes is a little odd, in a “Nic Cage takes his Elvis fetish to unhealthy extremes by dating Lisa Marie Presley” kind of way, but I do like that in JKR’s mind, Luna is pretty much the only one of Harry’s crew who gets to have a romantic relationship with somebody she didn’t go to high school with.
That still doesn’t meant that they couldn’t have a summer fling? I like the idea of Neville & Luna having a summer romance before going off to their respective futures.
I absolutely agree with Brandon about Harry’s wand. I was so irate! What, Harry’s fine with using Draco Malfoy’s wand for the rest of his life?
What bothers me is apparently none of them met anyone else after school. Really, how many people know their spouse before graduating high school?
Agree about the “repairing the wand” comments. It was one of my “FEW” nitpicks about the final movie but I’ve already decided that he did it “off camera” LOL
@Peter – How many wizards do you know? lol
As far as the “marrying their high-school sweetheart” comments. Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione could’ve had several break-ups and reunions before finally settling into marriage and kids.
Arizona, I also got the feeling of Jo setting up Luna and Dean, and was kinda disappointed when I heard that she married Rolf. I’m one of the few that actually likes Neville/Hannah , not just because it’s canon, but because I’ve been able to read a lot of amazing fan fiction about them. I never liked Neville/Luna, because I found it too cliche for them as kinda the weird sidekicks (although Neville wasn’t so weird or a sidekick in the last book) to end up together. I don’t really know why, but I never liked them as a pairing, but to each his own =)
Interesting. I actually always wanted Harry and Luna to be together.
I don’t know if I wanted them together as you say, but I definitely enjoyed their date to the Slughorn’s Party. I would have liked them better than Harry and Ginny anyway, which I agree with the author was unbelievable.
Me too! Glad I’m not the only one. I understand why it was Ginny Rowling chose because this way he would become a real Weasley family member. However, in my heart I really wanted him with Luna.
Me also! I like Harry with Luna. I don’t know who I like Ginny with—she was never that engaging to me.
For me, it all had to do with Bonnie Wright. In the books, I thought Ginny was excellent. But Bonnie’s/the film’s version of Ginny made Ginny seem extremely clueless and completely forgettable.
I always wanted them together too, especially after their bonding after Sirius’s death.
I don’t blame Bonnie Wright, but yeah, movie Ginny sux badly. One of the few things about the films that I can actually point to and say “THIS! THIS was handled badly!!!” ‘Cause I thought book Ginny kicked almost as much a– as Hermione (I mean, ALMOST. NOBODY kicks as much a– as Hermione; that said, I was never a Harry-Hermione shipper and I think those people are freaks.) But in the books Ginny is nervy and opinionated and full of backbone, and even tho Harry having feelings for her per se was kind of dropped in the readers’ laps with little warning, I had no problem going along for the ride.
I have to agree that the Bonnie Wright completely ruins the Ginny/Harry romance. In the books, Harry and Ginny are perfect for each other. Ginny is strong willed and mischevious, and her and Harry have a long history. In the movies, she seems almost stepford wife-ish and docile. It’s revolting, and I do wish he’d ended up with Luna based on the movie’s version of Ginny.
I disagree. Harry was kind to Luna, but mostly it was a patronizing, bless your heart sort of kindness. After a while, her strangeness would have gotten on his nerves. I agree with most that book Ginny is perfect for Harry, but film Ginny and Harry have zero heat. Sadly, Harry’s fake kiss with Hermione was way better than his kisses with Ginny.
I love Harry and Ginny together! As soon as I read book 2, I thought they would be perfect for each other. And I thought Bonnie Wright did a great job!
the problem with movie ginny was that they didnt spend enough time on her and harry’s relationship and that she was portrayed a little too slutty to be with someone like harry
Ditto re the Elder Wand not being used to fix Harry’s wand in the move– that was such a subtle, lovely, detail that would have taken no time to include.
I was also really upset (still on the movie) that Snape wasn’t vindicated in public. I really loved the last few chapters of Deathly Hallows and the character complexities that emerged. The lack of any sort of substantive relationship with Dumbledore in any of the movies was really tragic/ something I still grapple with.
The last 20 minutes of Deathly Hallows part 2 was such a let down– I don’t understand why they set up Dumbledore’s demons with Aberforth and never addressed them– where’s the part where he tells Harry he’s a better wizard and a better man? Where he apologizes for his imperfections and acknowledges that Harry has been given reason to doubt him? Where Harry defends him despite those imperfections. In the books Harry meets Dumbledore as an equal after being mentored for 7 f-ing years! The movies make him appear to be a god like figure to the point where I heard some woman on her way out say ‘I get it, Harry is Jesus.”
No. Harry is Harry and that entire Kings Cross scene(though beautiful) was a disaster.
Same goes for the final battle– I love the way Harry chastises Voldemort in the book and explains how they’ve come to a position where he could very well be facing death. I love when Harry tells Voldemort that Snape was never his servant, to the shock of an auditorium full of people. The ending in the movie was so anti-climactic. I’ve watched it in theaters twice now because the first time around I was too horrified to process any of it.
Anyways…I’ve come to terms with each movie– they all left out minor easily added details that diminished some of the magic for me (as a for instance, they never mentioned that the Mauraders Map was created by Harry’s father and his friends) and make it so that as beautiful and brilliant as the films may be, the books stand on their own.
I always thought Neville and Luna would end up together. They’re perfect for each other because neither has both feet in this world.
I agree that book-Ginny is so much better than movie-Ginny. From around OotP she started to show spunk/guts/humor and that never happened in the movie she was always kinda in the background.
I also thought (and maybe I’m reading too much into this) that the way Rowling described Ginny was similiar to how she described Lily. Which would make sense as to why Harry was drawn to her.
Really? I never wanted Luna to be with Harry…that seems, icky somehow. I wanted Hermoine and Harry to be together!
I think KCP puts it best. I really did think there was a set up with Luna a & Dean too.
Luna was a great character but not the one for Harry. She was good for Harry in that they had both lost parents and had a better understanding of death than the others thier age. Ginny was a better fit; she was intelligent, outgoing, athletic, brave, beautiful, etc. and also a Weasley.
Yeah, I loved that part! Neville and Luna are great. Though, not going to lie, but I wouldn’t have minded Neville with Ginny and Harry with Luna. It’d be nice for the weird girl to get the hero for once. lol.
Also, what happened to PETER PETTIGREW?!? He was supposed to die in Malfoy Manor by his own hand because he owed Harry a life debt! I am guessing the actor wasn’t available, but I was a little upset about that scene being left out.
But despite all these small quibbles, the books and films are largely very well thought out and thoroughly enjoyable. I am so sad the era of Potter has come to an end.
Peter Pettigrew is in Part 1. Dobby attacks him though, he doesn’t die at his own hand.
The actor playing Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) was certainly available and was in Part I of DH. Instead of Peter sparing HP, ultimately leading to his hand turning on him, the screenwriter wrote that the boys overpowered Peter and escaped. I have no idea why the screenwriter would exclude this piece unless he thought that it would “crowd” the events of the rest of the film; perhaps diminshing the impact of the other deaths, especially Dobby’s which would have occured a few minutes later. Or that the “not 100% bad” theme was best saved for Snape and Malfoy, and that Peter wasn’t as central to the story. I disagree, but I’m guessing those could be reasons.
Considering that 7.2 was barely two hours long there was no crowding going on. I wish there had been resolution to the Peter Pettigrew story, if ever there was a character I wanted dead it was him.
The director or producers one said that they thought showing a man killing himself by his own hand was too graphic for the movie, so they dropped it. I was quite upset.
In the book Peter dies at his own hand (it would have been in part 1 of the movie but maybe they were trying to keep a PG rating) but in the book Peter almost let’s Harry go (Harry was like I SAVED YOUR LIFE and he hesitated) and the silver hand that Voldemort fashioned for him revolts and takes his life.
Maybe they dropped the original Peter Pettigrew death because they weren’t sure audiences who aren’t die-hard Potter enthusiasts would remember that Voldemort cursed Pettigrew’s hand to turn on him if he tries to betray Voldemort. Had that scene occurred in the movie, I’m sure some would be wondering why his hand would do that.
Jess, this was always my problem with the movies, there was too much coddling of non book reader. If they didn’t waste so much time every movie explaining things that they already explained in a previous movie. At some point you have to have faith that your audience is intelligent enough to remember something that happened in the last movie. Also, if they didn’t eff up the story so badly there would be no need to re-explain everything.
The main reason that I could think of as to Peter Pettigrew not choking/strangling himself in the movie is that would have easily been the most gruesome and, frankly, very disturbing death in the series. And with the number of young kids who watch these movies, it’s not something that they should necessarily see.
Like I said, it’s just what I think – I have no idea why it wasn’t included, but to me, it certainly seems like a viable reason.
The scene where Neville is holding the sword of Gordrick Gryffindor and Luna sits akawrdly next to him is funny but when it happened i was thinking “let it happen they are very cute together!!! PLEASE let it happen!!”
Yeah, I’m sad we didn’t see Peter die by the silver hand; even though it was a disturbing image, I thought it was one of the most powerful deaths in the book. Also, this is slightly unrelated but I’ve always wondered why he was sorted into Gryffindor, as he was such a coward.
The problem with Pettigrew was that his death wasn’t clearly setup in the fourth film. The book ties it in to being a faithful servant, so when his allegiance wavers, it kills him. Of course, in the film after it doesn’t kill him, there’s no role for him to play. It becomes a loose end.
UGH! It’s far from perfect. LOTR and Game of Thrones far surpass it.
Sorry, but you cannot be comparing LOTR and GoT to Harry Potter. Two completely different fantasy genres.
Speaking of LOTR, what bothers me about the movies (the books are perfection) is that HP didn’t film extra scenes left out of the theatre version to put in “special editions” like LOTR did. I’m thinking things that were left out of “Goblet of Fire” and especially, Dumbledore’s total dressing down of the Dursleys in Book 6 for NOT treating Harry humanely and with love. That was an extremely crucial plot point about the bond between Harry and Dumbledore and it explained a depth of history.
Can’t you read, troll? “Cynics and ignoramuses, keep out! We want only the super-fans, for their opinions are the most credible and interesting, and because they, more than anyone, have earned the right to quibble.” Go back to hiding under your bridge.
Three completely different series, mate.
Plus, all fantasy has something in common. You would be hard pressed to find anything within the same genre that didn’t have a similar theme somewhere in there.
What happened to Parvarti Patil and Crabbe?!!
WTF David, how could you not have Voldemort be killed by Harry in front of everyone in the grand hall? Jumping off the bridge rolling around outside, the drama was inside in front of everyone including the death eaters!!!
He screwed it up!. Grawp was missing, Colin Creevy!!
The actor playing Crabbe was in jail at the time for growing marijuana in his yard. They wouldn’t let him out for filming.
Yeah, Voldemort’s death bothered me as well. All I could think was, “No one will ever believe him!”
I agree, having the final battle outside away from everyone in the film felt like a huge letdown as it didn’t add anything to the story, as well as the duel between Molly and Bellatrix felt too downplayed from what was in the book. I don’t understand why they changed so much of the battle sequence since it is the crowning moments of the series. The movie’s portrayal was very good, but it should have been EPIC. Still I loved the movie.
The final battle, the eventual death of Voldemort just fell flat in the movie. There was no real sense of accomplishment like in the book. Voldemort just vaporized and then Harry walked through the great hall. REALLY?! I feel like if I had not read the books and just watched the movies my train of thought would have been “I spent a decade of my life to see a guy get vaporized and nobody even acted happy about it?”
Agree about Hagid’s “Little” brother, but You did see a split second of Colin here and there, including being the corpse that Greyback is frrding on before he gets zapped.
I think killing off fred was completely pointless. I could handle all the deaths but him. It ruined the end a tiny bit for me.
I wanted to see the scene where Harry goes in to Dumbledore’s office after Voldemort is dead and the paintings of past headmasters applaud. The ending just felt a bit rushed in the film.
Sarah, I thought that was Lavender Brown that Greyback was hunched over. I could be wrong though.
I agree – I wanted to see Harry rip off the cloak and reveal himself, give his speech in front of everyone, see the dawning knowledge of his mistake in Voldy’s eyes and hear the exposition of the Elder Wand. Sure, the way they did it was dramatic but no one was watching, there was no cheering, nothing! and btw, that was Lavender Brown that Greyback was on before Hermione blew him away.
The girl that greyback was hunched over was the one in the half blood prince that fell in love with Ron.
Harry’s “resurrection” should have been the biggest climactic moment in the film, but it just fell flat. It was really anti-climactic.
The “Not my daughter, you bitch” moment was one I was really looking forward to seeing, but it felt really contrived. Then, that little “I did it!” look from Molly right after was really cornball. And unrealistic. She just lost her son, and a battle is raging around her…
I was ready to see the violent side of Hagrid. See him throw some death-eaters into a wall, etc. His character was reduced almost nothing in this film.
completly agree, the final scene didnt live up to my expectations at all. Firsly, Harry should have gone to the forest under his cloak, saying goodbye to hermione wasnt realistic. I thought the fight scene fell short, while it was ‘more exciting’ having harry explain the whole thing to voldemort in front of everyone was really perfect. And yes, there is no way that harry kills the most horrible wizard to ever live, and NO ONE says anything. Also i loved when harry went to the office and was applauded. And how dumbledore was crying. It reminded us that dumbledore actually cared and loved harry
JKR left Snapes portrait out of the last scene in Dumbledore’s office.I was hoping to see it in the movie, but they cut that scene out all together.
Lisa, you are correct. Greyback was hunched over and feeding on Lavender Brown in the movie. in the book you never find out if she actually died, but int he movie ti was made clear.
Agree about the battle with Harry and Vold. I was expecting way more. How does the most feared wizard just evaporate with no witnesses????? C’mon
Sue… That girl IS Lavender Brwon.
And you call yourself a fan…
Anyway, I didn’t really miss Grawp, but it would have been awesome to see all the relatives of the students come in lead by Charlie, like in the book. That was one of the best parts, along with the super cool statues of armor that I’m thankful were in the movie.
Also I’ve got to disagree on Colin. I felt nothing when he died in the book. plus the way he was handled in the movies, he hadn’t appeared since the 2nd one, and we didn’t really need another Dobby, (Which I’m not saying anything bad about Dobby, I cried when he died, book and movie).
This, a million times over this. I was so let down by the final battle taking place outside, no one watching and then cuts to Harry walking through the hall. Who in their right mind would replace the amazing battle in the hall in the book with what they produced in the movie? seriously.
I agree that they blew this scene. JK Rowling wrote the final duel between Harry and Voldemort so beautifully and I was so excited to see it come to life. I know she approved the change in the movie, but I would have rather had it in the movie the same way it was in the book. It was much better in the book.
that was definitely lavender brown, and i actually felt kind of sad they decided to kill her off. i would’ve liked to have seen her live on in at least the book, but i can understand killing her off instead of collin
Sam, I totally agree with you! Those were my thoughts exactly about the end of the movie. It just was not climatic enough.
during the course of the movies, the actors playing Crabbe & Goyle changed, but not as much as in DH2. Why a tall, black boy? And I also think the ending was lame compared to JK’s. Standing there looking out at the countryside! I was OK with Harry snapping the Elder Wand, but they should have used JK’s dialogue. Harry should have responded to Ron’s questioning the decision with the book response “this wand has caused too much trouble and I’ve had enough trouble in my life”. Everyone will agree with that statement!
YAYA- The actors playing Crabbe and Goyle did not change. During the last movie however, the actor who played Crabbe was in trouble with the law, and so instead of the scene using Crabbe like in the books, it was rewritten to use Blaise.
Agree totally. I felt so let down by the final fight scene. Then he walks into the hall and no one even notices him.
That ‘jumping of the bridge’ thing was the part that always pissed me off whenever I watched the trailers! But in the end, watching the movie, it looked ok. I think they changed A LOT of stuff but I was pretty happy with the movie, I think it was well done and it really felt like a war! The end was kind of weak, I agree. Like nobody really cared about what was going on outside..
To FRED FOREVER: Fred’s death is pretty sad, but I think it makes it real! People, innocent people, people we love and had nothing to do with the whole thing, they get hurt, they die in war! War is stupid but it happens.
They screwed up the entire final battle it should been in front of everyone because it was a victory for all those who supported Harry!
Always thought that too!
Sure, Neville and Luna should date. They make a great couple. After all, they are 16 and 17. But, how many people actually marry the person they date in high school?
Well they all go to the same school, so they do unless they marry a muggle or a foreign wizard/witch.
I did.
How many people fight the most powerful dark wizard together during high school? I imagine that makes for some profound bonds and growing up quickly.
There are other wizarding schools all over the world.
@Sassyfras – well, that’s one. Alison didn’t say it never happens. Of course it does. But it isn’t typical.
Harry Pooter is for morons who can’t read decent literature and who never will.
@Y As for the can’t read part, the article clearly states “Cynics and ignoramuses, keep out!” Since you fall into the second catagory, just quit trolling up the message boards and go back to your dank hole.
Did you bother to read the article heading? This is for FANS, not naysayers who cut others down.
But I am neither a cynic nor ignoramus……as Dumbledoofus tells Harry “I shall not tell lies”
That wasnt Dumbledore who said that to Harrry, you fool. It was the sentence Harry had to write over and over again in OotP during his detentions with Umbridge.
Ignore Y, he is just a bored 12-year-old.
And wat are u fern….probably a bored housewife
Y, you might not think you tell lies, but your comments reveal the truth!
Jeff: your Luke comment missed an important point. The plot outline for Harry Potter 8 followed very closely the plot outline of Return of the Jedi. Except for the Ewoks.
“…and everyone knows, man, that Ewoks SUCK!!”
- Hugo “Hurley” Reyes
How did Crabbe turn into a black man? Do they teach how to get soul in transfiguration class?
That was Blaise Zabini. I heard the the actor who played Crabbe was in jail for coke possesion or something.
He was in jail for growing pot in his backyard
It was actually for growing cannabis in his shed. So they wrote him out. I’m not sure if he was in prison or not at the time.
I second that Neville and Luna were made for each other.
I definitely loved that part, it was perfect!
Lunavile forever!
Well, since Rowling knows the characters best, and she didn’t put them together, and said afterwords they each marry other people, then I’m going with Rowling.
GRAWP! Hated that storyline!
Yep, never liked Grawp. I always feel like that part of the book drags on and on.
Ugh, yes I hated Grawp. I always skip that chapter when I read the book and that’s one part of the 5th book that I wish they left out of the movie.
Grawp was indeed a horrible addition. Didn’t like it at all. So to my above statement that the books are perfection, this would be an asterisk.
I hate Grawp too. It’s the only chapter in the entire series that I skip whenever re-reading the series. Grawp was also the start of Hagrid becoming a useless character.
Yep Grawp was terrible and really no point to the character except helping developing Hagrid, maybe if more was done with him but he just faded into the background
I’m definitely in this camp. Not a Grawp fan.
I hated Grawp. There really was NO need for him in the books. I think JK just wanted to add another part about Hagrid’s life that we really don’t care about.
Agreed.
hated him also in the movies. The visual effects supervisor was interviewed and asked what he was most disappointed in and he said Grawp. He said that he can’t even watch the footage with him. So it just didn’t work all the way around.
The footage is terrible: he should be ashamed.
I concur. That was my least favorite storyline of the whole series actually-Grawp and the Giant Wars. It didn’t end up having any effect on the resolution.
Agreed. Dislike Grawp and the long, pointless story on Hagrid’s and Maxime’s trip to find the giants.
Oh my goodness, YES. I hated Grawp’s (and the giants’) storyline! No idea why that was in there, and it’s disappointing. I always skip those pages when I reread the books.
Grawp raped Harry
You again? Kindly stop spreading rumors that have no basis in reality.
I am in no way condoning what this genius “y” is posting, but I feel compelled to point out something Dr. Potter. You asked him or her to “kindly stop spreading rumours that have no basis in reality”. Reality? Which reality is that, exactly? The one where Harry et al are real friends of yours? Where Grawp marauds in the suburbs terrorizing the townsfolk?
Book 5 is the one JKR said she wish she could go back and edit. She was really rushed when she wrote.
I have a feeling she may cut out Grawp if she did re-edit it.
I was watching OOTP the other day, and YES! the Grawp bit was a complete waste of film time. What contribution(s) did Grawp bring to the table anyway? Yes he helped in the downfall of Umbridge, but that’s it. Those minutes wasted on Grawp could have been used for more character development between, um let’s see… Harry and Ginny’s relationship perhaps. If there had been something like that in the OOTP film, then their relationship in HBP would not have been so jarring.
However, the ONE and ONLY good thing that came out of the “Meeting Grawp” scene, was the cute little moment between Ron and Hermione.
Yep. Down with Grawp for sure. The entire, lengthy explanation Hagrid gives of trying to recruit the giants is one of the few tedious bits of writing in the entire series.
Obviously spoilers for those who haven’t read or seen the whole shebang!
While it’s fixed in the movie, I hated the Rowling didn’t have Luna and Neville end up together. They were so clearly meant to be that when I discovered that she felt that he ended up with Hannah Abbot (if I remember correctly)…I went WTF…
Another thing, also with Neville, I hated that Neville never got to at least send a hex at Bellatrix. Given how frequently it gets mentioned that she was involved in his parents’ torture, I always felt that he at least had to get a shot at her.
The lack of any come-uppance whatsoever for the Malfoy family has always bugged me too. The lack of explanation of what exactly it was that Sirius fell through(because I seriously spent the whole gap between 5 and 6 believing that he was going to come back). I know that there are more, but those are the ones that have bugged for some time.
I agree with you about Neville and Bellatrix. I like how Bellatrix died (Molly deserved a moment) but I always felt like Neville deserved some revenge for his parents.
I thought it was actually very fitting that Neville didn’t. He broke the cycle and rose above Bellatrix and became a true hero at the end of the series. His journey was good for me. But I do agree about Neville & Luna.
In the book, Neville got a couple of words in to Bellatrix, and I think his actions defying Voldemort showed a lot more than killing Bellatrix would have done.
I think that would have been pushing it a little bit too far, having Neville getting retribution for his parents’ deaths. If everyone got to fight their arch nemeses, how spontaneous could this battle be?
Ummmm, Neville’s parents aren’t dead. They’re in St. Mungo’s, the wizard hospital, in the insanity ward. Bellatrix tortured them to insanity with the Cruciatus Curse.
Try to read the book. Stop cribbing and grow up.
Hmmm.someone got their underoos in a bunch?
in some interview, i cant remember, j.k. said she was either going to have molly kill Bellatrix ofr neville, i think she chose wrong
I think Molly being the mother figure and having already lost one child, it was fitting that she did it.
I kinda had the same thought. I’m pretty sure Neville had expressed that he wanted to kill her because she had killed his parents. But I’m also OK with Molly doing it. And Neville did end up killing of some other, maybe far worse, than Bellatrix
Oh, I agree that I like how pivotal Neville was in getting rid of Voldemort (given how Voldemort had clearly underestimated him), but to not even get a hex thrown at her? I wouldn’t change Molly being the one to kill her because I do think that it works, but I feel like Neville never gets complete closure with his parents (and honestly I feel like it’d be worse to have shells of your parents than no parents at all).
I think I agree. While I do find it fitting that Molly would step up and unveil some formerly unknown blood lust, I think it was always Neville that should have done this particular deed, especially considering his late in the series conversion to BAMFness.
I partially agree BUT I feel like if Neville had been the one to finish off Bellatrix and Nagini it would have made them both less somehow. I remember reading book 7 for the first time and reading Neville pulling that sword out of the sorting hat and cheering for him, cheering that he had grown into such an incredible and brave person/wizard. I feel like if he had then turned around and killed Bellatrix too it would have been meant less. I also think that Neville had grown so much that he didn’t need to be the one to finish Bellatrix off. After reading the 5th book and finding out that it could have been Neville or Harry in the prophecy I always thought there would be some kind of crazy reversal where Neville ended up finishing Voldemort and I guess that in some ways he did when he killed Nagini.
Doesn’t Molly have a beef with Bellatrix, as well? I’m thinking she killed Molly’s brothers?
I think j.k. chose molly because it fit in more with her theme of love-bellatrix with her fanatical adoration of voldemort (who helena played magnificently btw) and molly’s love for her children.
your thoughts?
Agreed, Josh. Molly represented all the mothers and families who’d lost so much because of Bellatrix.
I feel like Neville killing Bellatrix would just be too much of a cliche. Didn’t Bellatrix torture his parents to death with the Cruciatus curse for information about Voldemort? Neville killing her as payback would just be cheesy.
I just wish that the Molly in the movie would have been like Molly in the book. In the movie she had the look as if she had stepped in over her weight class, but in the book she was large and took charge with mad skills that finally shut up Bellatrix’s taunting—figuratively and literally.
JK did an interview before bk 7 said there would be amazing feat of magic from a surprising character, got me all excited. But I decided that she meant when Molly killed Beatrix – and yes it did seem fitting that the sweet motherly Molly turned to a momma-bear when Belatrix got all mouthy!
Me too, I always thought that Sirius was in some parallel universe or something like that, but when JKRowling said that he was indeed dead, I felt… Disappointed?
Bellatrix didn’t kill Neville’s parents. In the book she tortured them with the Cruciatus (sp?) curse until they went crazy. He visits them at the hospital, I forget which book it was.
This was one of my biggest gripes in the entire series. Sirius falls through a veil where they previously heard people moving around behind it but that NEVER gets addressed in any way shape or form other than “He’s dead, there’s nothing you can do.” WHAT?!?! Maybe it’s just because Sirius was one of my favorite characters and I always felt he was grossly underused especially in the 5th book where a lot of his time was being split with all the other adults in the book. I just felt like there was always so much more to that character and that story, especially once he went through the veil. This is probably my only real gripe though. There were characters I didn’t like, stories I didn’t like but you know what, that’s true to life in my mind. It all felt so natural that not all characters were likeable, that not all stories were enjoyable or moving or whatever else you may want from a story. The Sirius death though was just lackluster. It reminds me of Lost. Lot’s of promise no follow through.
I always wondered why Harry didn’t just use the time back turner to try to go back and save Sirius- I mean just two books before he had used it to save Sirius’ life after he experienced the Dementor’s Kiss. At the end of book 5 Harry is freaking out trying to find a way to see Sirius again, and he didn’t think of a solution he already used successfully?!? Did I miss a special rule or something?!?
If I remember correctly (If not, please someone enlight me), it was hermione??? The one that destroyed all the time turners that were in the ministry in book 5, and since she returned the one she had in book 3 to professor mcgonagall, well… I think that was not an option anymore
Totally agree with you, Swarles. I thought at the end of Book 5 that Sirius would be back in some form (one of my favorite characters too), but nothing ever happened with it.
And I agree with Jeff that I wish Lupin had done more – he was a great character but seemed lost towards the end. His and Tonks’ deaths in the movie were not very impactful.
Also – Hedwig is a girl (not a “he” as references in the article).
I don’t really get why this would bother anyone. The “veil” in the department of mysteries is the mystery of death. To go “beyond the veil” has always meant to die. It’s an old-fashioned expression. Sirius fell through the veil, quite literally, in the department of mysteries, and so he was dead. End of story.
But Sirius was never kissed by a dementor, they stop it from happening, Sirius was being rescued while by Harry and Hermione while Harry was sleeping, there were two Harrys at once. Well at least that’s how I understand it.
And by the way I never liked Sirius, I understand that is one of the most beloved characters but for some reason I can’t stand him.
Yeah, I would agree with you on that. I didn’t really know what happened to Sirius, and I never understood the veil until I heard J.K. talking about it in an interview (that it was the barrier between the living and the dead). I always thought, Why can’t Harry just go behind the veil and get Sirius? I never really believed he was dead; I think Sirius got a bad ending.
Haven’t any of you heard of the phrase ‘beyond the veil’? For centuries it has been an allusion to the unknown place/state of being following death. When Sirius fell through the black veil it was pretty clear to me that he was dead, particularly since only Harry and Luna could hear the voices coming through the veil (just like only they could see thestrals).
I too was was waiting for sirius to come back and so wanted to know what he fell through. It’s just like o puff he’s gone and we just are supposed to accept that!
I agree. In the book, Sirius falls through the veil after getting knocked over by a curse (not Avada Kedavra like the movie) if I remember correctly (it’s been awhile since I reread OOTP). So, I always expected Sirius to be able to come back through some loophole.
For the love of God. He fell through the veil. On the other side of the veil is DEATH. He’s dead. It’s really not a tough one to get. I loved Sirius too and I was cut up when he died, but come on people.
But usually when you pass “beyond the veil” of death, you leave behind a body to bury. I don’t remember the book, but in the movie, it didn’t feel like a death, in the way that, say, Cedric Diggory’s death did, with the father weeping over the son’s body. He just… drifted away.
I have read interviews with Rowling where she explains that she meant to kill Sirius that way. He just fell through the veil and was gone. I’ve also heard her say Harry and Luna can hear the voices so much better than everyone else because they have seen death (like the thestrals).
Also, that’s true about the time turners. Hermione destroys them in the department of mysteries.
Neville was meant to destroy a piece of Voldemort’s soul – he was the other possible “Chosen One”. I think it was a fitting role for someone who’s seen as always not meeting everyone’s expectations of a wizard – first by his grandmother, his house and in the movie even belittled by Voldemort. Neville is a true Gryffindor.
Agreed. But I was actually really disappointed in the scene between Neville and Voldy. And yeah, this is true quibbling, because Neville still stood up to him, and still killed the snake. I just hated that in the film, Neville steps forward and Voldy ridicules him. By this time, it’s well established that Neville’s a BAMF. In the book, he’s treated accordingly–Voldy singles him out because he’s pure blood and powerful, and then tries to kill him for resisting. Even more than when he kills Nagini, or that sappy point-at-your-heart speech in the film, I thought Voldy recognizing that Neville was a force, and Voldy trying to kill Neville himself, was the character’s big moment. It just felt cheap that, instead, Neville was once again the butt of a bully’s joke.
Yeah, that bothered me too, although I hadn’t really thought it thru until now. In the book, V is all “you’re pureblood and you have spirit, we can use you,” and Neville still tells him to go eff himself. I didn’t think it was fair for Neville to still be mocked and made fun of by that point; very cartoonish.
I just wished he hadn’t had thirteen or so failed attempts at killing the snake between all of him Ron and Hermione. One quick lob after his speech would have been much more effective in my opinion.
Well put, Chris!
So did I, Chris!
I totally agree. I always wanted Neville to at least get a couple goods hexes off at Bellatrix. I mean he was ALL KINDS OF AWESOME standing up to Voldy and killing Nagini but, not even I battle between him and Bellatrix? Disappointing.
Neville didn’t kill Bellatrix because if you read carefully you notice that none of the kids are explicitly stated to have purposefully killed anyone. It’s obvious Rowling wanted to leave the younger characters that much purity and innocence.
It shouldn’t have been Neville who killed Belletrix otherwise it would make him no better than her.
Sirius was never hit by a killing spell. It was a stunning spell, but having been knocked out, he fell. He fell through the veil, which is a portal that strips the spirit from the individual, thereby killing the person. It was a means of capital punishment in the wizarding world; a device of execution.
I agree with you up to your last sentence. The veil was in the Department of Mysteries, which studies the mysteries of the human existence, death being one of them. It was there for study, not execution. Wherever did you get that idea?
Reread that portion where they describe the room. While they never say its for executions, its in a place that is much like a stadium, not unlike the descriptions of the courtrooms. At one time, people sat in there in large groups. Why would a large group of people want to watch a gateway to the afterlife that is only 1 way? Its not much of a stretch to believe at one time it was used for executions. Its never said one way or the other.
It’s never really said what it’s used for, but I assumed it was for executions. A room to study the mystery of death makes sense too though. I never thought of that.
Here is an exert from a JKR interview. The veil was never used for toture
MA: Was it used as an execution chamber or just studying?
JKR: No, it’s just studying. The Department of Mysteries is all about studying. They study the mind, the universe, death…
I hated how the movies left out the part about Neville’s parents still being alive, but in that hospital. I thought it added a bit more depth to an already AWESOME character.
Half agree, cause the “Not my daughter, you bitch” was just perfect
I like Ginny and Harry together. It might not have worked in the movies, but it certainly worked in the books.
Totally agree. Their romance was wonderful in the books, awful in the movies. I think it was due in part to screenwriters who didn’t care for the romance and Daniel Radcliffe’s poor acting. I never bought that he was remotely into her.
I think Bonnie Wright was worse. Terrible actress all round and they didn’t have the chemistry. Radcliffe has improved immensly as shown by the last film. But yeah the screenwriters completely disregared the storyline.
Let’s face it, in the books it worked good, but in the movies was to painful. Daniel and Bonnie have as much chemistry as water and oil. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t mix.
It’s too bad that JK didn’t tell Chris Columbus that the little girl they were casting as Ginny would eventually become the great love of Harry’s life.
It is painful to see the romantic scenes between Daniel and Bonnie (btw, I loved the scenes between Emma and Rupert, they’re so cute!!!)
I think they should have just recast Bonnie Wright. Her name itself is cruel irony- she’s neither pretty nor correct. She doesn’t have any of the qualities that Ginny in the books has (she doesn’t have ANY personality at all), AND to top it off she’s a horrific actress. As if to shake things up and establish that this was going to be a different courtship that the books, they added these extra scenes between the two of them, like their first kiss, her running after him when Bellatrix set the Burrow on fire, her feeding him Christmas cookies… I could not stand any second that Bonnie was on screen. I consider it the weakest point in the movies. If they had gotten a firey, flirty, funny redhead deserving of Harry’s affection, I think there would be more support for the couple from the Potterphiles. I just thought it was hilarious how at the very end of the final movie the four of them are in frame standing on the platform and then the camera zooms in to focus on Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and just crops Ginny out for the final frame. B/c nobody flipping cares about her– they got that right.
Say what you will about her acting ability Coraline, but Bonnie Wright is one cute redhead.
Ginny in the books was a spitfire/Emma Stone type. Ginny in the films was just pathetic. They should’ve found the British Emma Stone.
Bonnie was definitely worse. I thought her acting was very wooden.
Emma, it’s kind of clear from the beginning that Ginny has a crush on Harry, especially in the Chamber of Secrets film. It’s just that there’s no way to tell when the actors are ten and eleven that they’ll have absolutely no chemistry when they’re twenty. Also, I think Daniel Radcliffe is gay anyway, so he’d probably have no chemistry with any girl they cast as Ginny.
I don’t think there was poor acting on Dan’s part that caused the awkward romance. It was the fact that Dan and Bonnie have NO chemistry whatsoever, and Bonnie portrays Ginny as this soft-spoken, very sweet, gentle character, which Ginny really isn’t. So their personalities don’t match in the films.
They never spent any time building it in the movies. I found that so weak. Ron and Hermione make sense in the films because they are together so often, it’s easy to add a glance, stare, touch, jealous moment, etc. But they really didn’t spend any time building Harry and Ginny, which is why it’s so weak in the films, but works well in the books.
@Christina: Oh me, oh my. Why ever do you think DanRad is gay?
Is it because he’s in a musical? Or is it because he’s a strong supporter of gay rights?
Please, grow up. Dan is not gay. He’s had a girlfriend for two years now whom he loves.
Dan clearly has a lot of chemistry with other female actresses in the film, just not Bonnie. And who can blame him.
I’m sure it’s hard to all of a sudden pretend to have the hots for a girl who was like 8 when the films started. And I think a lot of that comes from Bonnie’s end. You can tell she’s not into him either.
They don’t know how to fake it like Emma and Rupert.
I know this is about complaints, but sorry Jeff Jensen, Harry and Ginny (from the books, not the movies) were completely right for each other! I felt that from the get-go of the series. I always felt Ginny was a lot like Harry’s mother was at her age and that is what attracted him to her in the first place.
Oh, and their first kiss in the book was completely epic and perfect (as was Ron and Hermione’s!)
I agree their first kiss in the book was epic and in the movies it was creepy but H+R’s first kiss was the other way around for me
I also think it was important that Harry and Cho were together BEFORE he fell for Ginny. Rowling seemed to make a point that each character have some other romantic experience before they started dating the people they ended up with (Hermione and Krum, Ron and Lavender…)
The movies completely short-changed Harry and Ginny. In the books, you sense just how much Ginny had to overcome (shyness and Harry’s ignorance of her)and which qualities Harry loved about her – her spirit, guts, nerve and Quidditch skills among others.
You are so right. In the books, I totally understood why Harry fell for Ginny. She was a lot like his mother (from what others told Harry about her) and Harry has always been told that he’s just like his father. So, their relationship made perfect since. In the movies, however, they Harry and Ginny weren’t given enough exposition. Plus their first kiss was completely wrong.
Amy – I agree with your feeling that Ginny resembled & acted like a young Lily. I always felt that way too.
You know, I blame the lack of acceptance for Harry and Ginny on the fact that Ginny is almost completely MIA in books 3 and 4. A short “Ginny, how are you doing after what happened in the chamber?” or “Harry, I don’t think you put your name in the goblet” would have done wonders.
Absolutely agree with Jeff and bk8718. Ginny was never given the correct introduction or build up the way Cho Chang had. Not that I was a huge fan of Cho, but at least that infatuation seemed more natural and organic. Ginny just seemed like a default option so that JK Rowling didn’t have to introduce anyone new.
I agree with Jeff. Cho Chang forever! Never bought the Ginny storyline.
I SO agree – their romance and courtship in the book was so great. Perfect! But it was not given justice in the movies at all. Their kiss (and Ron’s reaction) were great. Cho was great at first, but definitely not for Harry for forever.
Regarding Ron and Hermione, they are definitely made for each other 112%, but I wasn’t crazy about their kiss – in the movie or the book.
I agree the Ginny/Harry match up was good in the book but unfortunatly they had the wrong actress for the movies!! Bonnie was terrible!
I didn’t like their romance in books, I thought Ginny came out of left field in OotP without enough development. However, I couldn’t stand their romance in the movies, and I do blame Bonnie Wright. She was just not cute or magnetic enough to convince me Harry would be mad about her. Cho Chang on the other hand was a darling actress, I was wishing for the movies he’d hook up with her. I wasn’t wild about it, but I could buy it in the books. I couldn’t buy it in the movies…terrible actress.
I have to agree with Ali Harry and Ginny relationship in Half Blood Prince was for me at least seemed to come out of no where I mean Harry had a crush on Cho Change that expanded over 3 books but all of sudden in book 6 Harry liked Ginny it didn’t make any sense.
Because 16-year-olds NEVER suddenly change their affections without warning, do they? Sure. Come on. Developing romantic feelings for someone you previously just thought of as a friend is a pretty common occurrence, especially among kids with hormones and a lack of self-understanding.
i agree. no chemistry in the movies, but it works alright in the books… something about first love and all that…
Ron and Lavender had Harry and Ginny’s book kiss in the movie. That was a huge disappointment. The book portrays Ginny as much more impressive witch than in the movie. She was possessed by Voldemort for nearly a year and survived. She and Harry are equals. Harry and Ginny should have been scorching the screen every time they were together.
Alsion, I like that! They SHOULD have been scorching the screen every time they were together! Maybe it wasn’t all poor Bonnie’s fault. Maybe the lines she was given (or lack thereof) in the film had the negative impact on her performance.
Ditto. Ginny is perfect for Harry, strong and understanding but independent as well. Love Ginny.
I think part of the problem with Ginny/Harry in the movies was that we don’t particularly see a lot of Ginny. We don’t really see the small things that make her so amazing to Harry, while in the 6th book, it becomes clearer to Harry all through 6th year that he wants Ginny. I don’t think the fault was really Bonnie Wright’s, it was really that they didn’t (maybe couldn’t) give Ginny any real meaningful (read: interaction with Harry) screen time. So the scenes they did get felt sort of forced, because there was little to no setup.
Agreed, but it didn’t help that between Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright, there was NO chemistry. Unfortunately, Daniel’s acting style is very internalized, and in my opinion, makes him about as sexual as a piece of furniture. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched him grow up on screen. I don’t know. All I know is the books conveyed the relationship far better than the movies did.
Agreed 100%. In the books Ginny is sassy, strong, smart and considered one of the most pretty girls in school. None of that translated in the movies – whether by fault of the screenwriters or Bonnie Wright’s godawful acting (I think it’s both). There’s so much I would change about the HBP movie – little scenes to explain why Harry is starting to fall for Ginny (the 4 spent a good part of the summer together – NOT Harry riding the freakin’ tube and picking up chicks). Harry/Liquid Luck driving the final nail in the Ginny/Dean coffin. Harry & Ginny ACTUALLY dating for a time during the school year. Ron being cool with it all on his own (not Hermione being the in-between for Harry/Ron). And finally Harry breaking it off at the end because he cares too much about her.
NO tying of shoelaces.
NO feeding of cookies.
NO hiding of the Potions book for Harry (how is he supposed to find it in the last movie if she hid it while he closed his eyes??)
All of it was awkward, forced and lame. I would be really confused if I hadn’t read the books.
Also, they should have included the scene in DHpt1 where Ginny gives Harry his birthday present and the Ron aftermath as well as Harry watching her on the marauder’s map while they were on the run.
A Ginny recast should have happened the second the HBP book was released and it was clear how important the character would become.
Thank you Sabrina. You’ve articulated perfectly all the reasons why book Ginny and Harry work so well and why the couple are terrible in the movie.
I tried but couldn’t do more than ‘URRRGGGGHHHHHHH!’
I agree with your comments. Especially the tube remark, but I lay most of the blame on Daniel Radcliffe. He is suppose to be the more experienced actor. I got that Ginny fancied Harry, Bonnie Wright got that across with the extremely limited screen time she got. He never showed any affection for her and that can’t be written off as lack of chemistry between the two actors, its lack of talent. Any actor worth their salt should be able to fake affection.
Sabrina & Ash, I concur. Ash, especially the URRRGGGHHHHH part!
I agree. Too little development for Ginny/Harry. I also think that we watched Daniel and Emma’s natural attraction off screen, while the books were still coming out. JKR may have always had it in mind to put Ginny and Harry together, but should have reconsidered when the chemistry was so obvious between the two actors. Just a thought.
i would have to say that i agree with you on the Ginny front (Cho Chang FTW). I mean, Harry was already Ron’s best friend, now he is also his brother in law????? I never quite really bought Ron and Hermione either. I wished it would have been Hermione+Neville. I would have to say that Hedwig’s death in the books is VERY anticlimactic (the movie’s is MUCh better and probably something Rowling is biting her nail’s over). The cheesiness of naming your kids Albus Severus is BEYOND words. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed Rita (there i said it). Mrs Weasley should NEVER have said “not my daughter you bitch” cuz Ripley OWNS that line. Also, what is Ron good at???? Except going along Harry? Hermione for the WIN!
I hated the names of Harry and Ginny’s kids. It’s like Ginny had no say at all in what their names were.
I agree. To this day I hope their eldest’s full name is James Frederick Potter.
It’s Sirius.
I would think that they would all reserve the use of Fred’s name for George’s first born son.
George named his son Fred.
There are a lot of weasley kids… They have plenty of people to name and use names on.
I totally agree with that. The names were ridiculous.
That’s totally understandable. Does Ginny get a say? and I know I’m American but really, why on Earth would you name your kid Albus? What are you supposed to call him? Bussy? or Al?
They call him “Al” in the books. And the wizarding world is full of odd names. I doesn’t strike me as false at all that they would name him that
I’m pretty sure Ginny does call him Al in the epilogue.
Maybe they should have named him “Brian”.
Hugo is almost as bad. And then of course, Bill and Fleur’s kids all have French names according to Rowling, even though they’re all British Weasleys.
What’s wrong with Hugo? Also what’s wrong with respecting your wife’s culture? They have their father’s surname so their first names are French to represent her. That’s how my parents named me.
I love their kids names, but Albus Severus is just too much.
I sincerely hope they nicknamed him Alby or something.
I never was on the “ridiculous names” bandwagon. Particularly the “Albus Severus” hate. No one goes around calling him “Albus Severus”. Lots of people have weird middle names. Harry only calls him “Albus Severus” because he’s his son and he was having a serious moment with him, and parents use their kids’ full names at times like that. They normally call him Al, though, which is not weird.
Albus Severus makes a lot more sense than “Reneesme.”
I read a cute story once where he’s nicknamed Asp, since some people think he gets sorted into Slytherin.
Yeah I hated that while the 3 of them were all named after someone, Ron and Hermione’s kids have nothing to do with their uncle who died. Charming Ron – bloody charming.
Oh and I hate the kiss in the film because they cut out the funniest dialogue ever by doing it away from Harry. “Not the time mate” “hell yeah it is!” Brilliant.
George married Angelina Johnson and their son is named Fred.
And that wasn’t the dialogue in the book, but I agree Harry’s “OI!, there’s a war going on!” in the book was hilarious.
Rose & Hugo for Ron & Hermione
It would be kind of rude of Ron to take that name away from George wouldn’t it? I mean they were twins and inseparable.
This is going to sound silly, but Albus seems weird to be the name of a little kid. Obviously, a person has the same name their whole life, but it does not seem fitting for a baby. Every kid did not have to have the same name as someone meaningful to Harry.
I also just hated the epilogue entirely, though, so that’s part of it.
baby Dumbledore was named Albus, so was toddler Dumbledore and preteen Dumbledore and teenage Dumbledore and you adult Dumbledore and middle-aged Dumbledore.
(I haven’t seen DH2 yet so maybe that’s where I missed this BUT…)
How do you guys that George marries Angelina & that Lilly’s middle name is Luna? I’ve read all of the books about 4-5 times & really don’t remember those details.
Thanks!
Me too! In the books, Ginny is a strong enough character that I think she would have put her foot down when it came to naming her children. James Sirius I’m fine with but, seriously poor Albus Severus Potter! And Hermione and Ron would totally have named their son Harry.
Better than Bilius.
their daughter lily’s middle name is Luna – and in the books ginny is better friends w/luna than it’s portrayed in the movies so i think she chose the middle name at least –
I think that the names of Harry’s kids were too obviously let’s-come-full-circle-as-we-end-the-story. It also strikes me as a little odd to name all of your children after dead loved ones who died in terrible, horrific ways.
I didn’t like the one-month (or was it a few months? Haven’t read the book in a while) time skip in the seventh book. The trio escape the wedding, and when the next chapter starts, the Ministry and Hogwarts have been taken over. WTF? That deserved a little more explanation if you ask me.
Oh, and I also agree with your points regarding Lupin, Voldemort’s defeat, and the Harry/Ginny relationship.
And for someone who claims to be a “true fan”, you should be ashamed that you think Hedwig is male.
Yeah…not to downplay someone’s devotion to Potter, but knowing Hedwig is a female is like Potter 101.
Agreed. It bothers me so much when that mistake is made.
Sometimes, I can’t sleep at night because I’m crying so much at the thought that someone out there thinks Hedwig is a boy owl.
Chris that was the funniest comment on this board. Thanks mate.
@ Chris, LOL. Classic.
I disagree 100%. I don’t believe J.K. Rowling wanted us to have more information about the takeover, because Harry didn’t. Nor did most of the wizarding world. That was the point to the takeover.
Cracking up over the “boy owl” call. Thanks, Chris. You have fantastic posts.
What? They have to escape the wedding BECAUSE the ministry has been taken over. Kingsley’s patronus shows up in the middle of the reception and says “the ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.” so while the exact mechanics aren’t explained (which makes sense because I agree it’s more realistic for us not to know and because it doesn’t matter in the slightest) it’s not like she left something out or skipped a crazy month of the ministry falling, it had ALREADY HAPPENED. And it makes sense that hogwarts follows the ministry since the previous books (umbridge, etc) proved how involved the ministry is in magical education at Hogwarts even when Dumbledore was around. I think it’s a little uppity to be so concerned about Hedwigs gender when you don’t know that they fled the wedding because the ministry had, in fact, already fallen. Where exactly do you think they skipped a month, anyway?
You know speaking of Umbridge, where the hell did she disappear to in Part 2 or did I just miss something….
Um…considering Voldemort was planning to do that all along, it’s not that big of a surprise that he would move fast.
There is some time skipped in that chapter while they’re at Grimmauld Place, but it’s while they’re planning to break into the ministry, so it makes sense.
I can’t stand the character of Colin Creevy. His creepy, slightly disturbing/stalkerish hero worship of Harry always made me cringe. I wish he had died when the basilisk attacks were happening instead of sticking around for 5 MORE books.
I was glad that they got rid of him for the movies. It was a good move.
I disagree completely. Sure, Colin was a little stalkerish, but he was just this little boy who admired a ‘hero’ in a world he didn’t know existed. He died fighting at the end of book 7. Even though, to me, that was sad, it’s also fitting. He died fighting for something he loved. And I don’t mean Harry. I mean the wizarding world.
I thought it was funny how we saw more of Nigel in the movies than Colin.
I hated how Nigel replaced Colin in the films. It was completely uneccessary.
totally agree with the lack of Lupin, i also would’ve like to have seen more of a strong Tonks…
Agree with the lack of Lupin also. It needed to be explained away better, as they built such a strong foundation in PoA, and Lupin was WONDERFUL as a teacher.
Agree, agree, agree. Lupin was my favorite character in book 3. Sadly I think that Lupin didn’t get further because Sirius was introduced in the same book, and overshadowed him. Lupin was the best teacher they had though, and it was so believable how much he cared for Harry. He should have been a greater part of the books, even though he did make Harry godfather of his son. In the movies, they’ve nearly ignored the existence of Lupin & Tonks, which always irritated me. Their story together was wonderful.
Totally agree, Lupin should have played a bigger part in Harrys life after PoA. I loved him and was devastated when himself and Tonks died in DH.
That was another thing that irked me! In the forest before he’s off to die, Harry mentions Lupin’s son (in the movie) yet that was the first mention of his son in the movie. Lupin & Tonks start to mention it in Part 1 but Mad Eye cuts them off and in the book Tonks rushes in worried for Lupin leaving their son with her mother and that’s all missing– the movie makes it seem like they’ve got nothing to lose until Harry randomly mentions that they just left their kid orphaned.
Actually, the casting of Lupin and Sirius in the moview upset me, Sirius was supposed to be super handsome talented etc, and Lupin the kind, do-the-right thing guy. Lupin should have been played by House’s Hugh Laurie and tall and handsome & brooding like Clive Owen or Hugh Jackman. HP3 was always my fave, I just hate how much of the detail which builds up characters has to be lost in moview…
Agree 100%!
Agreed, but I have a feeling JK Rowling definitely has all of that written down somewhere and it may appear on Pottermore at some point.
There are a lot of characters I would love to have seen more of, but I can understand why she cut out some subplots. It would slow the story down and the later books are already 500-900 pages long.
I really really want to know what Lupin was upto in the 12 years between the death of the Potters and teaching at Hogwarts. And I want to know how Lupin and Tonks got together (although it did slightly break my heart bacause I was always a Lupin/Sirius shipper).
did i miss them mentioning lupin’s son being born in part 2??? when harry talked to lupin via the resurrection stone in the forbidden forest, harry mentioned lupin being a father now. i know they almost/kind-of/sorta mentioned it in part 1, but that was it i thought. that part bugged me!
Kimmy, there are a *ton* of things in all the HP movies that make absolutely no sense if you haven’t read the books! I always assumed that Rowling gave the writers and directors carte blanche in that regard…
I always thought it would have been funny if Luna ended up with Dudley. That Harry reconnects with Dudley and he meets Luna and falls for her. Just becuase that would kill his parents.
That would have hilarious. Thanks for making me laugh!
Now that’s an angle if it happened. But I do love Neville and Luna possibly hooking up as well.
But they don’t you guys! If you want to follow the movies, be my guest. But since Rowling created this world and she said Luna marries a naturalist and Neville marries Hannah Abbott, I’m going with her.
That would be awesome … Petunia would probably have a heart attack and Uncle Vernon’s head absolutely explode!
perfect! can´t wait to read a fanfic with Luna/Dudley hahaha
I have always felt that Dudley grew up to be a really sweet guy , married a muggle and ended up with kids who are wizzards. And calls on Harry to help him and his wife know what to do.
O that is too good! Thanks, Jara!
I like the idea of Harry dragging his kids over to see their annoying relatives for the holidays though. That’s so true to life.
But Dudley/Luna WOULD destroy his parents…
Spoilers:
It gutted me that Lupin (and, to a lesser extent Tonks) lacked proper death scenes in the 7th book. Also, the death of Moody was a mess.
I second the need for a Neville-Bellatrix show down. I think he earned the right to take her out after what happened with his parents.
I was never a fan of the Harry-Ginny relationship either, more so in the films though, as there was hardly an iota of chemistry there between those two.
Agreed on Tonks and Lupin’s death! The first read through of book seven (and this may be because I was reading it at five in the morning) I totally missed the fact that they’d even died! Then a few pages later someone said they were dead and I was like… wait what? Definitely thought Tonks & Lupin deserved a better ending.
Speaking of chemistry, Did Lupin and Tonks have ANY? So many are harping on the Harry/Ginny chemistry (especially in the movies) but I don’t even think that Ron and Hermione had “LOVE” chemistry, although they at least had CHEMISTRY. My point is that J.K. is an excellent writer of intricate plots but her romances were never that great. I thought the Harry/Cho romance was the best. As for Bonnie Wright, its not her fault that writer Steve Kloves gave her VERY LITTLE to do in the movies. And I think SHE IS BEAUTIFUL.
Yeah, Lupin and Tonks were a terrible couple, and one-sided at that. Lupin didn’t seem to like her much at all. Tonks became one of my least favorite characters because of her ridiculous behavior where Lupin was concerned. You don’t let your life fall apart because some guy won’t go out with you, and you sure as hell don’t leave your infant son when his other parent is already in grave danger of dying. Way to make your son and orphan, Tonks.
I agree, Dark Passenger, but she needed to have an Alchemical Orphan since she writes in the British Alchemical Literary Style.
I really wish that in the movie epilogue the actor could have had more lines, Steve Kloves could have use the dialogue in the book at least.
Lupin is one of my favorite characters as well… We named our dog Lupin! We were devestated when he dies. Having said that, there was so much death in the book that it would just feel twisted if every one got a whole scene. We had just lived through Fred and about to realize that Harry has to die. There is something kinda perfect about Harry finding out by seeing him, not be able to deal with it but then sees him later in the forest for some closure. I love that he was included in the foursome most important to Harry.
I thought Lupin, Tonks and Fred all deserved death scenes, or at least have a scene of more people grieving over their deaths. They were just laying on stretchers like they were some extras and not major characters. And where was Teddy?! He was just mentioned, not shown. That was one of the things I was waiting for!
Yes I totally agree!
I was fully prepared for the lack of a Tonks/Lupin death scene in the movie because that’s how it was in the book (which is total crap), but the lack of a Fred death scene when he actually got a brilliant one in the book INFURIATED me. that was the only death that really affected me while reading.
It bugged me to no end that Lupin and Tonks barely got any screen time and that Fred’s death scene was taken out because it was so stellar in the book.
The other thing that really REALLY bothered me was their child. I’m assuming that the boy who ran through the platform first with Harry’s daughter was indeed Tonks and Lupin’s son, but he was WAY too young. Did he stay in cryo for 5 years or something? I get keeping it short and sweet but I loved the Lupin trusted Harry with his son and thought it was beautiful. Plus, it would’ve only added like 2 minutes tops to the story and wouldn’t have been confusing.
I like to believe that Teddy was the curly-haired boy that Albus Potter sits next to on the train. Teddy was a few years older than Harry’s kids anyway.
I agree – I was hoping the deaths would be more impactful in the movie. Lupin, Tonks and Fred deserved more.
The boy who ran through the platform first was Harry and Ginny’s son James. If you looked at the front of the cart you could see the initials J.S.P. (for James Sirius Potter) on the front of his trunk.
Second that comment about Fred’s death. He went out with a bang befitting his character in the book and sadly in the movie just received a passing pan and scan…so disappointed.
An actor was cast to portray Teddy, but for an unknown reason he’s cut out of the ending.
I completely agree about Teddy. Do they even say that Tonks is pregnant in the movies? In part one, I think Tonks is about to say it at the Dursley’s, but Moody cuts her off. I was hoping Lupin would come in at Shell Cottage for even a second to say that Tonks had a baby and ask Harry if he would be the godfather. But nope…no mention until after Lupin is dead.
Also, Teddy would be 19 in the epilogue because he was born shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts. Therefore he would be finished with Hogwarts. Plus he’s mentioned in the book as “seeing off” Victoire.
I was so disappointed that they cut Fred’s death scene, because it came as such as shock in the book! George & Fred were my favorites from the book so his death really hurt me but you got the pay off when it was Molly who takes out Bellatrix! Very disappointed.
I think the reason why The Powers That Be didn’t have Neville kill Bellatrix was the same reason why Dumbledore and Snape had their little agreement about who would kill Dumbledore. They didn’t want Draco to do it, because it would destroy his soul. Same thing would happen to Neville.
…Best explanation so far…
And, Harry. There is a reason “expelliarmus” is his trademark spell. He is not an AK kids of guy. Dumbledore either as shown by Grindelwald being defeated but not killed.
Yeah, it just seems more right to me that Molly does it to protect her family rather than Neville for revenge. Revenge is nasty business. Maybe if you continue the Luna/Neville new canon and have Bellatrix about to hurt Luna?
“The Powers That Be” = J.K. Rowling. That’s how she wrote it.
I always wanted a Tonks-Bellatrix showdown. I like that Molly had a moment, but I always thought it would be great if Tonks had done it. I never liked how Lupin and Tonks were handled at the end, anyway. Imagine this, Tonks watches as Bellatrix kills Lupin, then kills Bellatrix in a duel. Wouldn’t that have been great?!
Bellatrix killed Tonks which I hated. Why couldn’t she have died like Fred by falling rubble. IT meant that Bellatrix won and destroyed more families even if she did die.
Jess – I guess I missed it, when did Tonks get killed by Bellatrix? I thought Harry just sees them(Tonks and Lupin) laid out with the other dead. I knew Bella wants to kill Tonks, but never knew she did. Unless that a JKR statement later-on.
I really, *REALLY* hated how everyone made Slytherin = evil. The way McGonagall banished all of Slytherin house right before the battle was disgusting. After all that talk about discrimination against those who were less than pureblood, they turned right around and asserted that everyone who happened to be sorted to Slytherin was evil. Did she forget that the Hat wanted to put Harry there?
Well she didn’t know that about Harry and that didn’t happen in the books. I believe they all left but then a few came back to fight with the reinforcements.
Uh which part didn’t happen in the book? The sorting hat part wanting to put Harry in Slytherin was in the book so which part are you talking about KJ?
@erika: alice’s comment implies that mcgonagall knew that the sorting hat wanted to put harry in slytherin. kj is making the point that mcgonagall didn’t actually know that, she never found that out in the books. kj is not saying that the hat didn’t want to put harry in slytherin.
Read the books – grow up
I don’t really know how you can say ‘read the books–grow up’. She was obviously making a comment about a screenplay glitch.
The Hat only thought about putting Harry in Slytherin because of the horcrux.
That ticked me off in the movie as well. One girl said something against Harry, and the professor denounced the entire house because of it. Not all of them are evil! In the books, I was most upset with Draco’s storyline and how JK still seemed to make him the “bad guy” without any emotional change. But the movie did an excellent job being sympathetic to him. I loved the scene where Draco walked away with his mother. It was a sort of self-preservation for the ppl who were aligned with Voldemort.
For a second I thought that Draco was going to stay where he was, even having in mind that Harry saved him in the Room of Requirements. I really thought he was going to say no to his parents (and Voldemort), but when he obeyed his mother, i thought… Oh crap.
I really liked how they did the Draco-Narcissa scenes in the movie. They kind of captured what it would be like to have a family on the wrong side of war. They may have been cowards, but they showed some courageous moments. And in the end it was Narcissa who did everything for the love of her son. Self preservation all way.
I too also hated how everyone in syltherian was denounced as evil because one girl stepped forward and said she wanted to kill HP. It wasn’t right.
I have lots of complaints about the movies, but that scene you described doesn’t happen that way in the book. Although, as JKR describes it, those who stays to fight and those who leave is exactly in line with Houses and I agree it would have been nice to have a few Slytherin’s staying to fight. Although the Malfoys sort of portray that in the end- sort of.
It’s different in the books. In the book, Slughorn escorts them all out through the room of requirement or something, but if they didn’t want to leave then I’m sure they wouldn’t.
Totally agree – and Ron’s attitude at the end of the book, basically telling his daughter to not be friends with a Malfoy, was not right. There should have been a redeeming moment for the entire Slytherin house
I think Ron said, “If you’re not in Gryffindor, we’ll disown you, but no pressure.”
He didn’t specify Slytherin.
He was joking – it is RON!
There was a redeeming moment for Slytherin…Harry’s youngest son was Albus SEVERUS. A Slytherin teacher, headmaster, etc. He said he didn’t care if his son was in Slytherin. I think it was redeeming.
If I remember correctly, there was a lot left out in explaining the situation at the shcool/with Slytherin while Harry was gone. I believe the Slytherins were acting as a sort of police and snitching on their classmates while Death Eaters were running the school.
I do know Nevil explained how bad things had gotten there in a lot more detail in the book.
SPEW! A boring sub-plot that focussed on freeing house elves (really JK, really?) which repeatedly brought out the worst in Hermione (these moments of self-righteous indignation were sadly her weakest moments – poor Hermione, you deserved better!) I am so thankful stupid SPEW was excised from the films.
But without SPEW, you dont get one of the most awesome scenes in any of the 7 books (a scene that was left out of the movies in truly criminal fashion), Kreacher giving the big Braveheart speech and leading the house elves waving spoons and forks against Voldemort’s army.
Yeah I wish they would have put SPEW in the movies so we could have that awesome scene with Kreacher. I wish the movies would have spent more time showing how much Kreacher changed in the seventh book.
Yeah, the house elves are supposed to possess awesome magic that is discounted by the Death Eaters. But in the final battle, do they do any magic? No. They wave spoons and forks.
I always thought Kreacher’s speach had far more to do with his unending loyalty to Regulus Black, and how he now fought against Voldemort because he knew Regulus died to fight Voldemort. No matter how Hermione treated him while hiding out in Grimmauld Place, I think Regulus was far more important to Kreacher and how he ulimately behaved.
I didn’t care much either way for SPEW, but I really hated that the ‘Kreacher leading the house elves into battle’ scene was omitted from the movie.
Yeah, I also missed that they cut out Kreacher’s part in book 7 from the movie. I liked the thought of them attacking.
Oh, I so agree. Even though I love GOF, I hate that sub-plot. Agreed that it brings out the worst in Hermione, & I also hate Dobby, so there’s all that.
I liked Dobby in the books. Well, I liked him in the later books, but I was terrifically annoyed by him in the second book. I hated every badly-computer-animated second of him in the movies.
Angela, Kreacher’s speech from the battle scene goes like:
“Fight! Fight for Brave Master Regulus! Fight for my master, defender of house elves! Fight! Fight!”
“Defender of house elves” == Harry. Both Regulus and Harry showed respect for Kreacher, and I don’t think Harry would mind Regulus getting top billing, since he literally died to protect Kreacher.
I sooo loved that part in the book. I felt so proud of him.
I LOVE S.P.E.W. It really shows Hermione’s heart and how much of a humanitarian she is.
I loved it. And I also like that JK Rowling kept it going and that’s the reason Ron and Hermione ultimately end up making out in the book.
Frankly, I could spew on SPEW. I kinda want to rip all those pages out of my books. And if I wanted a Braveheart speech, I’ll watch Braveheart.
PS Harry and Ginny FOREVER!!!
I also wish Harry hadn’t fallen for Ginny. Something about her character always really bothered me.
I’m not usually one to protest character death, because it really does strengthen the story and make it really realistic. That being said, Lupin shouldn’t have died.
Hedwig should have gotten a proper sendoff.
Draco should have had a bit more redemption.
And, as much I love the ‘not my daughter…’ line, Neville should have been the one to kill Bellatrix.
@Meridith…I agree with all your points. I never completely believed the Harry-Ginny dynamic. She was just there, but they lacked real chemistry. I love Lupin and wish he had lived. But most of all, I wish more time had been spent showing the redemption of Draco. They touch on it, but a little more would have been nice.
I bought the Harry-Ginny in teh book b/c they spent time making Ginny’s character cooler but in the books they didn;t spend enough time showing Ginny grow into her own character and then showing harry fall for her. It was like he just decided to fall in love with her there was not enough build up and the first part of DH didn’t show much of him worrying and missing her. But i loved their relationship in the book especially their first kiss.
Molly’s line always bugged me because it’s a complete steal from Aliens.
Totally agree. I’ve never liked that line.
All of that would have made the story too perfect though.
That’s all the things fans wanted to happen and in real life things don’t always go the way you would expect.
In regards to Harry and Ginny, I like them together in the books, but the movie versions just have NO chemistry at all.
Plus, the Harry/Hermione shipper in me always wanted those two to get together.
And I’ve always thought Ron and Luna had chemistry in a weird way.
Harry and Hermione! Ron and his quirkiness could have Luna…
Plus what happened to Dumbledore’s backstory in the movies? You can’t start to tell the story and just leave it unfinished. Also, Lupin and Tonks definitely needed more screen time in the last two movies.
And I agree with the claim that Sirius and the veil should have been explained. Maybe Rowling will fill us in on Pottermore.
In the movies, Harry/Hermione makes sense and doesn’t seem delusional. Ron/Hermione seems weird.
Not to mention that a person like Hermione would never fall for Ron in the first place. Trust me, I watch people like that all day and it doesn’t happen.
Re the love scenes– movie Hermione/ Emma Watson was brilliant and could have probably pulled off chemistry with a stone. I didn’t feel particularly invested in the books but I thought her and Rupert pulled off a convincing courtship over all the movies. In the book, I loved the unexpected Ginny twist, not so much in the movies– it was just so awkward and she dotted on him. I wanted movie Ginny to be a bad ass and instead she fed him cookies.
Hermione is a character people wanted to see with every male in the series (I’ve read some rather disturbing Hermione/Snape fan fiction previously), she does work the best with Ron.
Ginny and Harry is just so forced in the films. And Harry and Cho’s relationship lasted like 2 seconds on-screen. The hottest female relationship Harry ever had on-screen was with Hermione (the dance, the horcrux kiss, etc), so I think that’s why people (me included to an extent) wanted to see it happen.
Hmmm… I am, to an extent, pro Harry/Hermione, but I don’t think it would ever work (esp. in the books) because of Ron’s intense jealousy/insecurities. If they got together, Ron would feel like that much more of a third wheel. I think I’d prefer if none of the trio dated one another.
SO true. all of it. But when Lupin and Tonks we’re lying together… and he appreared with the use of the stone… oh man I was bawling like a baby.
What WAS the deal with that dance scene between Harry & Hermione in DH1? I was so uncomfortable! It felt so dang…odd. Especially when he gives her that questioning look at the end and she gives a small shake of the head… Why even hint at that? I suppose maybe for all the fans that were hoping to see Harry & Hermione end up together?
seriously! Why?!!!
In agree Jen! Dance seen was lame, awkward and unnecessary. Really dumb.
Ginny was one of the few characters who fell flat for me and came off as a tough girl cliche. Movie Ginny is lovely but given too little to do.
And no, I don’t think Harry should’ve ended up with Cho Chang, yikes. She was about dating popular boys. One of my favorite lines of all the books is when Harry tells her not to start crying, it’s hilarious.
I fistpumped when I read that! She got so annoying!