Harry Potter: 10 Changes From The Books That Ruined The Movies

Did they even read the books before making the films?

Harry Potter Half Blood Prince
Warner Bros.

With seven best-selling books and eight movies so successful they have the highest box office gross of any franchise in the history of cinema, Harry Potter stands as one of the biggest media series of all time. And with author J.K. Rowling continuing to publish short stories expanding on the world, and a spin-off, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, due to hit screens in November, it's fair to say it's not over yet.

From a purely cinematic perspective, however, the series is certainly one that's greater than the sum of its parts, with the inconsistencies and dull moments of individual films overshadowed by the ultimate grand scope and joy of seeing a trio grow from wide-eyed eleven year olds to full grown adults.

One of the biggest strengths is the source; Rowling is an incredibly competent storyteller and world-builder, meaning an adaptation of her work will, at the very least, have a great plot. Which makes it strange that the film-makers would ever want to deviate from them. Yet it's a practice they engaged in at many points throughout the series.

Today, we look at ten of those moments that were either changed or completely omitted for the big screen, that really hurt the quality of the Harry Potter movies in the process.

Contributor
Contributor

Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.