12 Huge Problems With Harry Potter Movies (Nobody Admits)
4. Barty Crouch Junior’s Escape From Azkaban – The Goblet Of Fire
Barty Crouch Junior’s backstory is fascinating. The way Rowling ties together the Quidditch World Cup, the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins, and the events of Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts is superb.
Whilst it would be tricky to cover everything in the movie adaptation, the lack of explanation is unforgivable. Harry knows who Barty Crouch Junior is because of his venture into the Pensieve, but there are no details given about how he escaped from Azkaban or how he managed to communicate with the Dark Lord.
To make matters worse, Crouch’s fate is left rather ambiguous. The implication is that he’s sent back to Azkaban. But in the book, he’s killed by two Dementors due to the inaptitude of Cornelius Fudge. The book version is much more logical because it explains why he doesn’t appear in any of the later entries.
All things considered, the butchering of Crouch’s fascinating story was a massive mistake. A ten-minute flashback would have made for an interesting sequence in one of the more mediocre Harry Potter movies.