3. Complex Mythology & Story-Arcs
In a similar vein to my previous point, the ever-increasingly complexity of the books made for difficult depiction during the later films in the series. Personally, the introduction of the Horcruxes in the sixth film felt rushed, to the point where their significance was left understated and a great deal of pacing problems ensured in the final, two-part venture, Deathly Hallows. Most notably was the scaling down of Dumbledores private lessons with Harry, during which they visited past memories of Lord Voldemorts. In the book, there were around five different memory lessons, of which only two were shown in the movie. In my opinion, these scenes were much needed, not only in order to help the characters locate the Horcruxes, but to allow the audience to understand the motivations behind Voldemorts evil actions. In particular: his abhorrence to Muggles stems from his Muggle father leaving his witch mother; his quest for power and immortality is a result of his childhood spent in a Victorian orphanage and, most crucially, that his love for Hogwarts points toward the trophies that he used to make his Horcruxes with. In the story, finding Voldemorts Horcruxes is particularly problematic for Harry and Dumbledore because they are not commonplace objects, but objects that reminded Voldemort of Hogwarts, his only true home, and, therefore, which hold some discernible value. However, in the sixth film, no mention is made of the Cup of Ravenclaw, for example, so by the time it is found in the next film even I, who had not read (or rather, re-read) the books in a while, was a bit lost. Similarly, when Harry returns to the castle in search of something of Hufflepuffs it is never made explicitly clear how he arrived at the conclusion that the last Horcrux would be something of Hufflepuffs. I realise this is a rather long-winded explanation (and may not make sense to half of you) but this is just one example of when the plot, as depicted in the film, ran away with itself. I give this as an example purely because it was, perhaps, the most shoddily depicted piece of mythology in the films, something which would have not happened had it been made for television. Other important plot-lines which were treated poorly in the films are; the significance of ones Patronus and how they can emulate ones true love; the possibility that Professor Trelawney's prophecy could have meant Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom; why Snape was the Half-blood Prince and his love for Harry's mother, Lily and the Marauders Map and the backstory of James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.