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

8. The First Battle Of Hogwarts

The Half-Blood Prince is probably the best book in the whole series, expanding many key plot points that set up the finale while also giving the sixteen year old heroes some proper teenage angst. Unfortunately, much of what made the book so awesome didn't make it across to the big screen adaptation.

We'll expand on the biggest omission later, but for now let's look at the finale. The book ends with Harry and an injured Dumbledore returning to Hogwarts with what they believe is one of Voldemort's horcruxes, only to find the school has been secretly invaded by Death Eaters. In a shocking twist, Snape kills the headmaster and all hell breaks loose as wizards fight through the halls of the school. The film brings to the big screen all the plot, but none of the battle; the closest it gets is Bellatrix smashing glasses in the Great Hall. Sidestepping a massive fight may allow the film to quickly get back to the dead Dumbledore, but it all feels a little anticlimactic.

The scene being absent feels a little silly now. At the time, it was assumed David Yates didn't want to have two consecutive films end with a big fight in Hogwarts, but as the splitting of the final book means there's a film in the middle, we're left with the climax of Half-Blood Prince not being as literally explosive as it could have been.