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

4. The Finale

The ending of Harry Potter is testament to J.K. Rowling's story-telling abilities. The Deathly Hallows ties together all the key plot threads from the previous six books, with the final battle between Harry and Voldemort not only being a victory of good over evil and love over hate, but the final step in Harry becoming a man.

You see, it's not really a battle at all; right from the off Harry knows he's won. In the backdrop of the Great Hall, with the rest of the wizards watching, he reveals to Voldemort that the Elder Wand really belongs to him, and that any fight would result in the Dark Lord's defeat. The finale isn't just a case of who can swing their wand the fastest. The film portrays it a little differently, with a lot of whizz-bang action, followed by a rushed attempt to explain what just happened and... that's it.

The film even transplants the action to a deserted courtyard, which only serves to make it even less impressive. That this scene was so poorly mishandled in the finished film leaves us with the distinct impression that director David Yates really didn't know what he was doing with the adaptation; how can you split a book in two to give focus to everything, then skim over the most important part?