The 10 Worst Changes in the Harry Potter Movies, Ranked (2024)

Harry Potter is one of the most profitable and recognized film franchises. Based on the popular book series, the films follow Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), a young boy who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard and becomes enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he makes friends and learns new forms of magic, Harry also gets wrapped up in stopping the return of the Dark Lord, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), who plans to subjugate the non-magical world.

Though the films are loved for their great music, strong cast, and keeping many of the mature themes present in the novels, they also have their fair share of problems. Many important subplots and characters had to be removed or reduced to condense the story. The most egregious of these changes still pester loyal Harry Potter fans because of the wasted opportunity they represent.

10 Lupin and Tonks' Relationship

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1'

Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) is one of the most beloved characters in Harry Potter, thanks to his unique relationship with Harry and his situation as a werewolf. As time goes on, he and a fellow member of the Order of the Phoenix, Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena), develop romantic feelings for one another. The two get married in 1997 and have a son, Teddy, before dying together during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Movie audiences would be forgiven for not even knowing Lupin and Tonks are in a relationship, with how little attention is given to them. It's especially frustrating in the last two movies, where Teddy isn't mentioned until after Tonks and Lupin are already dead. There's no emotional moment of Lupin asking Harry to be Teddy's godfather after his birth. It also means Tonks gets little to no development, feeling like a superficial one-note character when she has familial ties to both Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) and Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

PG-13

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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Release Date

October 17, 2010

Director

David Yates

Cast

Bill Nighy , Emma Watson , Richard Griffiths , Harry Melling , Daniel Radcliffe , Julie Walters

Runtime

147

Writers

Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling

9 The Final Challenge of the Tri-Wizard Tournament

'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' (2005)

During Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, two other schools, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute, come to partake in the problematic Tri-Wizard Tournament. The final challenge has the four champions enter a large hedge maze, with the prized Triwzard cup in the center. In the film, Harry and Cedric are attacked by the hedges themselves, lashing out with roots and branches to strangle them before they can reach the cup.

While sentient shrubbery is more cost-effective than what's present in the book, it's also a lot more boring. The literary version of the maze is full of all sorts of creatures, from boggarts to a riddle-asking sphynx who guards a shortcut to the center. Perhaps the most iconic creature, however, is the Blast Ended Skrewt, a strange and aggressive hybrid creature created by Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) by blending fire crabs and manticores.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

PG-13

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Mystery

See Also

Was Harry intended to be a Horcrux?210 Harry Potter Trivia Questions (That’ll Even Stump Snape)Dragon's Resurgence: The Potter Legacy - Chapter 11 - Vikrant_Utekar - Harry PotterHarry Potter: Entenda quais são as horcruxes de Voldemort - Sociedade Nerd

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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Release Date

November 16, 2005

Director

Mike Newell

Cast

Eric Sykes , Timothy Spall , David Tennant , Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint

Runtime

154 minutes

Writers

Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling

8 Harry and the Elder Wand

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2'

One of the major plot points in the last leg of the story is the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows, said to be the most powerful wand ever made. Voldemort tried to claim ownership over the wand, but unknown to him, it belonged to Harry after he defeated Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), who himself knocked the wand out of Albus Dumbledore's (Sir Michael Gambon) hand before his death. However, Harry chooses to break the Elder Wand rather than use it.

While seeing Harry destroy the Elder Wand is a powerful physical representation of his maturity and wisdom regarding the trappings of power, it's not as effective of a conclusion for The Deathly Hallows as in the books. There, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his broken phoenix core wand before returning it to Dumbledore's tomb. Even if the filmmakers wanted to have Harry break the wand, using it to repair his old one is a wonderful way to demonstrate the choices that separate Harry from Voldemort. The Boy Who Lived uses the Elder Wand to fix what is broken rather than accumulate more power.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

PG-13

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Mystery

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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Release Date

July 7, 2011

Director

David Yates

Cast

Ralph Fiennes , Michael Gambon , Alan Rickman , Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson

Runtime

130 minutes

Writers

Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling

7 Peeves

'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' (2001)

Of all the magical creatures who call Hogwarts home, the most memorable by far has to be Peeves. Unlike the ghosts, who used to be living humans, Peeves is a poltergeist and appeared when Hogwarts was first created. A being of uncontrolled mischief and mayhem, Peeves' life's mission is tormenting students and faculty alike with all manner of creative pranks and jokes.

Director Christopher Columbus wanted to include Peeves in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and even cast Rik Mayall to play the poltergeist. For whatever reason, his scenes were cut, and none of the subsequent films included him. This change is especially upsetting for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, where Peeves became a thorn in the side of Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) during her takeover of Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

PG-13

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Mystery

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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Release Date

June 28, 2007

Director

David Yates

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe , Harry Melling , Jason Boyd , Richard Macklin , Kathryn Hunter , Miles Jupp

Runtime

138

Writers

Michael Goldenberg , J.K. Rowling

6 Streamlining Voldemort's Backstory

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' (2009)

Lord Voldemort is easily one of the evilest villains in the modern media. His rhetoric is based heavily on real-world Fascist ideology about racial purity and that superior people are justified in doing terrible things to those they deem sub-human. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore dive into a series of memories that show Volemort's rise to power and reveal his use of Horcruxes to become immortal.

The movies omit almost all of Voldemort's backstory, leaving him as little more than a weird kid who grew up to be evil. Some of the most important omissions are his family situation, the fact that he was conceived using a love potion, and that, like Harry, he considered Hogwarts his home and did everything possible to stay there as long as he could. All of this helps to show why Voldemort grew into the person he was and also shows more similarities between Voldemort and Harry, which makes their differences in character all the more apparent as well.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

PG

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Mystery

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

Release Date

July 7, 2009

Director

David Yates

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe , Michael Gambon , Dave Legeno , Elarica Gallacher , Jim Broadbent , Geraldine Somerville

Runtime

153 minutes

Writers

Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling

5 Lack of Creative Spells

Multiple Movies

One of the reasons for Harry Potter's success was how magical the wizarding world felt. This was reflected in how varied and creative their spells were, from simple levitation and bringing chess boards to life to curses that left people with curly tails and potions that could transform the drinker into copies of another person. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find the same level of creativity in the movies.

While the earlier films retained the whimsical nature of the early books and demonstrated more diverse spell selections, things became more subdued with each new Harry Potter movie. Non-verbal spellcasting became the norm, so actors weren't speaking the magic words to cast their spells, and most of these spells were invisible force-blasts that sent enemies flying or beams of light, engaging in magical tug of war. The beam struggles are especially egregious because the first time it happened between Harry and Voldemort was meant to be special due to the connection between their brother-wands, only for it to become something mundane.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

PG

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
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• buy

Release Date

November 16, 2001

Director

Chris Columbus

Cast

Richard Harris , Maggie Smith , Robbie Coltrane , Saunders Triplets , Daniel Radcliffe , Fiona Shaw , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson

Runtime

152 minutes

Writers

J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves

4 Removing Hermione's Storylines

'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' (2005)

Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) is one of the most recognized and beloved characters in the franchise, but also one of the most frustrating when it comes to her movie adaptation. She comes across as too perfect, taking many of the best lines and knowledge of the wizarding world from Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), thus making her more knowledgeable about magic than the guy who grew up in the environment. This change is especially egregious because the movies cut out all of Hermione's storylines, which gave her lots of development without having to poach off Ron.

The greatest loss is the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or S. P. E. W, where Hermione champions equal rights for the house elves. Though her attempt to better the lives of house elves is met with hostility by the very elves she's fighting for, it's something that is Hermione's and shows how committed she is to the causes she believes in. Another moment lost to movie audiences involves her capturing dishonest journalist Rita Skeeter, robbing audiences of the chance to see Watson interacting with the brilliant Miranda Richardson.

3 The Weasleys

Multiple Movies

Unlike most other pureblooded wizard families, the lively Weasley clan doesn't flaunt its blood purity and is more than happy to associate with wizards of all backgrounds. After Harry befriends the youngest son, Ron, he becomes an unofficial member of the family. Throughout his time at Hogwarts, each member of the Weasley family comes to Harry's aid in one way or another, at least in the books.

Every member of the Weasley clan is altered for the films, with some of the worst offenders being Ron, Ginny (Bonnie Wright), and Percy (Chris Rankin). Ron loses most of his best lines and moments of courage, leaving him as little more than comic relief, and Ginny is pretty much robbed of a personality, making her eventual romance with Harry feel awkward and arbitrary. As for Percy, the subplot about splitting from his family is dropped, and he is reduced to little more than a background cameo in later films.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

PG

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Mystery

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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Release Date

May 31, 2004

Director

Alfonso Cuarón

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe , Richard Griffiths , Pam Ferris , Fiona Shaw , Harry Melling , Adrian Rawlins

Runtime

141

Writers

J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves

2 Voldemort's Death

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' (2011)

After much personal sacrifice and the loss of many beloved characters, the Battle of Hogwarts ends with Harry and Voldemort squaring off for one final duel. Thanks to Voldemort's killing curse rebounding, the Dark Lord finally dies. The film version demonstrates his fall by having his body crumble to ash and blow away in the wind.

While this is more visually interesting than just having Voldemort's body fall to the ground, it doesn't work on a thematic level. In the books, Voldemort's body dropping like a puppet is the final insult to the Dark Lord: he tried so hard to become immortal and cheat death, only to die like a regular person, showing that he was just a scared man in the end. Plus, leaving behind a body shows that Voldemort will never return, as the first time he was defeated, his body was destroyed, but his spirit endured.

1 The Attack on the Burrow

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' (2009)

While on break from his sixth year, Harry goes to the Weasley house, the Burrow, to share his suspicions about Draco Malfoy's actions with members of the Order of the Phoenix. As the evening comes to a close, the Burrow is attacked by Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange. Nobody dies in the attack, but the house is destroyed.

This scene is one of the most baffling and pointless changes to the story because it makes no sense. Along with not being mentioned again, it's not logical for the Death Eaters to go after Harry since it's been apparent for several films that Voldemort wants to be the one to kill Harry; if one of his Death Eaters had done it, the Dark Lord would likely have killed them. Worst of all, the Burrow attack takes up screentime that could have been given to more crucial plot moments, like Voldemort's backstory.

NEXT: 10 Characters the Harry Potter Movies Wasted