I’m a quarter of a century late to the party but I’ve finally arrived. And I get it now.
Before recently, I had never read nor watched any of the Harry Potter series, but I’ve since caught up and caught on to why this series is so beloved. I doubt I can add anything new that hasn’t already been said about Harry Potter (HP), but I wanted to provide my point of view as someone who knew the Harry Potter story, but didn’t understand its popularity.
Before reading the Harry Potter series the only other book series I’d ever completed was Twilight back in the late 2000s, which I thoroughly ate up at the time. Twilight was recommended to me shortly before the first movie came out and I recall finishing the first book and immediately driving to Barnes and Noble and purchasing the rest of the series because I was hooked. At its peak, Twilight had a huge cultural impact and twenty years later, most people are still familiar with the books and movies. However, it’s impact and staying power isn’t in the same galaxy as Harry Potter.
I first heard about HP back in 1999 when a college friend mentioned it randomly. If I recall correctly, something about where were in London at the time reminded her of the book. However, since this was before the series was complete, I was 19 years old and HP was a children’s book, I paid it no attention. Two years later the first movie came out, then the next seven in quick succession. Not once did I think to pick up the books or watch the movies as I just assumed it was a Kids/Young Adult fad that for some reason adults seemed to also embrace. Perhaps I assumed that since I was so behind in the Harry Potter fascination, that I would have to play catchup and besides, fantasy and magic weren’t really my thing. Not sure why I gravitated towards Twilight, as vampires were not my thing either, but at the heart of Twilight it’s really a love story for girls.
Fast forward to late summer 2025 and my husband and I decided to start a book club together. He had seen all HP movies before we were together, but had never read any of the books. Since I already had most of the books on my shelf from when my grandmother moved and had gifted them to me, we decided Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone would be our first book club selection. The plan was to read each book, watch the matching movie, then move on to the next book in succession.
Since HP has been so ingrained in the lexicon of society for twenty-plus years, I was familiar with the overall plot, most of the main characters, and some of the memes such as ‘You’re a wizard Harry’, ‘who should not be named’ and ‘Snaped killed Dumbledore’, so there were going to be some surprises for the original audience that had already been spoiled for me. I’ve also visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios multiple times, thus I had an overall sense of the themes. However, I soon found out that I knew far less about the plot and characters in the series than I originally assumed.
Side note- the artists and designers did a fantastic job at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I highly recommend those who desire and are able to make a visit.
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s stone) is the one book that I would count as a children’s story based on the level of writing Rowling used. The book is composed of simple sentences, but contains just the right amount of description to paint a visual image without unnecessary detail (no excessive purple prose which I appreciate). Plot and character are what I want in my stories and that’s what Rowling gives us; a crisp plot and enough character development for us to care.
Watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time was a true treat. The first movie was so close to the book in atmosphere, sets, and near-perfect character mannerisms, that it felt like the creators had spent real time getting details correct and caring about the audience having a near-immersive experience while watching the book come to life.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
I really enjoyed the first book, but I honestly wasn’t looking forward to reading seven children’s stories as part of our book club, especially when looking at the large binding on some of the books. I needn’t have worried though as Rowling allowed her characters to grow and mature and the writing style reflected that.
The Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite book of the series. I’m definitely NOT saying it’s a poor book in any way, just the opposite, but if I ranked them Chamber of Secrets is at the bottom. I take no issue with anything in particular, but perhaps the overall plot was a little too similar to Sorcerer’s Stone for me in that Harry had to fight Voldemort again (this time a younger version of him). One thing I loved about Chamber of Secrets though was the introduction of Dobby. I was already somewhat familiar with Dobby since he seems to be a fan favorite (I’m on that fan train now) and one of my pups also kind of look like Dobby, particularly if Dobby and Master Splinter from TMNT had an offspring. INSERT SQUEAK PIC
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Prisoner of Azkaban was the book that made me fall in love with the series and where I began to get engulfed in the story and the characters. I finished this book in a matter of days because I got sucked into the plot and the books started to feel less like a children’s story and more like Young Adult. The time travel element was unique and done really well. It also wasn’t something that I foresaw or had any prior knowledge of so it was a nice surprise.
About that movie though… here I’m going to be nitpicky.
Again, this is not a bad movie but I was disappointed with it. You can tell that Chris Columbus wasn’t the director, as he was for the first two movies, since the same attention to detail in the sets didn’t seem to exist when compared to the other movies. The plot of Azkaban seems rushed and much of the magic of the first two movies is missing. Even the cinematography threw me off; the movie looked so colorless and the sets looked cheap and I’m confused on why there was such a difference.
Also, too much was changed from the book. So many new, important characters were introduced in the book and yet the movie doesn’t do them much justice. If one only watched the movies, so much of the character’s emotions and reasons for decision making are missing. The movie didn’t even explain that Prongs was Harry’s father.
I understand not everything can make the cut, but this movie was my least favorite book-to-movie adaptation (until later).
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
I already had all the HP books on my shelf so I could see how thick the binding was on this book and the next. The Goblet of Fire was a big book, but there wasn’t much in it I would call ‘fluff’, which I appreciated. I really enjoyed this book and the last few hundred pages were the star. Again, Rowling showed us she knows how to write a compelling ending. This is also the book where Rowling told us that the death of a young character was not off the table. Cedric Diggory’s death makes the overall series have real stakes…the reader knows that no character is 100% safe.
Side note: As part of earlier spoilers from me being twenty years late, I already knew that Cedric Diggory would die. It was something that was talked about when Twilight came out because Diggory had been Robert Pattinson’s biggest role up until then.
Although I truly enjoyed this book, I was hesitant about the movie because my husband stated it was the lowest rated out of all eight movies and had the most cut from the book. It’s true that much was left out and some of the plot elements that were modified (such as Neville giving Harry the gillyweed instead of Dobby for no discernable reason) is factual, the complaints I had about Prisoner of Azkaban disappeared as Goblet of Fire looked more like the earlier ones in its lovely cinematography and improved sets.
Although the movie pacing for Goblet of Fire was tight (had to be with 800+ pages) and many plot elements were twisted from the book, I really enjoyed this book adaptation. Looks like I’m in the minority for this though.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Just when I thought Harry was going to catch a break and finally be part of a happy family, Rowling went and killed off Sirius. Sirius’ death was a shock to me since this wasn’t something that I ever heard mentioned prior to my reading of the book. While reading, I made comments such as “I bet Harry goes to live with Sirius after all of this is over” to my husband who said nothing. He knew Sirius’ fate because he had seen the movies, but he allowed me to discover the truth on the page without spoiling anything. This was another surprise from Rowling and again showed us that plot armor didn’t exist in this series which means the stakes are real for the characters and the reader.
Side note- my husband would sometimes remember plot actions incorrectly when he had seen the movie prior to reading the book. An example of this is when Sirius died. In the book, he goes through the veil, yet in the movie Bellatrix cast a death spell on him. When I was discussing Sirius’ death after reading the book with him, he only remembered the spell which, in my opinion, makes Sirius’ death far less impactful. His death in the book is him falling backwards into the ‘beyond’ and Harry (and perhaps the reader) doesn’t quite understand why he can’t simply step back through the veil until it’s later explained. A part of me hoped there would be a way for Sirius to return before the end of the book series but Rowling kept death permanent, as in life.
Another small point where the book and movie differ is in the conclusion of Harry and Cho’s relationship. Although both Harry and Cho liked each other, that doesn’t always mean that it’s a good match.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Upon completion of watching this movie, the Half-Blood Prince took over the spot of my “most disappointing adaptation”. This adaptation completely boggles my mind. I have no complaints about the sets or cinematography (although the entire movie looks like the color of sand), but instead the idiotic decision to remove the fight scene at the end and add in a pointless and completely inane fight scene in a cornfield into the middle of the movie. This had to be a studio decision. Such a poor surprise and a big letdown when I arrived at the end of the movie.
But, far and away the biggest failure in this adaptation is the climax of Dumbledore’s death. It was completely changed and I can’t discern any reason why it was done this way. In the book, Dumbledore freezes Harry and hides him because he knows that Harry will not just stand by and let Dumbledore get killed. Yet in the book, that’s exactly what happens. That whole thing just pissed me off. The book was great, but I was not happy with the movie alterations.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I had high hopes for this book-to-movie adaptation since the book was split into two movies. I cared not if the studio did it to make more money as long as they stayed true to the book. Overall, this was the result.
The first movie started out fast and quickly began to hit the major plot points of the book, but it did slow down a bit and become a little humdrum at times, mostly when Harry and Hermione were traveling from place to place, but I stayed invested. Of course, there were some things changed from the book such as Harry not going incognito to the wedding, but none of the major changes were distracting.
One thing that I was not prepared for (and honestly didn’t expect nor was it ever previously spoiled for me) in the book was Hedwig’s death. I assumed Harry would have let Hedwig go free to keep her safe, but instead he kept her in a cage during his trip in the Battle of the Seven Potters which ultimately caused her death. This scene in the movie was played differently and Hedwig was allowed to fly on her own so there was a part of me that got my hopes up that perhaps Harry would tell her to leave him and not return for her safety. Instead, Hedwig died trying to save Harry in the movie. I prefer this over the book’s plot, but I really hate when the animal characters die in books. I read a quote by Rowling where Hedwig’s death represents the loss of Harry’s innocence so the theming of Hedwig’s death is symbolic and apt.
Dobby’s death was already spoiled for me so I knew that was coming, but I didn’t know when. That sweet little elf was so brave and loyal that I wish he had made it through the series. Him dying to rescue Harry and the others from Bellatrix was his final ‘thank you’ to Harry.
The deaths of Fred Weasley, Remus, and Nymphadora were all an unhappy surprise to me. I didn’t expect any of the Weasley’s to not make it to the end, but Rowling lets us know with Sirius’ death that that stakes were real and tragedy, like in real wars, was going to happen. Remus and Nymphadora both passing away and leaving a young orphan mirrored Harry’s start in life which saddens me since a young orphan would have been a good literary loop to close.
My biggest criticism to the final movie of the series, in comparison to the book, is the final fight. Again, I don’t understand why the writers or producers make certain changes that are worse than the original portrayal in the book. The most important scene in the entire series, the elimination of Voldemort, is shortened. Why? You have two movies to get everything near perfect from the book and yet the ending with Voldemort and Harry was rushed. Total nonsense.
This movie also suffers from my least favorite movie trope- shaky cam (second only to movies doing mostly close up and mid-shots…I need some perspective please). Unfortunately, the Deathly Hallows movies were a product of its time and now we’re now stuck with it.
I like the scavenger hunt that Harry and Hermione (and sometimes Ron) go on to put the pieces together to final the fragmented soul of Voldemort to defeat him, but I do wonder why Dumbledore didn’t provide him a few more clues or more hints to move the trail along. In theory, Harry could have misunderstood or never understood where the pieces were and run out of time before Voldemort completely took control and fulfilled his plan. It’s fun for the audience to watch Harry and friends figure things out, but there were a few happy coincidences and near-deadly misses that one has to overlook. What if Ron hadn’t arrived in time to help Harry out of the frozen pond trying to retrieve the Sword of Gryffindor?
The ending of the series before the prologue has Harry going to rest which is fitting and earned.
Post-script: Things I expected (and wanted) to happen in the series but didn’t (in no particular order):
- The two other schools to return and help fight in the final battle and Haggard to convince the Giants to help on Hogwarts side.
- Sirius to somehow return.
- Draco character with a larger arc where he helps Harry. Yes, he does help Harry by not identifying him to Bellatrix when Harry is captured, but later Draco attacks Harry in Hogwarts before the fire breaks out and Harry has to save Draco. Understandably, Draco was in a horrid position with trying to protect himself and his family and the pressure to kill Dumbledore, but I was hoping he’d do more.
- Find out what career Harry and friends end up with since their OWL scores were so important for obtaining various positions.
- More information on what happened to the house elves and if they ever got their freedom.
- The gum wrapper from Neville’s parents to mean something. Similar to my desire for Sirius to return, I hoped that Neville’s parents would also return to him. I thought perhaps once Voldemort was defeated that perhaps some of the damage done would be erased.
- More on why RAB was killed.
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