- Home
- entertainment
- news
- 27 details the 'Harry Potter' movies got totally wrong
27 details the 'Harry Potter' movies got totally wrong
- The "Harry Potter" films are based on the popular book series, but they got a few things wrong.
- From Harry's eye color to the mishandling of certain characters' deaths, some movie details changed.
The snake at the zoo in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" changed species in the film.
The first time we see Harry use accidental magic is in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
During a visit to the zoo with his bratty cousin Dudley, Harry accidentally makes the glass of a snake exhibit disappear. The snake escapes, and Dudley gets trapped in its enclosure.
In the book, this snake was a boa constrictor, but in the film, the breed is changed to a Burmese python.
Harry's first meeting with Quirrell is different from the books.
When Harry meets Professor Quirrell in Diagon Alley in the first book, the professor has no problem shaking his hand. But he politely refuses to make any contact with Harry in the film.
Later in the book, we learn that he was not physically connected to Voldemort when the two first met, and it was only after he failed to steal the Sorcerer's Stone that Voldemort used his body to get into Hogwarts.
Once they were connected, Quirrell was unable to touch Harry without burning his hands, but there's no reason he shouldn't have been able to when they met in Diagon Alley.
"Voldemort" was pronounced incorrectly throughout the films.
Fans of the "Harry Potter" audiobooks will know that narrator Jim Dale correctly pronounces Voldemort with a silent "t" for the first few books. In the movies, however, that "t" isn't silent.
Dale eventually adapted his pronunciation in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the first new audiobook that came out after the "Sorcerer's Stone" film, but Rowling has since confirmed that the silent "t" was right.
This makes sense since the word Voldemort has French origins, and ending consonants are often silent in that language.
Other names and spells like "Accio," "LeStrange," and "Gilderoy Lockhart" have some conflicting pronunciations between the audiobooks and film as well.
The Sorting Ceremony happens in a different order in the "Sorcerer's Stone" film.
In "Sorcerer's Stone," the first years are sorted alphabetically in the book, but they are sorted in a random order in the film.
It would make sense if the filmmakers did this in an attempt to show our main characters back to back — which still could've been done in alphabetical order to keep it consistent — but the sorting appears to be completely random: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Susan Bones, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter.
The rest of the sorting isn't even shown in the film.
Fluffy's origin story is wrong in the first movie.
After the kids discover Fluffy — the massive three-headed dog tasked with guarding the Sorcerer's Stone — Hagrid tells them that he bought the creature from a "Greek chappie."
This makes sense because Fluffy is believed to be inspired by Cerberus, a three-headed dog who guarded the gates of the underworld.
However, in the movie, Hagrid claims to have bought him from an "Irish feller." The change isn't huge, but it doesn't make much sense either.
The trio helps Hargid's dragon escape in the first book, but it's unclear how it happens in the movie.
To keep Hagrid from getting in trouble with Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione help sneak his pet dragon Norbert (later renamed Norberta) out of his hut and into the Astronomy Tower. There, they are met by Ron's brother, Charlie, who takes the dragon to Romania where he will care for it.
However, Charlie isn't in the first movie, so that storyline was completely scrapped. Instead, Hagrid just says that the dragon was sent away to Romania after members of the Hogwarts staff found out about it.
Additionally, since Hagrid and Charlie never talk about the dragon in the movies, viewers never find out that the dragon is female, hence being renamed Norberta in the books.
Harry's supposed to see his entire family in the Mirror of Erised, not just his parents.
The Mirror of Erised shows its viewer their innermost desires, so it's no surprise that when Harry looks at it, he sees the family he never knew.
The first film only shows Harry visiting the mirror once, during which he just sees his parents alongside him. The books, however, include several trips to the mirror where Harry actually sees his extended family.
Oliver Wood is wrong about the rules of Quidditch in the first film.
In the film, Gryffindor Quidditch captain Oliver Wood explains the rules of the wizarding game to Harry by saying that if the seeker catches the golden snitch, that team wins.
But that's not always true.
The book clarifies that catching the snitch ends the game and earns your team an additional 150 points, so the team "almost always wins." But, if your team is down by more than 150 points, catching the golden snitch would actually make you lose.
Hermione never fixed Harry's glasses in the "Sorcerer's Stone" book.
In "Sorcerer's Stone" Hermione uses the "Oculus Reparo" spell to fix Harry's glasses on the Hogwarts Express. But this goes against the rule prohibiting underage magic outside of school, which Hermione would absolutely know about from studying "Hogwarts: A History."
The books don't include this contradiction because Hermione doesn't use the spell.
Harry's glasses only need mending once, in "Chamber of Secrets," and it's Mr. Weasley who performs the fixing spell.
The rules around underage magic are explained better in the books.
After Dobby uses a hover charm in "Chamber of Secrets" to levitate and drop a dessert in the living room at the Dursley's, Harry immediately receives a message reprimanding him for the use of underage magic in front of the whole family.
This scene was left out of the film, which makes it unclear how the Dursleys know that Harry isn't allowed to use magic outside of school in the following movie.
Harry doesn't actually have his mother's eyes in the movies.
Several characters throughout the series remind Harry that he has his mother's eyes, which are described as bright green in the book. But the actor who plays Harry, Daniel Radcliffe, has blue eyes.
It turns out Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the colored contact lenses the filmmakers were planning to use, so they just let it go.
Other characters got slight physical changes in the films as well, including Percy Weasley not wearing glasses and Aunt Petunia having black hair instead of blonde.
The effects of Polyjuice Potion aren't consistent in the films.
When Ron and Harry use Polyjuice Potion to transform into Crabbe and Goyle in the second book, Harry's thoughts read, "... Then he realized that his glasses were clouding his eyes because Goyle obviously didn't need them — he took them off and called, 'Are you two okay?' Goyle's low rasp of a voice issued from his mouth."
This clearly tells readers that under the effects of the potion you take on both the vision and voice of the person you've become. But this isn't what we see play out in the films.
For one thing, in the second movie, Harry (as Goyle) keeps his glasses on until Draco questions it, insinuating that he doesn't get Goyle's vision from drinking the potion. That also creates a discrepancy in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" when Hermione uses Polyjuice Potion to become Harry and remarks on how terrible his eyesight is.
Additionally, Ron and Harry maintain their own voices in the second movie, which is consistent with the characters who become Harry in the first "Deathly Hallows" film, but still inconsistent with the book's description.
The inconsistencies continue when you take into account that when Barty Crouch Jr. uses Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Mad-Eye Moody in the fourth movie, his voice seemingly does transform.
Hermione isn't supposed to know what a "Mudblood" is.
After Draco calls Hermione a "Mudblood" in the "Chamber of Secrets" book, she knows it's an insult, but she doesn't understand what it means.
Ron, however, grew up in a wizarding family and explains that the term is a "really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born."
In the movie, Hermione knows exactly what the term means, and even explains it to Harry using Ron's definition from the book.
The change doesn't make a lot of sense since it's not a term Hermione would've heard growing up in the Muggle world, and it's likely not something her textbooks would mention.
Harry and Lupin have a meeting in his office in the third book, and that becomes important at the end of the series.
While the rest of the third years are at Hogsmeade, Lupin and Harry have a conversation in the professor's office. During the meeting, there's a Grindylow in the corner of the room that Lupin had just acquired.
In the movie, however, the conversation takes place on the wooden bridge outside of Hogwarts.
This is a small, but important inconsistency because in the "Deathly Hallows - Part 1" film, Lupin still asks Harry, "What creature sat in the corner the first time Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" in an attempt to prove whether or not he was the real Harry after the Battle of the Seven Potters.
The change in location and lack of Grindylow make this question irrelevant in the films.
The Time-Turner creates a lot of inconsistencies throughout the series.
The Time-Turner that Professor McGonagall gives Hermione in "Prisoner of Azkaban" — and the rules around using it — result in some of the most controversial inconsistencies in the Harry Potter fandom.
For one, in the books, after using a Time-Turner you wind up in the location you traveled back in time to. But in the films, Harry and Hermione end up back where they started using the Time-Turner.
Harry and Hermione are also much less careful about being seen by other people on the Hogwarts grounds while they are back in time in the film —though Hermione and Dumbledore do stress the importance of not being seen by their past selves.
Rowling has acknowledged the issues the Time-Turner created and eliminated the problem by having them all effectively destroyed in "Order of the Phoenix."
There was no reason for Dumbledore's aggressive reaction in the "Goblet of Fire" movie.
There have been countless articles dedicated to one particular scene in the Harry Potter film series: Dumbledore's reaction to Harry's name being pulled from the Goblet of Fire.
The book tells us that Dumbledore questioned Harry "calmly." The headmaster knows that Harry is about to be in serious danger, and his reaction is one of fear, not anger.
But in the film, we see him acting anything but calm.
There's been much debate about why the change happened, but it may have just been a creative choice made by Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in the film, or the director.
In the movies, Neville gets credit for a few things that Dobby actually did in the books.
In "Goblet of Fire," Dobby is the one who procures Gillyweed for Harry to use during the Triwizard Tournament. However, Dobby isn't in the fourth film, so this act gets attributed to Neville — which makes sense given Neville's Herbology skills.
This happens again in "Order of the Phoenix" — another film that Dobby isn't in — when Dumbledore's Army needs a place to practice their spells. In the book, Dobby gives them the idea of using the Room of Requirement, but just like in "Goblet of Fire," this credit instead goes to Neville in the film.
Harry is too cavalier about communicating with and about Sirius in the movies.
After helping Sirius Black escape in "Prisoner of Azkaban," Sirius puts a lot of rules in place to keep himself hidden.
He tells the kids to refer to him as "Snuffles" and to be very vague when writing to him in case the communications are intercepted.
The movies ignore this and instead show Harry using Sirius' name directly and revealing details in letters that could ultimately be used against them both.
Hermione's movie transformation in "Goblet of Fire" doesn't work visually.
In the books, Hermione is frequently described as a "plain" girl with bushy brown hair and protruding front teeth.
None of these traits describe Emma Watson (who played Hermione), so the filmmakers were faced with a challenge while adapting the scene in "Goblet of Fire" where Hermione undergoes a huge physical transformation before the Yule Ball.
In the book, her curly hair is tamed and her teeth are shrunk using magic, among other primping techniques, to get her ready for the ball.
In the film, the transformation equates to her putting on a dress and throwing on some lip gloss.
In the movies, Harry should've been able to see the Thestrals before "Order of the Phoenix."
Thestrals are magical beings primarily used in the books to pull carriages of students to Hogwarts from Hogsmede.
In "Order of the Phoenix," we learn that Harry can see the creatures, but Hermione and Ron can't. Luna explains this mystery by telling everyone that you can only see them if you've witnessed death.
Harry saw Cedric Diggory die at the end of his fourth school year, so that makes sense, but he should've been able to see them before then since he witnessed the deaths of his mother as a baby and Professor Quirrell in his first year at Hogwarts.
It's easy to assume that Harry was too young to comprehend his mother's death as an infant, and that's why he couldn't see Thestrals in his first year at Hogwarts. But what's not explained is why he couldn't see them after Professor Quirrell's death in "Sorcerer's Stone."
In the book, he was unconscious when Professor Quirrell died, so he didn't actually witness the death — but in the film he was awake. Movie-Harry should've been able to see the Thestrals after his first year even if book-Harry couldn't.
Harry's relationship with Cho plays out very differently in the books.
The films change a few things about Cho Chang, including the fact that she's a year older than the trio, but the biggest inconsistencies are in her relationship with Harry.
The books lay the groundwork for Harry's relationship with Cho all the way back in "Prisoner of Azkaban" when his crush is first revealed. But it wasn't until "Order of the Phoenix" — after the untimely end to her relationship with Cedric Diggory — that the pair finally got together.
The book includes a few more details about Harry and Cho's relationship, including a date in Hogsmeade and Cho's jealousy over Harry's closeness with Hermione.
When her friend, Marietta Edgecombe, betrays Dumbledore's Army by snitching on them to Professor Umbridge, Cho defends her to Harry — which leads to their breakup.
The film, however, shows Cho revealing the details of Dumbledore's Army to Professor Umbridge — because Marietta isn't in the movies — effectively ending her relationship with Harry on the spot. We later learn that she was under the influence of Veritaserum, but it seems the damage had been done.
"Order of the Phoenix" should've been the first time Hermione said Voldemort's name out loud.
The films, especially the first two, show Hermione saying Voldemort's name casually. There's even a scene in "Chamber of Secrets" where she's challenged about it and says "fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself" — a line that's attributed to Dumbledore in the books.
Cut to "Order of the Phoenix" when she's trying to recruit members for Dumbledore's Army. She has to work up the courage to say the name, which is a glaring contrast to her attitude at the beginning of the film series.
In the books, she never says Voldemort's name out loud before this moment in "Order of the Phoenix," which we learn from the narrator's perspective: "It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort's name, and it was this, more than anything else, that calmed Harry."
The Death Eaters didn't burn down the Burrow in the books.
Most of these mistakes are about scenes or details that the films left out, but in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" the filmmakers actually added a scene.
Over the Christmas holidays, a group of Death Eaters show up to the Weasley family home — known as the Burrow — and cause destruction. They don't stay long, but they set the house on fire during the duel.
The thrilling scene sort of defies the fact that there are impenetrable defenses around the house, which are talked about in the books but not the movies.
We're also never told how it gets repaired but, by the next movie, it's like nothing happened.
The reveal of the Half-Blood Prince has a much deeper meaning in the book.
During the sixth book and movie, Harry becomes dependent on a used potions book that has instructions, tips, and new spells written in the margins to help him excel in the class. The book's owner is a mystery except for the "Half-Blood Prince" moniker on the back cover.
At the end of the book and film, we find out that Severus Snape is the Half-Blood Prince, but in the film that's all the information we get.
In the book, we learn that Snape's father was a Muggle, making him a half-blood, and his mother's maiden name was Prince. It's a rare glimpse into Snape's life that the movie leaves out.
Dumbledore's death is mishandled in the sixth movie.
The death of Dumbledore at the hands of Severus Snape is easily one of the most heartbreaking moments in the series, and the film mishandles this critical moment in a big way.
In the book, Dumbledore uses the "Petrificus Totalus" spell to keep Harry frozen in place, so he can't do anything to stop Draco and the Death Eaters. Dumbledore likely knew that would be the only way to keep Harry from interfering since he's proven over the years that he's incapable of not getting involved.
In the film though, Dumbledore simply tells Harry to hide, and he listens. It feels contradictory to who Harry is that he'd be able to watch Dumbledore get attacked without doing or saying a thing.
Hedwig wasn't supposed to be the thing that gave Harry away during the Battle of the Seven Potters.
During the Battle of the Seven Potters in the "Deathly Hallows" book, Harry's recognized because he uses the "Expelliarmus" spell, which had become a signature move for him.
It's a key part of his identity that he refrains from killing or harming, even when facing those who are trying to hurt him. In this instance, he used the disarming spell against Stan Shunpike because he knew that he was working for the Death Eaters under the Imperius curse, and he didn't want to seriously harm him.
Instead, in the film, it's Hedwig sacrificing her life to save Harry that gives him away to the Death Eaters.
This also brings up an error surrounding Hedwig's death. It happens in the same scene, but in the book, she's riding with Harry in her cage and falls out before getting hit with a killing curse instead of swooping in from out of nowhere to shield Harry.
The Elder Wand was supposed to be laid to rest with its rightful owner at the end of the series.
Wanting to be done with the Elder Wand and the power it possessed, Harry breaks it in half and throws it off the bridge at the end of "Deathly Hallows - Part 2."
But in the book, he uses it one last time to repair his own wand, which couldn't have been repaired with anything else, before putting it back with Dumbledore in his grave.
It's a really touching moment, and a practical one too because the film doesn't really explain how Harry repaired his wand or got a new one.
Read more:
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Advertisement