It goes without saying that we here at The Blog That Must Not Be Named love the Harry Potter movies. For me especially, the films were a key part of my childhood and have stuck with me way into my adult years (which explains why I run a Harry Potter fan blog). With that in mind, however, there are elements of the Harry Potter story that didn’t quite work as well in the movies as they did in the books.
With the Harry Potter books, author J.K. Rowling was able to spend a great deal of time developing the overall narrative and the many characters within the Wizarding World, giving every side story and supporting character an exciting and compelling arc. The simple truth is that what works for a book doesn’t always work for a film, and the movies simply didn’t have enough time to give each supporting character a full and entertaining arc.
For my latest post on The Blog That Must Not Be Named, I’ve decided to shine a light on some of the Harry Potter characters that were better in the books than they were in the movies!
Check out the list below:
5. Fred & George
Whether you’re looking at the movies or the books, Fred and George are two of the Harry Potter series’ most lovable characters.
The film adaptations gave the mischievous Weasley twins some truly great moments, including a few surprisingly touching ones, but their role in the film series was considerably small compared to the source material. In the books, Fred and George were much more than Ron’s troublesome older brothers. They had genuine storylines and an arc that ran all the way through the series, but the movie franchise decided to use them as nothing more than comedic relief.
4. Neville Longbottom
After Harry, Ron and Hermione, Neville Longbottom is one of the Harry Potter series’ most interesting and important heroes, but the films never took the time to show Neville’s evolution throughout the series.
Throughout the book series, Neville proves himself to be one of the most loyal, caring and courageous wizards at Hogwarts, but the films never saw Neville as anything more than the bumbling, chubby wizard we met in The Philosopher’s Stone. While Neville is still given his heroic moment in The Deathly Hallows – Part 2, it would have been infinitely more enjoyable if the films had taken the time to show that Neville had a hero within him all along.
3. Luna lovegood
With her crazy personality and wacky way of looking at the world, Luna Lovegood is one of the Harry Potter series’ most iconic and beloved characters.
Even though Luna is often seen as the film series’ most beloved supporting character, the films cut her role down considerably compared to what’s in the books. The version of Luna that we meet in the books is so much more than the shy oddball that’s in the movies. The character is so full of personality and flavour, and the series works incredibly hard to develop Luna and make her one of the series’ most relatable heroes.
2. Dobby
Dobby is one of the most beloved characters in both the movies and the books, but it’s impossible to deny that the books handled the character with a great deal more care.
After his first film appearance in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, Dobby seemingly disappears from Harry’s life until the very end of the story. in the books, Dobby is a key figure in Harry’s life and helps the young wizard throughout the series (he showed Harry how to find the Room of Requirement). The fact that Dobby appeared so little in the Harry Potter movies takes a great deal of impact away from the characters heartbreaking sacrifice.
1. Ginny Weasley
When it comes to Harry Potter characters that pulled the short straw in the movies, Ginny Weasley pulled the shortest of them all.
In the books, Ginny is a smart, powerful, badass and funny witch, who also happens to be the best Quidditch player in the series. Ginny is an integral part of Harry’s journey, but the films managed to take away everything that made Ginny a likeable and relatable character. Instead of being the funny and relatable witch that book readers fell in love with, Ginny comes across as a bland and forgettable character, who is only around to give Harry a love interest.
Do you agree with our list? Is there a Harry Potter character that you think worked better in the book series? let us know in the comments section below this post. Alternatively, you can find The Blog That Must Not Be Named on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
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Yep dobby’s the best , but it wasn’t shown so in movies 😔
Could have been so much better if they’d just focused on him a little more.
Yep 😞
Completely agree👍
Creature lost out, too. (We won’t even get into Peeves.)
If only we had seen more of Creature! His development in the books was amazing!
Dobby is one of the most beloved characters from the Harry Potter Film series, I bought Dobby figure, Made in moulded plastic from Harry Potter store