5 things the Harry Potter movies got wrong

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 23: A general view of ‘Hogwarts Castle’ at the Harry Potter Studio Tour at Warner Brothers Leavesden Studios on March 23, 2012 in London, England. The studio, which includes the actual sets and special effects departments where the films were created and shot, goes on public display on March 31, 2012. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Harry Potter fans are almost as well-known for their stringency as they are for their liberalism, at least when it comes to the movies.

As fans, we have far higher expectations of the Harry Potter movies than most adaptations of books. Having grown up with the books, imagining every little magical thing within them, it’s understandable that the films aren’t perfect. Everybody’s view of the wizarding world is different; the movies can’t possibly live up to all of our expectations.

However, there are still some things that are non-negotiable. Ron should hug Harry if he knows his friend is going off to the Forbidden Forest to die, for instance. Dumbledore should ask Harry if he’s put his name in the Goblet of Fire calmly. James Potter should be a Chaser, not a Seeker.

Don’t ask us why the last one is such a deal-breaker, it just is. We’re infuriated every time.

These are but a few of our bugbears with the Harry Potter film series and some are bigger than others. Not all the changes are terrible, after all. The Harry/Hermione dance in Deathly Hallows Part 1 is beautiful. But the bad changes still outweigh the good.

Call us gluttons for punishment, but these changes haven’t stopped us watching the movies over and over again, and won’t in the future, especially during the holidays. They might be flawed movies, but they are our flawed movies. They are still formative for an entire generation.

But we can’t obliviate our feelings, so we’ve made the decision to air our biggest grievances collectively now to avoid plaguing our uncaring families and friends with cries of “That just isn’t what happens in the books!”. That way we can get on with enjoying the films as well, free of the chains of Harry Potter-related anger.

Think of it as group therapy.