A Comparison Between the Harry Potter Book Series and Movie    

 

The wizarding world is a world of magic and mysteries. Filled to the brim with fantasies and adventures, the Harry Potter book series takes its reader into a whole different reality, fulfilling their dreams of might and wonder. It’s a story about a boy called Harry Potter, his adventures in the wizarding school called Hogwarts, and how he and his friends overcame challenges in order to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. For such a masterpiece, it’s no surprise that someone would want to adapt the stories into movies. However, the way movies and books lead readers into another world differs greatly. While books allow the readers’ imaginations to soar freely, movies are more restrictive to their imaginations, but compensated with interesting casts and nice computer-generated images (CGIs). Same goes with the Harry Potter movies. The movie is different from the book series in a few ways.

 

Starting with the differences between the characters in the movies from their book counterparts. If there is a character depicted only slightly differently from the books, it would be Harry Potter, most noticeably, his green eyes. Daniel Radcliffe, who casted as Harry Potter, had blue eyes. The director had planned to have him wear colored contact lenses during filming, but it turns out Daniel was not able to wear contact lenses because he was allergic to them. (Marikar, 2011). The second example of character cast being different from the book is Hermione Granger, casted by Emma Watson. Personality wise, Emma Watson is literally Hermione in real life, her physical appearance is what differentiates the book Hermione from the movie Hermione. In the book, Hermione was described as having bushy hair and large front teeth. The movie Hermione, of course, doesn't. Despite all the differences, they sure did portray their respective characters perfectly.

 

Moving on from character differences, it’s time to analyze how the story in the book series contrasts with that in the movies. The most notable distinction of all between the book and movie versions might be the numerous challenges designed by the various professors in Hogwarts in the first book, The Philosopher’s Stone. In the book, there were 7 challenges to go through in order to get the stone, one from each professor. First, it is Hagrid’s three-headed dog, Fluffy. Second, Professor Sprout’s Devil Snares. Third, Flitwick’s flying keys. Fourth, Professor McGonagall’s Wizard Chess. Fifth, Professor Quirrell’s troll fight. Sixth, Professor Snape’s Potion Riddles. Finally, Professor Dunbledore’s Mirror of Erised, in which the stone was hidden. In the movies, troll and potion challenges were removed. It’s a shame, for the number “seven“ is a very special number not only in the wizarding world, but also in many cultures. For example, in the bible, the number seven often symbolizes completion or perfection, as in Genesis, God created the world in six days, and rested in the seventh. (Smyth, 2023). The cut of the two challenges in the movie sure is a pity, but movies have a limited timeframe, so the cut was probably necessary.

 

For the last difference, it would be focused on the differences in the Weasley’s family dynamics both in the book series and movies. Both in the book series and the movies, the Wealeys are poor. Despite this, Fred and George, twin brothers of the Weasley family, dropped out of school in the book The Order of the Phoenix and set up a shop in Diagon Alley. Just like in real life, setting up a shop requires a lot of money: rent, insurance, license, and marketing. In the book, it was made clear that it was Harry Potter who donated the money he earned from the Triwizard Tournament that enabled the twins to set up shop. In the movies, however, this part was not shown. The details and complications of family dynamics getting cut from the movie releases might also be because of the limited timeframe.

 

The Harry Potter book series and its adapted movies differ in many ways. Whether the audiences like it or not, books that were adapted into movies often require changes in order to effectively connect with the audiences, therefore, may be quite different from their book counterparts. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is a masterpiece that inspired many. From book series to the later-adapted movie series, it is a treasure held deeply in many of our hearts. Despite the differences between the book series and the movies, the wizarding world is still a wonder to explore and get lost in. So get out there, and let your imaginations fly.
 

Sources of the book and the film

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Film: https://www.netflix.com/tw-en/ (with vpn)

Books: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

 

References

 

Marikar, S. (2011). Exclusive: Daniel Radcliffe Was Allergic to “Harry Potter”. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/11/exclusive-daniel-radcliffe-was-allergic-to-harry-potter

 

Smyth, D. (2023, July 11), What does the number 7 mean in the Bible and why is it important? Christianity.com https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-biblical-significance-of-the-number-7.html#:~:text=In%20the%20Bible%20the%20number,2%3A1%2D2