Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is not only a magical film, but it is a staple of our youth. We all remember how much that movie changed everything for us in 2001, back when we'd bring Harry Potter flavored jellybeans to school and play "witches and wizards" on the playground during recess. It is all because of that single film directed by Chris Columbus that caused our imaginations to run wild. We fell in love with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and crossed our fingers that we'd one day receive our acceptance letters into the magical school. Yet despite all of the everlasting charm of HP, not everything in the film has aged so gracefully. Read the list below to find out what from the first Potter film hasn't aged as well as we'd like.
ADAPTATIONAL ATTRACTIVENESS
Adaptational attractiveness is a common film trope. It is used when characters who are meant to be unattractive or less-than-beautiful (at least in the conventional sense) are portrayed by actors who are conventionally gorgeous. Hermione being played by Emma Watson in the Potter films is one of the most commonly discussed examples of this trope considering how lovely Watson is. There is a direct contrast to Watson's beauty and how her character is supposed to look in the first few books. Movies have been using this trope since the beginning of time because of Hollywood's obsession with glamor and beauty.
Because Watson is always beautiful on screen, when we get to that famous Yule Ball scene in Goblet of Fire as she's all dolled up, it is pretty anti-climactic because we're just seeing the usually-stunning Emma Watson (but now in a pretty dress). In the books, on the other hand, Hermione's entrance into the Yule Ball is a much bigger deal because her beautified appearance allows a direct contrast from her usual frizz and buck-tooth appearance. Even JK Rowling has stated: "To be honest, you and Rupert and Emma are all too good looking!"
THE SPECIAL EFFECTS
Sometimes it could be slightly cringe-worthy to witness some of the special effects from the first Harry Potter movie in comparison to the later films in the franchise. While we can't place too much blame on the special effects considering it was made in 2001, it can be difficult at times to take certain scenes seriously simply because they're riddled with outdated CGI that sometimes takes you out of all the movie magic. Perhaps we're being selfish because in 2019 we currently live in a world post Avatar and Game of Thrones along with the rest of the incredible Potter films in more recent years that have made us greedy for the best of the best when it comes to our movies' special effects.
This is especially the case with that troll-in-the-bathroom scene, which is almost impossible not to skip over.
VOLDEMORT'S APPEARANCE
The entire premise of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone all builds up to the moment when Harry and Voldemort finally come face to face. This overwhelming build-up ultimately leads to a rather anti-climactic visual of Voldemort who exists on the back of Quirrell's head. Sure, it's creepy, but it's not much more than that. Voldemort appears stoic and lifeless making the experience less fun than it could be with a more lively Voldemort. He is The Dark Lord after all and he is basically the driving force throughout all of the books. Because of this, there perhaps should have been a better version of He Who Must Not Be Named.
LACK OF DIVERSITY AT HOGWARTS
Although Hogwarts is an inclusive school and will accept any magical student from Britain and Ireland (according to Rowling), it is clear by the films that there is a severe lack of diversity when it comes to people of different races and ethnic backgrounds. Most of the students in the films (and pretty much all of the teachers) are white, causing people of other backgrounds to potentially feel left out from all the magic. Perhaps if these films were made in 2019, this severe lack of diversity would receive backlash for not having a single main character of color.
RON'S DISRESPECT TOWARDS HERMIONE
Watch your mouth, Ronald, that's your future wife you're talking about!
Although we are all captivated by a good love/hate relationship, these dynamics usually work best when both parties fight back against the insults that are thrown at one another rather than one of them crying in the bathroom stall due to her feelings being crushed.
8 Empowering Quotes From Hermione Granger to Muggle Women
Our hearts hurt just thinking about eleven-year-old Hermione weeping all alone in the bathroom stall as her future husband brings her to tears (for the first time in a long run of incidents where this occurs). Hermione is such a wonderful character and she deserves to have friends (and a future hubby) who can fully appreciate her regardless of her bossy nature. Slowly, Ron does begin to appreciate her intellect, yet as a young boy he can only see Hermione as an 'insufferable know-it-all'.
SNAPE LIKES TO BULLY CHILDREN
Snape takes the crown for being the ultimate king of grudge-holding. Because he got bullied by Harry Potter's dad and friend-zoned by his mother (decades ago), this grown-ass man thinks it's excusable to flat out harass and bully their offspring who has yet to hit puberty. Seriously. Harry. is. a. child. He is practically a fetus, and Snape constantly mistreats this young boy because of the "humiliation" brought on by his parents when they were all children. It's pretty ridiculous when you think about it logically, and it is more-so just plain unfair. Watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone now as adults is just unsettling when we take into account that this grown man thinks it's perfectly excusable to bully young Harry.
PUNISHMENT AT HOGWARTS IS CRUEL
Snape isn't the only professor who unfairly treats the students at Hogwarts. In fact, nearly every professor at the magical school has a bit of a twisted style of discipline for these children who are simply trying to survive in this impossibly dangerous world of magic. So sometimes when the kids are trying to figure out how to defeat the Dark Lord for good, they'll end up breaking some rules that are already pretty strict.
The punishment for these well-intended rule breakings is for the most part downright dangerous and cruel. For example, in Sorcerer's Stone, Harry and Draco must suffer in punishment by wandering around the Forbidden Forest. A little harsh, Albus? Very harsh. The forest is forbidden for good reason, and now the school is just going to be perfectly okay thrusting kids into these grounds? Seems perfectly logical.
HARRY TRYING TO GRAB HIS HOGWARTS LETTER IN THE AIR
This one little scene which was meant to be heartwarming in the Harry Potter films quickly became a joke thanks to hilarious internet memes. In Sorcerer's Stone as thousands of Hogwarts letters came flying through The Dursley's home on Privet Drive, Harry tried desperately to snatch one of the acceptance letters from the air despite the fact that there were hundreds of acceptance letters already on the floor. The meme brilliantly points out the exact reason why The Boy Who Lived was not sorted into Ravenclaw and we will never be able to watch this scene again without cracking up.
TREATMENT OF FILCH
Okay, let's be real. One of the most poorly treated characters in the world of Harry Potter is Professor Filch. Sure, his hair has enough grease in it to make Snape's seem dry. Sure, he later went on to kill a bunch of Starks at The Red Wedding. But to mistreat him and downplay this poor dude simply because he is a squib, something he can't control, is just plain bigoted. In the first film (and the rest of the movies), everyone clearly judges the poor man for unfair reasons. Mrs. Norris is seemingly the only member of Hogwarts who refuses to judge him. Plus, let's not forget the fact that Filch is the school's janitor and must clean the entire school without magic... What's that all about?
HARRY POTTER IGNORING ITS OWN CANON
Unfortunately for the first film, it has a significant error that ignores its own canon. Perhaps the director and crew could have done more research on Potter before filming the scene, but it is now decades too late. In the classic scene when there is a troooooll in the dungeon (don't pretend you didn't hear it in Quirrell's voice), Dumbledore demands that all of the prefects lead the students back to their dormitories immediately. Too bad the Slytherin dormitory is in the dungeons where the troll is roaming around freely! Because HP fans are so well-versed in all the Potter magic, this scene has unfortunately aged into one big joke.
What do you think aged most poorly in Harry Potter?