Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is now officially available for streaming and digital purchase with select services. So, fans of the Harry Potter series who could not make it to the theaters can finally learn the revelations about the Dumbledore family. While many of these secrets were illuded to in J.K. Rowling's original books, others seem to be brand new additions to Albus' history, creating some significant changes to his story.
While it's impossible to say what Rowling did or did not plan for her characters ahead of time, changes from a story's original canon, for the sake of the screen, are nothing new. Adapting a book to a film comes with several challenges and fundamental changes to bring everything together are unavoidable. However, fans have noticed several changes to the Harry Potter series that seemed completely unnecessary. From changes to Harry's personality to the addition of scenes like the burning of the Burrow, fans on Ranker voted for the Harry Potter movie change they found the most pointless.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
The Department of Mysteries
One of the most enjoyable scenes of the Order of the Phoenix book was Harry and co.'s trek through the Department of Mysteries. Each room was filled with impossible-to-explain magic and strange concepts, presenting obstacles as challenging to overcome as the lurking Death Eaters.
However, when the movie was released, many were disappointed that the Department of Mysteries had been completely changed. Of course, it could be expected that there would be considerably fewer rooms and magical oddities than in the books due to the time constraints of a movie. Still, removing every aspect that made the Department so cool was unnecessary.
Lupin And Tonks' Relationship
Readers followed the ups and downs of Tonks and Lupin's relationship over several books in the Harry Potter series. At first, it was a mystery to Harry why Tonks was so depressed, but he then learned that Lupin was being resistant to their romance. When he finally gave into his feelings, they faced several more struggles but welcomed a baby boy, Teddy.
To the audiences' annoyance, the bones of Tonks and Lupin's story had been removed from the movies. In Deathly Hallows Part 1, the two were suddenly together, and the next thing anyone knew, the best couple of the Harry Potter series was dead. While the build-up of their romance may not have been needed, the birth of their son would have significantly impacted movie audiences and drove home the tragedy of the characters' deaths.
Simplified Characters
Without the internal dialogue of books, movie characters can often seem flat in comparison to their printed counterparts. Screenwriters must rely on interactions between characters to build personality and communicate what they are thinking and feeling. While this is an issue in any movie, the Harry Potter films seemed to make little effort to construct Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a comparable way to how they were originally written.
In the movie, Harry is much less sassy and temperamental than in the books. Likewise, Hermione is portrayed as perfect instead of the close-minded and flawed character she is, and Ron loses his intelligence and serves primarily as comic relief. In the end, fans felt the movie could have done more to make these characters dynamic.
Harry And Hermione's Relationship
In the books, it's clear that Harry was never attracted to Hermione. From day one, he viewed her as nothing but a sister. While Ron was not so sure, there was never any doubt to Harry or Hermione that they were only best friends.
However, the movies tended to blur these lines, and several viewers became more invested in Harry and Hemione's relationship than they ever did Hermione and Ron or Harry and Ginny. The formers came across as an afterthought in the plot, while Harry and Hermione felt more like endgame.
Wizarding World Clothing
In the books, wizards that grew up in the wizarding world often struggled to blend in with Muggles because they couldn't get the style right. Witches and wizards traditionally wore robes, so the complexities of Muggle fashion perplexed them.
This is not the case in the movies. Students especially are seen wearing jeans, hoodies, t-shirts, and sneakers. Adults are often seen wearing traditional jackets, with even Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts sporting a classy suit and pea coat. While this is likely done to help audiences connect more with the characters, it also seems to break the spell of the contrasting wizarding world.
Harry And Voldemort's Final Battle
Naturally, the final battle in the Harry Potter book series had readers sitting at the edge of their seats. Harry and Voldemort slowly circled in the Great Hall as Death Eaters and the Hogwarts fighters watched in silence. Harry tried to warn Voldemort that he could not win, but the Dark Lord fired his curse anyway. The battle ended with Tom Riddle lying dead on the floor, nothing but a man.
This ending was a perfect climax to the long and beloved series, but the movie version of events let many down. The final battle occurred privately in the school courtyard, and Voldemort disintegrated into dust. Ultimately, this ending didn't do the story justice and left many wondering why it was ever changed.
The Burning Of The Burrow
While there are several movie scenes in Harry Potter that fans often mistake for book canon, the burning of the Burrow is not one of them. Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback appearing out of nowhere, setting the house on fire, and getting chased through fields by Harry contributed nothing to the story and ultimately contradicted several plot points.
For example, Harry was under constant protection from Voldemort. If it was so easy for Death Eaters to find him and blow up the house where he was staying, they could have killed Harry long ago. This becomes even more frustrating when people consider all the missed scenes from the books that could have been included if time wasn't wasted on this unnecessary addition.
Snapping The Elder Wand
By the end of Deathly Hallows, Harry obtained the most dangerous wand-type in the Harry Potter series. However, even Dumbledore had not succeeded in keeping it out of dangerous hands, showing Harry how risky it was to continue to use the powerful weapon. In the book, Harry used the Elder Wand to mend his own, then put it back in Dumbledore's grave. While there was no guarantee, he hoped this would ensure that the wand's power would one day die with him.
Of course, breaking the wand in half and throwing it into a canyon would have been a sure way to end the Death Stick's power, which is what Harry did in the movie. However, if this had been possible, surely Dumbledore would have done it long ago. Fans found themselves annoyed that movie Harry so easily broke the most powerful wand in existence without at least fixing his own wand first.
Barty Crouch Jr's Simplified Story
The whole of Goblet of Fire was dedicated to discovering who had put Harry's name into the Goblet. Of course, the big revelation was that it was Mad-Eye Moody, who was actually Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise. With the help of Veritaserum, the imposter explained in the book that his father had broken him out of prison and held him prisoner himself under the Imperius Curse until he eventually escaped and rejoined his master.
However, Crouch Jr's entire story was left out of the movie. Instead, the character was only briefly shown on screen before he was returned to Azkaban with no explanation about what had happened. This greatly cheapened the complicated plot of that year, leaving fans frustrated.
Removing Voldemort's Backstory
Harry spent his sixth year at Hogwarts learning about Voldemort's history. Dumbledore wanted Harry to understand who Tom Riddle had been, such as his parentage, and how he had behaved both during and after his time at Hogwarts. This research revealed the Harry Potter villain as a cunning man whose hubris ensured he could never understand the power of love.
However, most of Tom Riddle's back story was cut from the films. All that remained were the basics about the Horcruxes, which were less impactful without the information from the books. The omission of this history resulted in a frustratingly flat villain and many fans who had expected more.