There’s One Thing That the Harry Potter Movies Sucked At – Armessa Movie News

The Harry Potter series is full of rich elements — magic, adventure, darkness, friendship, excitement, but where is all the romance? Hogwarts is a school full of teenagers! They may be witches and wizards, but they are still teenagers, and crushes and dating and love do not elude them. What’s more, is that they’re all packed together at Hogwarts for months on end so the emotions and the hormones are running wild, and although Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) can attest to this, what about all the other students? In the Harry Potter books, there was plenty of relationship drama going on, and not just at Hogwarts either. So why did the Harry Potter films fall short of this?

Harry and Ginny Have No Chemistry in the Harry Potter Movies

In the Harry Potter books, Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) is fiery, confident, sassy, and outspoken — she is everything that her movie equivalent is not. In the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book, Ginny is described to be one of the most attractive girls at Hogwarts — vibrant eyes and flaming red hair always swishing about, and her excellent Quidditch skills catch the eyes of many. But ever since Ginny’s first year at Hogwarts, she has always been in love with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). She does try to get over him by dating other people, and there are always admirers lined up at the door for her, but Ginny never really got over Harry. Harry eventually falls for Ginny during his Sixth Year at Hogwarts. But falling in love with your best friend’s sister can always be a bit problematic, so he keeps his feelings to himself. Ginny, however, being the bold and confident girl that she is, encourages Harry to give into his feelings. After a successful Quidditch match, Ginny strides up to Harry in the Gryffindor common room with determination in her eyes and flings her arms around him, and he decides to kiss her in front of everyone.

After that, Harry and Ginny start dating. Although J.K. Rowling doesn’t go into any explicit details, she does allude that Harry and Ginny’s relationship is as passionate as they are — sneaking off to hidden alcoves in the school, making out whenever they get the chance, having picnics by the Black Lake. And Ginny admits that she’s seen Harry with his shirt off so that more or less confirms something. They become the hottest couple at Hogwarts since Ginny was already widely popular, and girls had been chasing Harry around since they knew he was the Chosen One. However, as Harry does know that he is the Chosen One, he has to break it off with Ginny because he doesn’t want to put her in danger. But when they meet again in the following summer, they’re already making out again. Obviously they are unable to resist that passionate magnetism the two of them share — a passionate magnetism that is completely non-existent in the films.

Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright’s portrayal of Harry and Ginny does not measure up to their originally audacious and forthright book characters. Instead of being her spirited and cheeky self, in the films Ginny is quiet, soft-spoken, and reserved. Ginny is kind and polite, but it’s as if there’s no personality there at all. So when Harry and Ginny do get together in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film, there is no chemistry between them whatsoever. Director David Yates traded the original heated kissing scene in the Gryffindor common room for a tiny little kiss shared in the Room of Requirement. The scene is sweet at best, but otherwise plain awkward. Harry and Ginny are hesitant and polite like Hufflepuffs, not at all like their intense and impulsive and reckless Gryffindor selves from the books. It is a shame we could not see that fiery chemistry be depicted in the films.

The Harry Potter Movies Fail Ron and Hermione

Unlike Harry and Ginny’s relationship that merely ensued in the sixth Harry Potter film, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger’s (Emma Watson) relationship had been brewing since the first Harry Potter film. Not through any outward displays of affection, but simply through outward displays of irritation for each other. The widely more astute and wise and discernable Hermione likely picked up on her feelings for Ron during their Third Year at Hogwarts. But Ron was a little slow on the uptake, not realizing (or perhaps refusing to acknowledge) that his jealousy and his immature outbursts toward Hermione when she was dating Viktor Krum (Stanislav Yanevski) was really an indication that he loved her. Now although Ron has many flaws, unfortunately, the films have a way of depicting more of Ron’s flaws instead of his many attributes as well. Ron is just as brave as Harry and Hermione, he is just as loyal, and he is just as proactive in their fight against Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). But in the films, we only really see his childish self, and a lot of the time, he is just there for comedic relief — which makes Harry Potter movie fans wonder what on earth Hermione even saw in Ron. In the books, Ron always defends Hermione against Snape (Alan Rickman) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) or whoever is putting her down. He is caring and supportive and has qualities that Hermione fell for. However, in the films, Ron’s many great moments are sacrificed. Furthermore, it is a wonder why Hermione didn’t fall for Harry since the two of them shared many more intimate moments than Hermione did with Ron. The dancing scene in the tent in Harry and Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 for instance is a very intimate scene between Harry and Hermione, and as they dance and look at each other, they almost dawdle on the brink of what could have been.

Remus and Tonks Should Have Had More Scenes With Each Other

It is impossible to fit the entirety of a Harry Potter book in the span of a two-hour film — the crux of the plot needs to be prioritized over subplots and side stories. But because of this, the various relationships in the Harry Potter films are merely inserted without any warning and the audience just has to accept that, like Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) and Nymphadora Tonks’ (Natalia Tena) relationship for instance. In the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix book, there is a side story regarding Tonks’ pining over Remus, but Tonks is depressed for a long time because Remus refuses to reciprocate her feelings. Remus refuses because he is a werewolf, and he doesn’t want to subject Tonks to somebody of his condition. However, eventually Remus concedes, and he and Tonks get into a relationship — but it was a long time coming.

Tonks was so in love with Remus that her Patronus Charm became a wolf. And even when they do get together, Remus is still hesitant. He can’t understand why Tonks would fall in love with him, and he feels guilty that she has to put up with him. He believes that he has ostracized her from the wizarding society because people know he’s a werewolf, and they steer clear of him. But Tonks does not see it that way, she is devoted to him. However, Remus’ insecurities become so bad that when Tonks gets pregnant, he becomes riddled in guilt, and he wants to leave her because he thinks their child will share the same affliction as him — which is impossible because witches and wizards can only become werewolves if they are bitten by another werewolf. Regardless, Harry is furious with Remus that he would abandon Tonks and their unborn child. Harry and Remus have a huge fight, but eventually Remus hears Harry out, and he returns to his wife. When their baby is born, Remus and Tonks assign Harry as their baby’s godfather. Once more, none of this is shown in the films. In the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film, Remus and Tonks are suddenly in a relationship without any backstory. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Tonks barely manages to announce she is pregnant, before she and Remus are killed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. No build up, no romance, and no chemistry. Remus and Tonks shared a very complex and flawed relationship in the books, but we miss out on seeing it in the films.

How Do Bill and Fleur Get Together in the Books?

Bill Weasley (Domhnall Gleeson) and Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) are another example of a rich relationship that lacked depth on screen. How does Fleur, a witch from France, even come into Bill Weasley’s realm? Well, in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book, Fleur notices Bill when he comes to watch the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and she is immediately attracted to him. In the books, Bill is described to look like a sort of handsome bad boy, with long hair pulled back into a ponytail, dressed in leather with an earring to match. Bill and Fleur began dating when they both worked at the Gringotts Bank in London together, during which time Fleur spent a lot of time at the Burrow (the Weasley family home). They then get married shortly after. Although their wedding is shown in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, unless you are a Harry Potter book fan, there is a little confusion regarding whose wedding it even is. Since in the films we never see Bill and Fleur date, nor do we see them get together, all of a sudden there’s a wedding at the Burrow and the bride and groom are Bill and Fleur. Bill hadn’t even been in any of the previous Harry Potter films except for the very last two, despite the fact that Harry first met him in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book. So, again, we have a relationship that has just been inserted into the films without any context or backstory whatsoever. Truthfully, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Remus and Tonks, and Bill and Fleur all had meaningful and rich relationships, but sadly, the depth of those relationships weren’t quite reached in the Harry Potter movies.

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