Which is better, the filmseries or the book series?
This question has aroused debate between fans and non-fans ever since the first Harry Potter movie hit the big screen.
I’m not much of a bookworm, and being an extreme movie geek, I’d have to say that I prefer the films over the novels. And immediately after finishing the last sentence of the seventh book’s epilogue, I concluded that the movie series overall certainly does the books justice.
From the beginning of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” all through the end of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” I was completely immersed in the world that J.K. Rowling had so vividly brought to life.
Every chocolate frog, quidditch match, and grindylow is attended to with such detail that with a little imagination the story is just as visually pleasing as watching it on screen.
As the films progress they leave out more and more components from the books. Most particularly with the third film, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”
Once I was over halfway finished with the book, I realized that there were chapters full of information that was not included in the movie.
Until I read the book, I had no clue that the Shrieking Shack was used for young Remus Lupin to wait out his werewolf stage, or that the Marauder’s Map was created by Harry’s father and his band of friends when they were students. I felt cheated.
For awhile I had an it-would-have-been-nice-to-know-that attitude until realizing that if the filmmakers were to include every piece of information, the movie would last several hours and require an intermission.
Every film, of course, excludes specific parts from the original texts such as the Deathday Party of Sir Nicholas in “Chamber of Secrets,” Hermione’s Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (SPEW) in “Goblet of Fire,” Percy Weasely’s betrayal to his family in “Order of the Phoenix,” and Harry’s exploration of Tom Riddle’s memories in “Half-Blood Prince.”
Not to mention the multiple details left out in each part of “Deathly Hallows” such as a fairly important argument between Harry and Lupin, Lupin and Tonk’s son Teddy, and distressed Mrs. Weasly working to prevent Harry, Ron, and Hermione from arranging their journey to find and destroy horcruxes.
To audience members who have read each book, the last two Harry Potter films would seem quite choppy. I can rant on and on about what was left out, but as I explained earlier, if every bit of the story was included, the movies would be never-ending.
Though I have to complain about the much-too-brief epilogue of which we leave our beloved characters as full-grown adults sending their children off to Hogwarts.
I think that fans would agree that the epilogue should’ve received the most attention since everyone would love to know what becomes of Neville or even the school itself.
Since written text and motion-capture are two completely different media, the books and the movies are difficult to compare.
I believe that the books are certainly better than the films. But since I’m not a big reader, I prefer watching the films over reading the books.
The novels have excellent imagery and they are very well-written, however the movies seem to have me under some sort of magical spell because of the magnificent way they guide the audience through the world of Harry Potter.
