The first two Harry Potter movies, entitled The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, were both fun, light-hearted affairs. The sky is always blue, Harry always emerges victorious, and everything seems to go the way of the Boy Who Lived. However the two entries that follow, The Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, are the two blockbusters that significantly change the tone of the franchise.
These are much darker films, and they pave the way for the deeper storylines that follow. But what if the movies were remade today? What should be changed?
The Prisoner Of Azkaban: The Opening
Everybody at Hogwarts knows that the moment a student steps back into the non-wizarding world, they're not allowed to use magic. This is to stop inexperienced kids from accidentally hurting innocent lives, and everybody strictly obeys out of fear of being kicked out.
Yet in the very first scene of the third movie, Harry breaks the rules. He attempts to cast the Lumos Maxima spell in his bedroom - waking up his Uncle Vernon in the process. This is a huge oversight and one the bigwigs at Warner Bros should really have considered.
The Goblet Of Fire: The Quidditch World Cup
The Quidditch World Cup is only briefly seen in the Goblet of Fire movie. The audience gets to see everybody flocking to watch the match between Ireland and Bulgaria but, disappointingly, don’t get to see any of the action. That means no seeing Ireland lift the prestigious trophy, and no seeing Viktor Krum catching the Golden Snitch.
It really deserved better, because they’re two things fans had been looking forward to watching on the big screen. It was probably cut to save screen time for more important scenes, but it short-changed the movie.
The Prisoner Of Azkaban: Draco Being A Dementor
Draco Malfoy only really teases Harry about the Dementors during a Care of Magical Creatures lesson. He, Crabbe, and Goyle all put their Hogwarts hoods up in a mocking way after the Boy Who Lived had ed out on the train ride into the school.
Yet in the books their teasing is more dramatic. They attempt to impersonate the guards of Azkaban during a Quidditch match, and Harry, acting on instinct, sends a Patronus Charm flying back at them. This causes them to stagger, and they’re on the receiving end of some harsh words from the strict Professor McGonagall afterwards. Given how loathsome the trio are, it would have been great to see them dealt some punishment.
The Goblet Of Fire: More Rita Skeeter
The Goblet of Fire movie only briefly shows how horrendous of a person Rita Skeeter is. She’s an inaccurate journalist, one who takes great pleasure in writing misleading headlines that warp the minds of the wizarding world. But, other than that, she’s pretty pointless.
Yet, her role is far greater in the source material. Rita is an unlicensed Animagus and eavesdrops on all sorts of important stuff, from Harry opening up to his friends about his scar to Hermione’s secret relationship with Viktor Krum. It would have been interesting to see the characters solve this mystery on screen.
The Prisoner Of Azkaban: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
The Prisoner of Azkaban doesn’t do the best job at explaining the friendship between Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and Sirius Black. It does make clear that the quartet were friends, but it doesn’t clarify that they’re actually Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs - the four creators of the brilliant Marauder’s Map.
The film doesn’t say how James, Sirius and Peter would transform into animals to keep Lupin, who is a werewolf, company at on the full moon. It’s a shame because, for fans who don’t read the books, they’d have been blown away by the information. Fingers crossed for a spin-off involving the four some point in the future, but that’s unlikely to happen at the current time.
The Goblet Of Fire: The Maze Tasks
Harry and the other Triwizard Tournament contestants have to overcome a maze for the third and final task of the competition. The movie shows Harry and Cedric Diggory nearly getting killed by some wild hedges but, other than that, it seems straightforward enough. Things couldn’t be more different in the book version of the story, however.
The four champions instead find the maze to be full of horrific creatures intent on causing them harm. There’s a Blast-Ended Skrewt, a Boggart, some golden mist that turns things upside down, and a Sphinx that all stand in their way of glory. Like in the books, though, both Harry and Cedric decide to both touch the trophy at the end of it, with devastating consequences.
The Prisoner Of Azkaban: The Quidditch Cup Scene
Clearly there should have more Quidditch in The Goblet of Fire. But there should have been more sporting action in The Prisoner Of Azkaban as well.
That's because it's the one book where Harry wins Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup at Hogwarts - in person at least. He was banned for the triumphs in The Half-Blood Prince but, in his third year, played a pivotal role. Gryffindor lost their first match against Hufflepuff, but they respond emphatically, putting Slytherin and Ravenclaw to the sword.
The Goblet Of Fire: Voldemort's Monologue
Voldemort returns to power in Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, getting his full body back thanks to some devoted work from Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr. In the movie he gives a short speech, but it's far longer, detailed, and more interesting in the source material.
In the book, the Dark Lord talks of his struggles while being a mere shadow of his old self, how he came close to death, berates his followers for failing to find him, and even spends time mourning those who can’t be there for his grand return. It was clearly cut to save screen time, but it would have given fans more on an insight into how Voldemort operates - and what he cares about most.
The Prisoner Of Azkaban: Sirius Black and Crookshanks
Who doesn't love a good animal story? The Prisoner of Azkaban actually has a pretty good one involving Sirius Black and Crookshanks but, unfortunately, it didn't make it into the movie.
In the source material, it's explained that Sirius befriended Crookshanks. The cat actually helps the Azkaban escapee enter Hogwarts and the Shrieking Shack, while doing his utmost to get to Peter Pettigrew, who is disguising himself as Scabbers the Rat. It would have shown just how Crookshanks is more than the average cat but, alas, it wasn't to be.
The Goblet Of Fire: Barty Crouch Jr's Fate
If anyone didn't read the Harry Potter books, they'd have no idea what happens to Barty Crouch Jr. following his arrest at the end of the Goblet of Fire movie. We see him apprehended by Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape but, afterwards, he's never mentioned again.
That's probably because his fate was too horrifying for younger viewers, with Crouch having his soul sucked through his mouth by the Dementors of Azkaban. Even so, some clarification on what happened to him after his capture would have been interesting to see. Instead, those who have only seen the film versions of the story are left in the dark.
