17 Details from Harry Potter movies that were better than the books

There are many differences between the Harry Potter movies and books. Without a doubt, we can say that many parts of the books remained untouched. We never got to see Charlie Weasley or Ludo Bagman. But the films were successful anyway. It is not possible to adapt a book word by word into a movie, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be extra touches. There are details in the movies that are actually better than the books. Be it a witty moment, a sharp comeback, or an alternative portrayal of a character. Yes, those who read the books will always claim that they are better than the movies. But here are 17 details in the Harry Potter movies that were actually better than the books.

1. Viktor Krum

As per the book, the seeker of the Bulgarian National Quidditch team was a skinny, duck-footed person without any kind of impressive features. But in the movies, we see a very strong-looking Viktor Krum, who looks like a sportsperson in his prime. The glamour of fame is reflected in the character onscreen, and his short glance towards Hermione while he enters the Great Hall to put his name in the Goblet of Fire is beautifully portrayed.

2. Quidditch Matches

Although we get to see only two full-length quidditch matches owing to the first and second movies of the franchise, they were way more fun to see than to read. The action-packed matches were truly captivating. In the book, the first-ever quidditch match of Harry was rather focused on him, but in the movies, we see the Slytherin team taking unfair means to injure Gryffindor players, which adds to the rivalry between these two houses.

3. Tall Weasley twins

As per the books, Fred and George Weasley are short and stocky, like their mother, Molly. But in movies, we see two very handsome and tall Weasley twins with that trademark wicked grin and sharp comebacks. There is no doubt that when we imagine someone as a rule breaker, a few physical features are automatically embedded in our minds. The Weasley twins were portrayed perfectly in the movies, and they actually made more sense than the books.

4. Voldemort’s robe

In the books, Voldemort had to get dressed by Wormtail right after he was resurrected. But in movies, we see a dark mist around the rising terror, which finally wraps around Lord Voldemort. Sure, this is far-fetched, but also, this is the wizarding world, and we cannot expect someone as powerful as the Dark Lord to climb out of a cauldron unclothed. The effect was no doubt engaging and magical to experience.

5. Harry being possessed by Voldemort

In the books, we learned that Harry was getting glimpses of Voldemort’s vision when the latter felt strong emotions, but there was no eccentric effect. This was fulfilled in the movies. In Order of Phoenix, we see Harry flexing his neck in an uncomfortable way whenever he was feeling the wrath of Voldemort. This added to the characteristics of a distressed teenager who is facing the jeers of the entire world, including his schoolmates.

6. Hermione Granger

While the book described the back bone of the trio as a nerdy girl with bushy hair and a little overbite, Emma Watson completely changed the perception. Although the look was maintained in the first two movies, in the third one, we see a whole new Hermione. Pretty, intimidating, intense, and intelligent. Mind you, the scene where she breaks down after attacking Ron with shooting canaries in Half Blood Prince reflects the character's grasp on emotional situations as well.

7. Severus Snape

The book described Snape as a creepy professor almost always living in the dungeons. If you recall, he was sometimes described as an ‘over-grown bat.’ The hooked nose was there, along with shoulder-length black hair, but yellow teeth were missing in the movies. Alan Rickman portrayed Severus Snape as a calm and classy professor who prefers to stay away from mediocrity. As we all know the depth of this character, it is kind of difficult to replace the dark aura around Snape that was shown in the movie. It was dark, but it was royal.

8. Death Eaters can fly

This was not in the books. Death Eaters were just like ordinary wizards with racism in their minds. But in movies, to add more theatrics, they had the ability to fly as black smoke. These effects made the Death Eaters even more intimidating than what is described in the books. Apparition is cool, and so is flying on brooms, but this was way cooler. Let’s be honest, if we were wizards, we would’ve preferred this mode of transport over any other the wizarding world has to offer.

9. Race between Harry and Tonks

Ahh, flying on a firebolt and racing with a super accomplished auror. This scene from the fifth movie created a light-hearted effect. As Harry was being escorted by Alastor Moody from Private Drive to 12 Grimmauld Place, we see a very playful Tonks looking sideways at Harry as they are both flying on their brooms above a river. The two immediately start racing, and the competitive glance from Tonks is a reminder of how she wants to cheer up a distressed teenager, knowing that she has no chance against the finest seeker Gryffindor ever had.

10. Umbridge interrogating Hagrid

Well, one we hate and one we love. But you can’t deny Imelda Staunton did a brilliant job playing the villain in the fifth movie. Her work kept us hooked from the beginning till the end, but her questioning Hagrid was awesome. Hagrid came back from his journey to convince the Giants to join Dumbledore and was immediately ambushed by the then Defence Against the Darks professor. This much was in the book as well. The fun part is when Umbridge takes out her bottle of perfume and draws an invisible cross on Hagrid’s door while spraying it.

11. Draco Malfoy

Tom Felton brought this character to life. In the books, Draco Malfoy acts as a bully, be it to other students or his bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. The iconic dialogue, where Malfoy expresses his surprise when Harry, disguised as Goyle, mentions he was in the library reading, was not there in the books. Also, in the same scene he pockets someone else’s Christmas gift reluctantly as it was lying around. These are the things that gave the character an edge over what’s written in the books.

12. Abusive Snape

Manhandling was not allowed in Hogwarts and that was mentioned throughout the seven books. But movies choose otherwise. To create a more realistic effect we see two instances where Snape hits Harry and Ron. First, in the fourth movie he hits Harry and Ron multiple times as they were busy discussing their Yule Ball dates in a class. Second, in the fifth film, he casually smacks Ron in the head with a book for laughing during Snape’s evaluation by Umbridge. Quite a school-like effect.

13. Sirius punching Lucius

Just because they have wands doesn’t mean they can’t fight. Imagine being angry and remembering the best spell to cast. Sirius crossed that boundary in the fifth movie. In fact, it was Gary Oldman’s idea to punch Lucious Malfoy in the face. We see a cool yet angry Sirius appear between Lucius and Harry, asking the former to stay away from his godson and smack him. This one will always stay legendary, and the cinematic effect was cheer-worthy.

14. Dumbledore vs. Voldemort

In the fifth book, the famous duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort was mostly the former, avoiding the killing curse from the latter. Dumbledore brought statues to life that came in front of him to block the curses from Voldemort. But in movies, we see a more dynamic duel where both of them engage in a death battle. Well, that’s how the clash of two powerful characters should look like.

15. The First Task of Triwizard Tournament

As per the book, Harry’s encounter with the Hungarian Horntail was short and crisp. In fact, he was the quickest to grab the golden egg. But in the movie, we see a lot of drama around the same. It was not at all easy for Harry to get the dragon off his tail. The beast freed itself from the chains and chased Harry all around the school grounds finally colliding with a bridge. This action-packed sequence was truly better than the book.

16. Yule Ball Rehearsal

Rupert Grint’s shocked face will always be remembered as Maggie Smith asked him to place his hand on her waist. Yes, the famous Yule Ball rehearsal scene. None of this was in the book but it was added as a comic relief. Blushing Ron, teasing Fred and George, and wildly amused Harry. The most heartfelt moment was when Harry asked the Weasley twins to never let him forget the moment.

17. I’ve always wanted to use that spell

There was not a single instance where Minerva McGonagall seemed like she used to be a little girl at some point in her life. The books maintained that image throughout, strict and to the point Transfiguration Professor. Well, Maggie Smith nailed that part of the role. But she gave a beautiful touch in the last film. She called upon the armored guards of Hogwarts to join the battle, used the spell as she invented it, and after that, mentioned to Molly Weasley that she always wanted to use that spell in a very teenage girly manner. Awesome effect.