Why HBO’s Harry Potter series might finally fix the movies’ biggest mistakes

The latest Harry Potter trailer has confirmed what I have been suspecting – that this adaptation is everything I ever wanted to see from the franchise on screen.

I still remember my childhood disappointment at moments (or lack thereof) in the Harry Potter movies. Taking the books as seriously as I did, I was so excited to see how key moments from the books would play out on the big screen, only to be let down.

Aside from the obvious problem of time constraints, and the fact that the story was too big to be told even over a hefty theatrical running time, there’s the plotting of the films. Beyond runtime issues, the films suffered by prioritising British guest stars rather than spending time on the minutiae of Hogwarts and the students’ everyday dynamics, which were such a key element to the beauty of the books.

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Then there are the plot points that the movies were forced to omit. The Order of the Phoenix fighting Death Eaters at Hogwarts, Winky the house-elf, the Gaunt family, Harry’s date with Cho at Madam Puddifoot’s – the list goes on and on.

© Lara Cornell/HBO

From the new footage, the show will take a beat and spend time on the smaller plot points that are so important to the novels – something much harder to do when you’re trying to pack a plot into the space of two hours. The latest preview reveals the day-to-day of a young Harry in his first year at Hogwarts, focusing on the classes, his new classmates (with a particular nod to Seamus, who already looks like he’s going to be a legend), and a good game of Quidditch.

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While people have their reasons for skipping the new HBO series, I can’t take it seriously when people say that they will refuse to watch the show because of the movies. The films are iconic, but one thing that they undoubtedly are is limited – so why wouldn’t you want a version that expands on the world the way it deserves?

I was also delighted to see tiny book details that are clearly being upheld in the series, including Neville Longbottom accompanying Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they chance upon Fluffy guarding the third-floor trap door, Ron sporting a bloody nose after a fistfight with Draco during a Quidditch match, right up to Dean Thomas’s poster of West Ham on the wall of the Gryffindor dormitory.

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From attending HBO’s Back to Hogwarts event in London earlier this week, I noticed much of the new artwork that will give the TV-show world of Harry Potter its own identity – most notably that Ravenclaw’s house symbol has been restored to an eagle, as it is in the books, from a raven. It’s a small detail, but altogether, it looks like this is the one adaptation book fans have been waiting for.

So whether you’re going to give the TV show a wide berth or you’ll be feverishly watching every minute, HBO is taking it all seriously – and it’s about time.