13 Years Later, Harry Potter Fans Can’t Forgive This Final Movie Change

Summary:

• Throughout the Harry Potter series, Lord Voldemort is gradually demystified, becoming a more grounded character as we learn more about him.
• The books’ finale ends this process by giving Voldemort a public and ultimately human death as he collapses to the floor in the Great Hall.
• The movies changed the final duel, and there, Voldemort magically disintegrated into particles far away from the general public’s eyes.

Harry Potter movies made many changes compared to books, both necessary and not. Some of them added wholesome scenes; others butchered character arcs… But one unfaithful creative decision in the final movie defeated the point and message of the entire franchise for the sake of cool CGI effects, and even 13 years later, avid Potterheads still can’t get over it.

Harry Potter Finale Reveals the Truth

Throughout the entire series, Lord Voldemort’s persona is being gradually demystified. In the first part, he’s a mysterious Dark force whose very name still instills terror in everyone’s hearts; by the time of the Battle of the Ministry, he’s more of an immensely powerful psychotic evil mastermind keen on wreaking havoc; but it’s the finale of the Harry Potter series that finally shows Voldemort’s real self.

The final duel between The Boy Who Lived and the Dark Lord reveals the latter for who he’s been this entire time: a pathetic and deeply troubled human with a twisted psyche who was terrified of physical death and insecure about his own bloodline.

Unfortunately, the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part Two completely changed the duel, defeating the entire point of Voldemort’s arc.

Harry Potter Movies Ruined the Finale

In the movie version of the Deathly Hallows, the duel between Harry and Voldemort is essentially a mid-air brawling session in the most abandoned parts of Hogwarts. The Dark Lord dies like a glorified Dementor, slowly disintegrating into black smore and particles, leaving no physical body behind — and away from everyone.

In the books, the final duel happens in the Great Hall, in front of all other wizards. During their circling around each other and politely talking, masks come off, and everyone learns the truth; but most importantly, Voldemort dies like any other human. His mortal body collapses and hits the floor, marking the end of one Tom Riddle.

The difference is day and night. The books emphasize that Voldemort was just a human, albeit a terrible one, and he’d dead for good. Everyone sees that and realizes that he won’t return anymore — and he has never been an evil demigod.

In the movies, no one knows what truly happened, and the fear of Voldemort’s return will continue. Worse yet, even if anyone was there to watch Harry defeat the Dark Lord, they would have seen a magical being’s death, not a human’s, thus strengthening the general belief that Voldemort was beyond petty mortals.