Harry Potter Movies Tried To Make Snape Better, Failed Miserably

Warner Bros. Pictures produced a total of 8 Harry Potter films adapted from the books, and received worldwide praise, amassing a huge fan base and being nominated for various accolades. All in all, the movie series was a roaring success grossing over $1 billion worldwide.

Although the Harry Potter franchise is still popular and well-loved today, there are differences between the books and movies that will never sit right with fans.

One of the most talked about changes made to the Harry Potter movies was Ron Weasley's character, fans who read the books were outraged by his character's portrayal in the films. It was undeniable that he had been stripped of many of his good qualities and notable moments.

However, there was another character change that audiences couldn't accept, but in this instance, producers had tried to make him more likable than in the books.

There are few villainous characters that are despised as much as Lord Voldemort, but Severus Snape sits pretty high on the unpopular list. The Hogwarts teacher is bitter and demanding of his students, he takes pleasure in making nasty remarks towards and belittling them.

This could have been excused by saying his character was just misunderstood and complex, but Snape is impossible to like as he is also a loyal follower of Voldemort.

In the Harry Potter movies, Snape is still unfriendly and sarcastic, but unlike the books, he has moments of compassion and protects Harry and friends in moments of need. This is a slightly more likable, warm version of Snape, but both the movies and the books try to head in the same direction in the end: Snape's redemption.

It is eventually revealed that Snape was in love with Harry's mother, Lily. The pair were best friends as kids, but in the movies, they had a fallout because Lily fell in love with Harry's father. In the books, their friendship ended when Snape called Lily a mudblood and began following Voldemort's horrific beliefs and ideals.

By replacing many of Snape's most vile moments, movie producers were trying to build him up to be a sort of tragic hero whose previous spiteful actions could be excused because of his tragic past.

The changes the movies made to Snape were well-intentioned but ultimately failed to fully redeem him in the eyes of audience members. His moments of compassion were certainly appreciated, but not substantial or meaningful enough to erase the harm his actions had caused his reputation.

Some fans are still on the fence about whether the changes actually did help his character or if they were just an unsuccessful attempt at redemption made far too late.