I Watched The Harry Potter Films For The First Time - Here Is Why I Think The TV Remake Is Not Necessarily A Bad Idea
Warner Bros.
Throughout 2024, I slowly discovered my love for the Fantasy genre. I read all of the A Court of Thorns and Roses books, watched House of The Dragon for the first time even though I had never seen Game of Thrones, and went to the New York Renaissance Faire for the first time. I tried to read the Harry Potter books once I finished the ACOTAR series, but I couldn’t get into it, so I decided to watch the movies and fell in love with the Wizarding World. This is also when my feelings about the TV series remake changed.
The Announcement Of The TV Series
Warner Bros.
When Warner Bros. announced in 2023 that they would remake the live-action Harry Potter movies into a TV series with a new cast, I was immediately against it. As someone who had never seen films or read books, I already had a negative opinion about the decision.
I was, and still am, sick and tired of Hollywood's current trend of sacrificing any ounce of creativity, refusing to give funding to original ideas, and instead making sequels to movies that don’t need them, making live-action remakes of animated films, reviving iconic TV shows, and creating spinoffs to any piece of media that is successful. (I just thought about the rumored Wednesday spinoff…)
I could talk for hours about why this studio annoys me even though its Studio Tour in Hollywood was one of the best experiences I have had as a film lover, and I would pay the money to go back there again, but I'm going to hold my tongue.
My First Time Watching The Harry Potter Films
Warner Bros.
I am debating whether to write an entire post about my experience watching the Harry Potter films for the first time, so if you are interested, subscribe to my free email list at the end to be notified if I ever post it. Also, check out my thoughts on all the movies except Deathly Hallows Part 2 in my 2024 Letterboxd year in review post.
Disney
As a child, I loved Wizards of Waverly Place and all things magical, but I had never read the Harry Potter books or watched the films. In high school and college, I was more of an MCU and Hunger Games kid. However, as my interest in fantasy grew last year, I wanted to see if I even liked the Harry Potter franchise.
I fell in love with the ACOTAR books and House of the Dragon, two things I thought I would never like. I was also looking for something more wholesome as a palate cleanser.
After watching Philosopher’s Stone (2001), I knew I had to watch the rest of the movies. The world is so fascinating and vast, and I am glad I waited until I was an adult to watch the films because I can appreciate them so much more now than I ever could as a child. The films were wholesome but turned dark as the years went on. And my favorite character is Snape (pretends to be shocked)
But even as I watched the films, I still could not understand why they wanted to remake it into a TV series.
A remake may not necessarily be a bad thing
Warner Bros.
As I made my way through the films, I was surprised by the difference in production quality by the fourth or fifth film. It was jarring (in a good way) to see the films change so much when they were not released that far apart from one another. In my honest opinion, the later films hold up exceptionally well due to their use of CGI and practical sets and look better than some of the movies released in the past five years. So it got me thinking… maybe a remake isn’t a bad thing?
Of course, the remake is a cash grab at its core because Warner Bros. could guarantee themselves record Max profits for the next decade, but from a storytelling perspective, a lot of stuff was omitted from the movie.
I read the first book's first few chapters and was shocked by how little of it was in the first movie. Throughout my watch of the franchise, I felt something was missing, especially when each film began. It felt like details were skipped over that non-readers wouldn’t need but would have helped flesh out characters and storylines.
Also, some moments did not age well.
Let me yap about Snape for a moment
I want to know more about his backstory, and Idk if it is in the books, but how did Lilly and Snapes’s relationship fizzle into nothing? Why did Snape want to become a professor at Hogwarts when it seems like he experienced a lot of trauma there? Why was he so close to Voldermart AND Dumbledore? A series would help answer these questions. And yes, I am one of the Adam Driver fans who is fan casting Adam Driver as Snape; the casting is literally PERFECT. NO ONE can replace Alan Richman, but the similarities between the two are uncanny.
my concerns about the remake
Warner Bros.
Having each book be an entire TV season is interesting, but already stating that this will be a 10-year project is kind of insane but understandable. For this reason, they would have to find new and upcoming actors willing to commit the next decade of their career to this franchise but also know that they are putting themselves in a box that they may have a hard time escaping out of.
I am already concerned about the mental health of all the actors, but more specifically, the child actors. They will be very young, and their most important and formative years will be in front of a camera, portraying some of the most iconic characters of all time. They will constantly be compared to the original cast, and I hope either the original cast and/or Warner Bros. will help them deal with this.
My final thoughts
Photo I took of Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios Orlando Islands of Adventure
They do not need to remake the Harry Potter movies into a seven—or eight-season television show for their streaming service. The movies are perfect and are currently holding up to the test of time. The first Harry Potter book was released on June 26, 1997, and the first film was released on November 16, 2001. Nearly 30 years later, people are still discovering the Wizarding World for the first time (me!).
But I understand why they are remaking it and am very open to the idea.
I hope the decision to remake it into a show has more to do with fleshing out the story for old fans and introducing younger generations to this fantastic world than the potential for it to be as profitable a show as Game of Thrones.
I am begging; please don’t touch The Hunger Games.
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Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.