He wrote, “I liken J.K. Rowling to an auntie. I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie. It’s a tricky one.”
JK Rowling was criticised by the stars of the film for her transphobic comments. At the time, Rupert had said in a statement to The Times, “I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.”
Rowling had tweeted in 2020, “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.” Her statement drew a lot of backlash from the trans community.
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Rowling’s name was missing from the promos of the reunion and her participation in the special event was limited to her archival interview footage.
He possesses 25 Grammy Awards and 5 Oscars. If those weren’t enough, after Walt Disney, he has the most Oscar nominations: 52. His resume gets more and more staggering when you learn more about him.
But the real achievement of the legend would be the impact on film music his scores have had. Even if you haven’t heard of him and you listen to theme music of movies and/or have seen popular Hollywood movies, chances are, you are already intimately familiar with Williams’ work — you just didn’t know it yet.
Be it the galaxy far, far away (Star Wars), giant prehistoric reptiles rampaging through an island (Jurassic Park), or the hallways of Hogwarts (Harry Potter), Williams’ immortal tunes seem to be prevalent, and in many ways they are.
“You’ll believe a man can fly,” insisted the posters and other marketing material of Richard Donner, progenitor of the modern superhero movie, Superman. But it was not until Williams’ grandiose, triumphant theme began to play that the Man of Steel really took flight. The music has been so influential that it was played even in 2017’s Justice League.
Conceived by Star Wars creator George Lucas and realised by Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark introduced to the world Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones, had a compelling hero who was the archetypical adventurer, and lived a life many just dreamt of. The film was the fifth collaboration between Williams and Spielberg, a partnership that had one of the — if not the — greatest artistic synergies in cinematic history.
For the film and its unique hero, Williams crafted music that spoke of adventure and fun and also gave a sense of mystery to the film’s MacGuffin — the titular Ark. You know music is its own language, but it is hard to actually realise how true it is until one listens to Williams’ music.
With Star Wars: A New Hope, George Lucas created one of the biggest movie franchises ever. But he would not have done so without John Williams. Not for nothing it was voted the best film score of all time by the American Film Institute. The epic, soaring main theme, sonically presenting a galaxy far, far away or the grandiose Imperial March, eliciting the inevitability of the Galactic Empire.
Harry Potter books and movies have been part of many who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, and Hedwig’s Theme, which has now become the theme of the film series and the franchise. The theme, that played with the Warner Bros logo, begins with soft noted of a celesta, then gradually rises and rises to a full orchestra. It is easily one of the most recognisable pieces of film music ever. It is magical in every sense of the word. Hedwig’s Theme sounds like childhood.
Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is said to have changed the Hollywood Blockbuster forever. It also gave a new understanding of these long-dead giant reptiles to a world that was largely ignorant about the enormity of the fact that they once walked the earth. Jurassic Park was made on a grand scale, and John Williams gave it music to match. The main theme evokes a sense of mystery and awe — just what the Spielberg was aiming for the film.
The topic began with Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Potter movies, expressing his wish while in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he would love to return to the Wizarding World with an adaptation of Cursed Child. He added that if the trio of Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were to return, it would be “a cinematic bliss” and evoke nostalgia in the same way the Star Wars sequel trilogy did to the fans.
However, Radcliffe gave NYT an honest answer. He said, “This isn’t the answer that anybody’s going to want, but I think I was so able to go back and enjoy it because it’s not a part of my day-to-day life anymore. I’m getting to a point where I feel like I made it out of Potter okay and I’m really happy with where I am now, and to go back would be such a massive change to my life.”
He added, “I’m never going to say never, but the Star Wars guys had like 30, 40 years before they went back. For me, it’s only been 10. It’s not something I’m really interested in doing right now.”
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child immediately picks up after the epilogue of the Deathly Hallows and features the adult versions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The story mainly follows Harry and Ginny’s son Albus and Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Harry’s old enemy Draco Malfoy and his wife Astoria. They change a significant event in time out of kindness (in order to undo Cedric Diggory’s death at the request of his father) but end up making a mess of their reality instead.
Even after the Potter movies ended, the Wizarding World franchise continues on in the form of Fantastic Beasts movies and other media. A third Fantastic Beasts movie comes out early next month.
While the story was about a huge impending war between a dark wizard called Voldemort, his acolytes called the Death Eaters and the titular hero and his allies, it took time to develop its world and characters. By the time fans were done with the films, they knew the characters more than they knew their friends and they knew hallways and corridors of Hogwarts as intimately as though they themselves inhabited the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Along with The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter made the fantasy genre cool again in Hollywood. Although the Harry Potter books and movies were targetted towards children and young adults, people of all ages enjoyed the world built by Rowling.
Add to all that, the story was saturated with themes like love, togetherness, and acceptance that everybody could relate to. Hogwarts were situated in Scotland, but people of all genders, races, and other groups could get admission — the only requirement was magical talent.
To celebrate the anniversary and the reunion, I thought I would rank the Harry Potter movies. Note that while I love all these movies, some were clearly better than others. I have not included Fantastic Beasts as that series is not done yet.
Chamber of Secrets fleshed out the world of Harry Potter with delightful little details, taking over from the Philosopher’s Stone. But the film was overstuffed and the pace was at times extremely slow. Also, it was pretty dull-looking for a world that was allegedly full of interesting stuff. After removing Voldemort from the back of Professor Quirrell’s head, Harry finds himself entangled with a young Voldemort. Not a ghost, as Tom Riddle explains, a memory.
Chamber of Secrets is also one of the weaker — if not the weakest — entries in JK Rowling’s book series and there are a few dodgy plot developments. It’s a fantasy story and children’s literature, and some suspension of disbelief is expected. But sometimes, this book took it too far. The movie was a slavishly faithful adaptation, and not only shared the book’s weaknesses, but added some of its own.
The first every Harry Potter movie, Philosopher’s Stone was released in the US, Philippines, and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for some reason. Directed by Chris Columbus, the director of Home Alone who also directed the sequel, the film certainly did an undeniably good job at introducing the world of wizardry, but it was missing the visual quality that defined the latter films. Perhaps the film is blameless, and the CGI technology was not as developed back then, but then Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring also released that year, and it looked so good with lesser budget that it still holds up well.
To be fair, apart from the visuals, there is not much to complain about Philosopher’s Stone. The legendary composer John Williams’s “Hedwig’s Theme” has rightfully become the definitive Wizarding World theme. The cast was stacked with iconic names like Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith, and the director and screenwriter made good use of them. The film enchanted millions around the world and went on to gross more than $1 billion, a rarity those days.
The Goblet of Fire would perhaps be at second or third position on my list of top Harry Potter books. Mike Newell adaptation, however, falls way short of the book. Its biggest crime is removing the mystery element regarding the person who put Harry’s name in the titular Goblet. The movie gives this information immediately. For the most, however, Goblet of Fire is a solid fantasy movie. And actually the first time we realise this story is entering the truly dark territory when Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson in a short but sweet role) is killed by the Voldemort. In the film we also saw the Dark Lord assuming his full corporeal form, teasing the titanic final clash.
Order of the Phoenix was the first time David Yates joined the franchise and he has never left. Not only he went on to direct the rest of the Harry Potter movies and the first two Fantastic Beast movies, he will direct the rest in the Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law-led franchise as well. Order of the Phoenix marked Imelda Staunton’s first appearance as Dolores Umbridge, which we can all agree was infinitely worse than Voldemort. At least the Dark Lord was upfront that he was evil. Dolores hid her ugly, insecure little heart and devilish mind behind sickly smiles and pictures of cute kittens. Oh how we loved to hate her. The film also featured a brief but visually dazzling duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort.
With Deathly Hallows, Part 1, Yates had an enviable task of making that movie worthwhile that was based on the first half of a book. The film is far from bad, and often it is fun, but the trio fighting among themselves for trivial reasons got tiresome after a while. The film’s bleak tone, underlined by drab cinematography, worked in its favour. If nothing else, Deathly Hallows, Part 1 served as a compelling tease for the final confrontation.
Now we come to the big guns. The Half-Blood Prince remains one of the best Harry Potter movies, though it is admittedly not a good adaptation of its source material. The screenplay, perhaps wisely, skips several details that are present in the book. For instance the significance of Horcruxes and why Severus Snape is the Half-Blood Prince was not explored as much. And even apart from those exclusions, the film was not without its missteps, but overall, it delivered on all the character beats and big moments like a certain major character’s unexpected death.
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who went on to win multiple Oscars for his Gravity and Roma, Prisoner of Azkaban was a stunning-looking movie that makes me wish I could forget its plot and watch it all over again. If watched carefully, you can spot the little touches that made Cuarón such a huge name later on. The film had a singular vision and visual style that was missing in the first two movies. The film’s denouement was not a huge duel or a battle, but a gripping sequence in which Harry and Hermione travel back in time using the Time-Turner to save Hagrid’s hippogriff Buckbeak. An understated, impeccably directed film.
Deathly Hallows, Part 2 is not at the top of this list because it concluded the story. It’s here because it did it near-perfectly. The preceding seven movies had set up a tremendous battle. It was here we were going to get that payoff — Harry vs Voldemort. And the film more than delivered. While not at the level of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it rivalled it in terms of imagery and scale. Even amid all the chaos of the battle, the film wisely found moments to bring out the individual heroism of the protagonists. While Harry taking on his nemesis was grand enough, what I enjoyed in the battle were small scale duels — for example Molly Weasley vs Bellatrix Lestrange and perhaps the most epic moment of all, Neville Longbottom killing the giant snake Nagini to turn Voldemort into a mere mortal.
But it was Rickman as Snape that stole the show. The greyest character in Harry Potter, Snape’s allegiance reveal was suitably heart-rending, and his death, delivered by Nagini in murderous lunges that Harry helplessly witnesses through a translucent wall, was nearly traumatic.
It was in 2005 that I left Silchar, my quaint little hometown in India’s northeast, and moved to Kolkata, one of the country’s biggest cities.
I left behind a life of limited opportunities and thickly accented English. I wanted to start afresh. But at my new school, a posh, all-girls Catholic convent, I was constantly reminded of where I came from.
My new friends in this school spoke impeccable English, watched the sitcom “Friends,” read “Harry Potter” and listened to Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne.
I, on the other hand, spoke very good Bengali and Hindi — laced with colloquial pronunciations — and listened to Hindi film songs and the latest Bengali band hits.
And even though I watched the first three “Harry Potter” films at Silchar’s children’s film festival, I must confess that I could decipher only about 40% of the dialogue back then. The “Harry Potter” universe seemed way beyond me.
And then one day, my uncle from the United States came bearing a present, a freshly bound copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” This was my chance to finally understand what the Potter-hype was all about. I was 13 years old and, in the book, Harry was 11. Soon I was overjoyed reading about a boy who, like me, was exploring a new school and a new life. A match was made.
Not just any story
As I read one “Harry Potter” book after the other, I realized that I related most with the character of Hermione, one of Harry’s best friends. She, too, distracted herself from reality by diving between the covers of a book.
The fact she often read books meant for older age groups reminded me of when I once read Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” as a 10-year-old — albeit translated into Bengali.
However, I cannot say exactly when “Harry Potter” transcended reading pleasure and began to impart important lessons for my “Muggle,” or non-magical, life. I gradually understood that Harry fought the dark wizard Voldemort not because a prophecy made his fight against the evil certain. It was because he chose to take the path of righteousness, to stand up for his values.
At home, I read how Harry helped Dumbledore’s Army rebel against Voldemort to protect Hogwarts, the space where all young wizards and witches learn how to manage their magic. Hogwarts reminded me of university, where my 18-year-old self raised a voice in favor of greater democratization. Impassioned slogans were my weapon, while Harry raised a wand charged with spells.
Children from around the world took life lessons from ‘Harry Potter’
‘What would Harry do?‘
Being aware of injustice and taking consequent action is a process that I experienced the most through Harry’s story.
The last time I lost a loved one, I thought: “What would Harry do?” I reimagined how Harry dealt with the passing of his godfather, Sirius Black. Over the years, Harry Potter for me has grown from being just another relatable boy to an adult negotiating his own path to empowerment.
I discovered “Harry Potter” by reading the books. But I also appreciated the movies and took part in the mass craze. I remember having a poster from the fourth film, “Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire,” and sticking it behind my closet so that my friends wouldn’t spot it when visiting. But I still bragged about having the poster in school.
The portrayal of the character of Cedric Diggory by the handsome actor Robert Pattinson in the film did not connect me to that story. Instead, it was author J.K. Rowling’s carefully crafted memory of Cedric, repeatedly recurring across Dumbledore and Harry’s narratives, which spoke to my soul and helped me learn to process deep emotions like grief and loss.
Still learning 25 years later
A few of my friends from university have today gone on to academically dissect the world of “Harry Potter” and have come out with novel, nuanced critiques of that literary universe. But I have somehow managed to distance myself from critical dissections of the “Potterverse.” I am guessing this is because of nostalgia.
That’s because at the time, when I was struggling to find myself within the hustle and bustle of the big city, Harry made me feel like I wasn’t alone.
Hermione told me that it was OK to do things that others around me didn’t find glamorous. Lily Weasley’s bravery made me recalibrate my ideas about mothers and their political roles. The list of lessons is endless.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Smiling at the premiere in 2001
Twenty years after the release of the first “Harry Potter” film, movie studio Warner Bros has announced that a 20th anniversary TV special will be released on HBO on January 1, 2022. In “Return to Hogwarts,” cast members, including stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, will reunite to discuss how it all started. Author J.K. Rowling’s name was not included in the announcement.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
World’s most famous wizard
Boy wizard Harry Potter has been with us ever since author J.K. Rowling released the first book in her seven-part series in 1997. The first film adaptation was released in November 2001, with the final movie hitting cinemas a decade later. The film franchise took in some $7.8 billion (€6.9 million) at the global box office, and millions more in merchandising.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
The Potter universe expanded
Author J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” spin-offs are all box office hits, but she’s also been making headlines for her controversial opinions on transgender issues. Stars of her films, including Eddie Redmayne (l.), have distanced themselves from her views. They are shown here at the premiere of “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them” in 2016. A sequel is set to be released in April 2022.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Magical amusements
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park opened in Florida in 2010. More parks have since opened: at Universal Studios Japan, Hollywood and Beijing. They recreate the village of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle. Attractions include “a one-hour exploration experience on an enchanted bench.” Technically, that’s true — the ride queue takes about an hour. The actual journey lasts only four minutes.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Shopping paradise
In 2014, the Diagon Alley attraction opened at the other end of the Florida theme park, with the Hogwarts Express train ready to take visitors back and forth. Alongside the Gringotts Wizarding Bank (complete with dragon on the roof), this shopping paradise for wizards and witches offers everything imaginable. Broomsticks can be purchased for a mere $250 (€220).
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Deceptive sweets
The top seller are the Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, produced by Jelly Belly, specialists in jelly beans with amazing flavors. A delicious treat? Not necessarily — ever since the first book, it’s been clear these beans can also taste pretty disgusting. Some flavors: earthworm, rotten egg, soap, grass — even vomit. But with any luck, you might find something like melon, cotton candy or cherry.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Pilgrimage site King’s Cross
The London train station hides a “secret” access portal to the magical platform 9 3/4, where the Hogwarts Express waits to whisk students away to school. Those who want to make it through need to concentrate and aim their luggage cart directly into the brick wall. It’s become a must-see site for Harry Potter fans — though Muggles, or non-magic folk, won’t get very far.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Bridge to Hogwarts
This bridge wasn’t recreated at the Universal theme park — it’s real. It, too, has become a stop on the Harry Potter sightseeing tour, though somewhat off the beaten track in the Scottish Highlands. The Glenfinnan Viaduct was built in the late 19th century and is part of the West Highland Line. The train in the picture, however, is not the Hogwarts Express but The Jacobite, a tourist steam train.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Staying grounded
Quidditch, a full-contact sport, actually takes place in midair. Players fly about on brooms trying to throw the Quaffle through one of their opponents’ three circular gates, while avoiding treacherous Bludgers. The player who manages to catch the elusive Golden Snitch wins the game. Muggles play a version of the game on the ground, as seen here in Bonn. Without magic, of course.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Even more Potter
While the film stars are now adults, the 2016 two-part play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” also looks into what happened to Harry Potter, two decades after the adventures in the books. He has become Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic and his son, Albus Severus Potter, is about to go to Hogwarts. The play is staged in different cities, including Hamburg.
‘Harry Potter’ cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Online universe
The Pottermore website is the “digital heart of the magical world,” home to everything fans could ever want: a space to interact, with quizzes, puzzles and — of course — an online shop. The 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter film will not go unnoticed: “Get ready for weekly celebrations — including online events, special activities and more,” says the site.
A grandmother has converted her attic into an incredible Hogwarts-themed common room after amassing a collection of more than 4,000 Harry Potter items.
Self-confessed ‘Potter addict’, Janice Burnett, 53, has converted her bungalow attic into a spellbinding shrine to JK Rowling’s wizarding world.
The grandmother said she became enchanted with Harry Potter 11 years ago when she watched one of the films at a friend’s house.
Since then, she has amassed a huge collection devoted to Gryffindor, the mythical school house which Harry, Ron and Hermione are sorted into in the bestselling books.
Janice, who helps run fan pages Harry Potter UK and Fantastic Beasts, said she had bought up everything she could initially but had since refined her collection.
She said: “When you’re a collector, you do get addicted to things.
“At the start, as soon as I saw something with Harry Potter on it, I had to buy it.
“But you have to be careful in the end because you’re overcome with a kind of rubbish collection.
“So I’ve had to cut down on all the stuff I don’t need, but I do want to collect the expensive things.”
The mother of two, from Warrington, Cheshire, said she was originally drawn to Harry Potter after binge-watching the films with a friend.
She said: “My interest started when I visited a friend. She had Harry Potter on the TV, and I thought: ‘I quite like this film.’
“I then went back round and for eight weeks, each Saturday, we used to get some popcorn and we used to watch Harry Potter.
“I was just enthralled with this film, and then I just started collecting from there.”
Janice, who is a full-time carer, said while it was initially tricky to find Harry Potter memorabilia, she now has to work hard to find the right pieces in a saturated market.
She said: “In the beginning when I first got into it, in 2011, you couldn’t really buy things in shops.
“Now, it’s kind of everywhere. The franchise has really expanded. It doesn’t matter which shop you go into now, you’ll find Harry Potter stuff.
Janice’s collection is solely focussed on Gryffindor – a wizarding house at Hogwarts school which she feels most closely fits her character.
She said: “I always felt that I was Gryffindor, and then I got sorted into it on Pottermore – the Harry Potter fan club.
“I don’t have anything else to do with Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. It’s just Red and Gold – that’s it!”
Janice is most proud of her miniature displays, which depict scenes from the films in amazing detail.
She said: I’ve got the Great Hall and The Gryffindor Common Room, which has been made by a company called Valentines Miniatures.
“They are going up in value at the moment, so I’m very proud of them.”
In her attic, Janice also has a purpose-built fireplace, similar to the one found in the Gryffindor common room.
And Australian audiences face their own challenge: should they snap up tickets to the original production, which ends March 27 at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre? Or take a spell and wait for the reimagined debut in May?
Over a steak frites at SoHo’s popular Balthazar’s, the show’s producer Colin Callender (a former HBO executive who began his career at London’s Royal Court Theatre) explains that the two-part version of the show was a bad fit on Broadway, where a large chunk of the audience comes in from the boroughs or further afield (70 per cent of Broadway’s box office traditionally comes from tourists).
The shorter Cursed Child is a rollercoaster with afterburners.Credit:Daniel Boud
“Now you can come into New York on a Friday night, or a Saturday night, and see [all] the show – which previously you couldn’t,” he says. “But we didn’t want to do it unless we felt we could creatively do justice to the play and protect the core of the play.”
That core is the original pitch his team used to win Rowling’s theatre rights to the first West End production. Their cue was the epilogue to the books where the hero farewells his son, Albus Severus Potter, on the train to Hogwarts. It must be tough being Harry Potter’s son, they mused. And it must be tough, too, to be Harry Potter, an orphan from a hard childhood, and navigate fatherhood.
On May 20, 2022, during the NetEase Connect 2022 event, NetEase Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment published the latest trailer for Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. The live-streamed event was hosted by IGN Japan’s Daniel Robson and Esra Crabbe and aired in Japanese and English on NetEase Games’ official social media handles. Harry Potter Magic Awakened is currently scheduled to release globally this 2022
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is a real-time role-playing card game that resurrects Harry Potter’s wizarding universe. The game takes place several years after the novel’s events. The protagonist is a new Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry student. The player, like Harry, Ron, and Hermione, sets out on a quest to become first-class wizards.
Experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with real-time battles
The game will be available on a variety of platforms, including iOS, Android, and PC, and will have cross-progression, which allows you to transfer your in-game progress between consoles. The wizarding world of Harry Potter is open to anyone. They can experience a new tale produced with the help of J.K. Rowling as they go about their daily lives and adventures at school. Players can develop their wizarding talents while engaging in real-time card fights in this game.
Image via NetEase
The plot and fights are of exceptional quality, drawing players into a realm of witchcraft. After the game’s release, players from all around the world who believe in magic will gather in the world of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened.
The latest trailer will be released simultaneously around the world on May 20, 2022. The trailer depicts the stories of a variety of characters who are about to go on a voyage into the world of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, including white-collar employees traveling by train, a lady looking for a book at the library, and a baseball player. The trailer also includes glimpses from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened will release in 2022 with a possible collaboration with Fantastic Beasts
In 2022, the game will go through a closed beta test, and pre-registration will commence. Plans are in the works to collaborate with Wonderful Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore which will premiere on April 8, 2022, with cards of fantastic creatures originally seen in the film series, planned to appear in the game. More details about closed beta tests, pre-registration, and collaboration will be released as soon as possible.
