Cast, crew commemorate 20 years of Hogwarts hijinks
The first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (otherwise known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone outside of the U.S) was the first of the eight cinematic adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s famous series, and was released on November 14, 2001. The first film was directed by Chris Columbus (known for his earlier work on such films like Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Gremlins). At the time of its release, the fiction series was at its peak in terms of popularity (and is still going strong to this day). Now, 20 years later, fans were surprised with a reunion special of the cast titled Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, exclusively on HBOMax.
Fans of the series were delighted to see a wide swath of familiar faces within the special, such as the original Golden Trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, who played Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger respectively. Gary Oldman (Sirius “Padfoot” Black in both Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and provided his voice in a small role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Robbie Coltrane (who played the lovable half-giant Hagrid), Jason Isaacs (who portrayed the malicious Lucius Malfoy), and Tom Felton (who starred as Harry’s school bully and son of Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy) also joined in the fun. However, fans noticed a great number of members missing from this marvelous ensemble such as Brendan Gleeson (who played the famous Auror Mad-Eye Moody), Maggie Smith (Professor Minerva McGonagall), Julie Walters (Molly Weasley), David Thewlis (Remus “Moony” Lupin), Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick/Griphook), and even Michael Gambon (who took up the mantle of Albus Dumbledore after the first two films). These cast exclusions really took away from the reunion aspect of the special as there was one scene where all of the actors who played the Weasley family (besides Chris Rankin who played Percy Weasley, Domhnall Gleeson who played Bill Weasley, and Julie Walters) got together and talked about their experiences on set and the friendships they made with each other.
Although there are some great moments of the cast reuniting, most of the screen time was eaten up by recapping every movie in the series. This detracts from the appeal of this reunion as those who are watching this special did not come for a summary of the Harry Potter films. True fans have likely watched the films dozens of times at this point, a whole decade after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (granted there were the two Fantastic Beasts films that came out in that past decade, and a third on the way), and this makes them feel as if they were robbed from a “true” reunion.
Despite the reunion feeling a little lackluster, there are a multitude of great moments between actors; for example, when Radcliffe and Helena Bonham Carter reminisce about how the young Potter actor sent a letter after the filming of Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix saying how if he was born 10 years earlier, he could’ve had a shot. One of the most interesting parts was when the director of The Prisoner of Azkaban, Alfonso Cuarón, talked about how when they first started filming the third picture, he assigned Watson, Radcliffe, and Grint an essay to let him get to know the characters better. Of course, Watson, just like Hermione, wrote an entire full length essay, Radcliffe wrote something from the heart, and Grint didn’t even do the essay whatsoever!
The most touching part of the special was when it paid tribute to series actors who have passed on. This part was heartbreaking as there were some actors who had only just recently died. This part featured actors such as Alan Rickman (1946-2016), Richard Harris (1930-2002), Richard Griffiths (1947-2013), Helen McCrory (1968-2021), Verne Troyer (1969-2018), Robert Hardy (1925-2017), John Hurt (1940-2017), as well as many more. They commemorated these actors marvelously, and it didn't feel like their memory was tainted or capitalized upon. The special provides satisfying closure not only to these actors, but also to the memory of the series as a whole.
Grade: B+
This reunion hits many special moments; however, the recapping of every single movie and unnecessary bits and bobs prevent it from reaching its full potential.
by Evan Parfitt
Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue IV
January 31st, 2022