Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection

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When the trio unexpectedly discover a three-headed dog guarding a secret trapdoor, they begin to suspect that something important might be hidden beneath the school, and when they investigate it leads to an encounter with the evil wizard Voldemort (Ian Hart). But it really is Harry, Ron and Hermione for much of the film with just the odd interlude to see what Voldemort is up to. I can’t believe that I’m actually saying this, but they’ve been a little too handy with the scissors, and what remains isn’t all that satisfying as a story.

It allows for one final burst of energy, a bit of action and comedy as the trio raid Gringotts, before things get really dark and dramatic for the final battle, and leavening the action with a bit of levity, or some other character arc is no longer an option. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.

Harry Potter is looking forward to another eventful year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, especially as it means getting away from the horrendous Dursleys, but this year it looks as if he won`t even get that far, as Dobby the house-elf appears in his bedroom with a warning of dire consequences should he set foot in Hogwarts one again.

If Harry, Hermione and Ron can’t get to the bottom of the mystery, then Hogwarts may be closed permanently. As such, a lot of significant developments happen off screen, we only hear about Snape becoming headmaster of Hogwarts on a magical radio, we don’t even see the fall of the Ministry of Magic, and appearances from other regular characters are brief enough to be merely cameos.

Of course, Harry's wishes for an uneventful school year are almost immediately shattered when he is unexpectedly chosen, along with fellow student Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), as Hogwarts' representative in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which awards whoever completes three magical tasks the most skilfully with a thousand-galleon purse and the admiration of the international wizarding community. In 'The Half-Blood Prince' (2009) Lord Voldemort exerts his power over both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and, consequently, Hogwarts no longer provides the safe haven it once did. If you’ve read the book, and know the backgrounds to the characters, the reason why things happen in the story, then you’ll enjoy the film a lot more.