Harry Potter: Books or Movies?

The Harry Potter franchise has always been a big hit, but it leaves fans to decide whether the books or the movies are better.

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The Harry Potter franchise has always been a big hit, but it leaves fans to decide whether the books or the movies are better.

Hayley B., Aishwarya A., and Sebastien A.

Ever since the Harry Potter franchise was released, it’s been popular amongst readers and movie-watchers. From the moment the movies arrived in theaters, the debate began. Which is better: the Harry Potter book series or the movies? 

Though two Day Creek students voiced their preference for the book version, they each had different reasons why. 

“I prefer the book series because they give more details, and it’s more exciting to read the books rather than to watch the movies,” said seventh grader Christine A. 

“The books are way better because they are a lot more descriptive and they let you see things in your own perspective,” said seventh grader Pooja H. “This is true for almost anything; the books are almost always better, in my opinion.” 

Others disagreed, believing that the movies are better. 

“Although I really love the books, I enjoy watching the movies more because you get to experience the story more and you can get to know the characters better,” said seventh grader Ryan P. 

According to some people, the movies provide a better perspective of the characters’ personalities

Books and movies have their own flaws, regardless of how they were written or directed. And readers and watchers each have a different opinion regarding what needs fixing. 

“[Although the books] are classic and very well written, the only thing that I might consider changing is maybe describing the setting, to make it more enjoyable by the reader,” said Ryan. 

However, Pooja disagreed. “I would change them because some of the movies change the details. [Even though] they are very minor, it makes the movies awkward, so I would change that.” 

“I would probably change Ginny’s attitude because I don’t like Ginny’s attitude towards everyone in the movies, but I do like her attitude in the books,” said Christine.

Student viewers also offered their own version of Day Creek’s Rotten Tomatoes. 

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“I would definitely rate the books 10/10 and also the movies 10/10. I’ve never really been invested into a series like that, but I really love the story,” said Ryan P. 

“The movies would be a 7 or 6 because of the minor details that are off because they change the visual you see in your head. In your head, you have a perspective on what the characters would look like and behave but when you see a movie it changes the way you see it. Then when you read the book again, it is never the same. I would rate the books a 10 because they give richer details,” said Pooja H. 

“I would rate the Harry Potter movies an 8/10 because they just don’t add all the details from the books into the movies. For the books, I would rate them 10/10 because J.K Rowling really elaborated on all the different details that they didn’t have in the movies,” said Christine A.

According to Goodreads, 92% of the people surveyed prefer the books and only a meager 8% prefer the movies.  

So which is the overall winner? The books or the movies?