Harry Potter Movie Portrayals: Rating the Actors/Performances
I've recently been rereading/rewatching the books and movies, so I've been doing a lot of direct comparisons. I thought it would be cool to have a thread specifically for the actors and their performances, with a little twist to make it more fun.
THE HOGWARTS GRADING SCALE
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Feel free to comment on what you like about each actor/performance, what you dislike, how they measure up to the books, along with an overall grade. We'll start with the titular character:
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Overall, I think Daniel Radcliffe did an excellent job with his portrayal of Harry Potter. My main complaint is that he's generally much more composed than he was in the books. I would've liked to have seen more emotion, more uncertainty… the movie version seems to have his shit together much more than the book version did.
Other than that, I wish the appearance was a closer match, particularly with the eyes. Startling green eyes are such an important element of the character, visually speaking… this seems like a huge oversight, even more so considering that his eyes look nothing like Lily's in the movies.
Set aside, I really did enjoy his performance. He deserves a lot of credit, especially considering how young he was in the earlier movies.
My Rating: E (Exceeds Expectations)
Quote from Heatherlly on January 17, 2023, 2:05 amOther than that, I wish the appearance was a closer match, particularly with the eyes. Startling green eyes are such an important element of the character, visually speaking… this seems like a huge oversight, even more so considering that his eyes look nothing like Lily's in the movies.
I think I heard somewhere that Radcliffe had an adverse reaction to the green contacts they gave him, so they just did it without them. But overall, I agree with your points.
I figured it was something like that, though I don't understand why they wouldn't use CGI in post production. We're talking about one of the most successful movie franchises of all time – it's not like they didn't have the budget for it. 😄
Next up, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. Thoughts?
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I think Emma Watson was a good casting choice and she did a fantastic job, but the portrayal of Hermione (from a script standpoint) has a few places where they take good moments from Ron and give them to her (Devil's Snare, first time meeting Sirius, etc.). I would've given her an O if not for that, but I have to settle for an E.
And to mention Ron: it feels like they castrated the guy in the films. Rupert Grint is a really good fit for him, and you can see that in the earlier movies with the way the character behaves. But after a certain point, they really get rid of a lot of his character, either by taking moments from him and giving them away, or simply by muting some of his louder traits. I'd say that early on, he's an O, but by the end of the last movie, an A at best.
I 100% agree with you about Ron. Rupert Grint was the perfect choice (O for the actor), though they did sell him increasingly short as a character. It's a real shame because as you said, the earlier films showed a ton of potential for him and what he could do with the role. I wish he had been given more of a chance to shine rather than being reduced to a mediocre sidekick role.
As for Hermione… Emma Watson did do a good job, though there are times when I feel her performance is overrated. I don't have a lot of strong opinions overall, so I'll just go ahead and give her an E.
Next up: Luna Lovegood!
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I'd say Evanna Lynch is the perfect Luna. Perfect casting, perfect performance, perfect writing. A solid O.
Agreed. I wouldn't be able to find a single thing to criticize about her, even if I wanted to. My only complaint, in both the books and the movies, is that I wish she'd had a more prominent role.
Up next is Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, which is another solid O for me. Just like his father, he seems to have jumped right out of the pages – the difference between book and movie characterization is seamless.
Probably obvious by now, but I'm trying to do this in a certain order since there are so many characters. Right now, it's specifically Hogwarts students. Feel free to bring up any other notable students you'd like to comment on.
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100% agree with you on Tom Felton.
As for other students, I think the next group to focus on would be the rest of the Weasleys, starting with the twins. Appearance-wise, they're supposed to be shorter and stockier than their other brothers, but also still above-average height. As for characterization, they don't really give the twins too many differences; they're sorta just the same character. Fred is supposed to be more of the instigator and cruel with his pranks, while George is supposed to be the gentler of the two.
That being said, James and Oliver Phelps were fantastic picks for the roles; they have the same energy as Fred and George.
Overall, I'd probably give them either an A or E.
I agree with you about the twins, though I'll go ahead and give them an E. They might not completely match the physical description, but I feel like they make up for that with their energy/characterization.
On the flipside, I don't like Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley at all. I dislike her so much, in fact, that she gets my first failing grade (P). Granted, I might be biased since I had trouble connecting with her character even in the books. But the movie version/her performance feels even more bland and uninteresting. She does nothing for me individually, and the chemistry between her and Harry is nonexistent.
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