Aside from Dumbledore's battle with Lord Voldemort, the duels in the movies were lackluster, but HBO's remake can change that. Of course, it's not easy to bring the magic of the wizarding world to the screen, and Warner Bros' movies, especially the early ones, did the best they could. Making wand fights look believable is expensive and time-consuming, and this is a luxury the Harry Potter movies didn't always have.
However, the and the advancements in CGI technology mean that more stunning duels can be brought to the screen. The upcoming series is expected to dedicate a season to each of Rowling's
books, which means a lot more time to really dive into Harry's story. So, unlike the movies in which Harry barely used any spells until , HBO's remake can be expected to feature a lot more magic performed by the witches and wizards, young or old. This means we will likely get more duels and battles like Dumbledore vs. Voldemort in .
Dumbledore and Voldemort's battle in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the first time audiences saw a duel between two powerful wizards, and it was pretty breathtaking.
was the first time audiences saw a duel between two powerful wizards, and it was pretty breathtaking. Up to this point in the film series, a wizarding duel meant that the two actors would simply jab their wands at one another, a flash of light would be added in post-production, and the recipient of the spell or curse would fly backward (thanks to a wire and harness). Dumbledore vs. Voldemort was the first that combat truly looked like impressive magic. Unfortunately, such a thing was really never repeated in the movies.
The most impressive duel following was Snape and McGonagall's battle in
, and even this wasn't anything spectacular. McGonagall flicked her wand at her colleague, and he quickly blocked the resulting flames with the wave of his own wand. The pair's duel in the book was far more engaging, with McGonagall impressively transfiguring her surroundings to challenge Snape. Ultimately, this indicates a weak point in the movies that HBO's remake can fix.
The lack of visually interesting battles in the
movies was difficult to avoid. When it comes to the earlier films, like and , technology wasn't up to snuff. Harry's duel with Draco in the second book saw the pair shoot jelly-leg curses and other spells that resulted in unique magical consequences, but the movie only had the technology to send the characters flying backward. By the later movies, it was still far beyond budget to make each duel or battle look as good as they were described in the books, so filmmakers had to be picky about what got the time and funding.
In the years since the movies concluded, technology has come a long way. This is evident by
, which, though they underperformed significantly, made leaps and bounds regarding wizarding duels. Now, HBO's remake can take this even further. The funding for such a project and the longer TV format means that each duel can be meticulously choreographed, with stunning CGI and a wider variety of spells that are far more true to the books. It will be like the Dumbledore and Voldemort fight from all over again (but even better).
Luckily for HBO, there are a couple of good examples within the Wizarding World franchise regarding how magical duels should be approached. Dumbledore's fights with Credence and Grindelwald in were pretty interesting, but not every wizarding battle needs to be quite that flashy (especially those involving less experienced witches and wizards). Instead, the remake should look to the combat in .
When was in development, prospective players were weary about combat, but the game managed to impress. Not only did each spell actually do what it was supposed to (rather than cause invisible damage or send the recipient flying backward), but the characters looked truly
performing them. The duelers twisted and turned, performing impressive blocks and counters while facing off against several enemies at once. This made for some excellent gameplay in , but it can also be used as an example when choreographing more basic duels in the remake. The result would be something pretty spectacular.
Harry Potter is HBO's remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling's popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did. Upon the announcement of the Harry Potter TV show, the series received harsh criticism for the involvement of Rowling and for many thinking a reboot was unnecessary.
