Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022)

Director: Eran Creevy, Joe Pearlman, Giorgio Testi

Star Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 1h 43m

 8.0/10

I still can't believe it's been 20 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone came out. As a fan who keeps revisiting the movies again and again almost every quarter of the year, I was really excited for this reunion where the original cast united once again to share their experience and talk about the magical world which became an inseparable part of all of us.

We see Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Bonnie Wright(Ginny Weasley), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy) sharing their experience with us all and what it was like playing the characters.

But this reunion didn't give me the goosebumps I was expecting. It's fine that it doesn't reveal any groundbreaking secrets or something extraordinary that we didn't know already. It's about how Harry Potter became a larger-than-life franchise, which is magical in its own way. But I missed some of the important and favourite cast who aren't a part of this reunion-Sir Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall) Julie Walters(Molly Weasley), David Thewlis (Remus Lupin), Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley), Timothy Spall(Peter Pettigrew), David Bradley (Argus Filch), Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) and most importantly author JK Rowling (who just have I think 2 lines).

It was great listening to the directors enlightening us with their vision for the movies they directed and how they played their role in creating this universe. My favourite moments include Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Issacs, revealing some funny and interesting stuff from the past. It's so emotional and touching to see the lead actors Daniel, Emma, and Rupert again and talking about their friendship and the bond they have. Although I expected more conversation between the trio it's still good what we got. The moment they got emotional made me emotional too. That's the connection we have with these characters and the actors. I pay my respect for the actors who are not with us today but they will be in our hearts forever.

Overall it was a little nostalgic and emotional experience, listening to our all-time favorite actors talking about the characters they played. And I enjoyed all of it. 

The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is now streaming on Amazon Prime India and HBO Max.

 

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