'Harry Potter': How Was the Movie Different From the Book?

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" wrapped up the series of films this weekend, and as always there were some creative differences between the movie and the book. Some make you shake your head, while others make you jump for joy. Here are the three that stood out the most to me...and of course, this comes with a major, major SPOILER ALERT!

1. "The Kiss"

The added scene with Ron and Hermione destroying the horcrux in the Chamber of Secrets was a nice touch. I remember feeling a bit let down when reading the book that that moment was glossed over, considering the others were a bit difficult to destroy. But the fact that the movie squeezed the kiss between Hermione and Ron in there wasn't as good a choice. If you'll remember, the book has Hermione attacking Ron when he says nice things about wanting to protect the house elves, whom Hermione has a soft spot for. That not only provided humor, but gave us an added level of "aww" when we see that these two really do belong together.

And speaking of house elves, they were left out of this deal entirely. You may remember Kreacher leading the house elves into the Great Hall to join the fight, an image from the book that really stood out for me. It was left out, and after the way that the goblins were treated (so many deaths!) it would have been nice to see another group of magical creatures get some recognition.

2. Neville's Speech

I have to hand it to the filmmakers here. They took the heroics of Neville Longbottom and cranked them up to 11, and it was so deliciously satisfying it just had to be fattening. The moment when Neville, a laughing stock for most of the story, steps up in front of Voldemort himself when all is lost and, in the face of the Death Eaters' mocking laughter, gives a heartfelt speech to attempt to rally the troops. It was a nice touch, giving Neville a bit more spotlight...after all, he could easily have been the Chosen One instead of Harry, if you'll remember all that Prophecy stuff.

All of that lead perfectly into Neville's true badass moment, when he sliced Nagini into a sushi dinner. That sequence was drawn out nicely to add even more importance to the moment and tension to the fight, which was a great filmic choice. Plus, it made Neville even cooler, and I'm all for that.

3. Voldemort's Death

I'll say that the final fight between Harry and Voldemort was great with its changes. The drawn-out duel was filled with tension (thanks to the extended life of Nagini) and I really enjoyed the flying sequence that further strengthened the "we're not so different, you and I" theme to the point where Harry's face melded with Voldy's. It was trippy, and I loved it.

But Voldemort's death was a bit of a letdown, and here's why: it was too fancy. In the book, Voldemort's "avada kedavra" curse bounces back at him, just as it did those many years ago, and knocks him dead the floor. That's it. Thud. Dead. Yes, it's not very dramatic, yes it's done in less than a second, but there's an important reason for that. Voldemort's sudden and ungraceful death shows that at that point, he's no longer the invincible monster he once was. He's just a man, like anyone else. And like anyone else, when he dies he's just a corpse.

The slow and gentle rebounding of the spell and the even gentler disintegrating of Voldemort takes all of that away. He dies as a mystical figure, getting a special death that no one else gets. I understand that since it's a movie and he has been the villain for eight films now, he needs something special. But if you're not going to give him the humiliating, mortal death that he would have so hated, at least make it look like it hurt a bit.

But that's just my two cents, folks. What do you think? Did you like these changes?