Pondering Potterheads...

I mostly write about football as it is a huge passion in my life.. the other is probably Harry Potter.. however via Twitter, I do not really have many Harry Potter fans to converse with.. so I thought I would write a blog entry in which I would strike up a few discussions/debates for any readers to get involved with.

If you fancy following me on Twitter by the way, do so at @MisterJPrice .. If I get enough HP fans on there, I will stop talking about sports as much, and talk to anyone/everyone about Harry Potter!

1.) Richard Harris vs Michael Gambon

The first debate/discussion I would like to discuss is the who was the "better Dumbledore"? I talk about this with many people, and of if Richard Harris had not sadly passed away, we would not be having this discussion today.. but I feel with both actors portraying Dumbledore so differently.. the argument is important.

My preference is with Michael Gambon..despite the fact that he spends 95% of his time trying to hide his Irish accent, I still feel that he is the better Dumbledore. A lot of my friends believe that Harris was more like the Dumbledore that JK Rowling created, yet in the first few films, it is still for young people and the story is innocent. I believe that as the story goes on and Dumbledore becomes less of a teacher and more of a warrior opposing Voldemort .. he must be more aggressive like Harris.

There is the example in that in HP4, when Harry's name emerges from the Goblet, in the books Dumbledore asks Harry calmly if he had put his name in the Goblet.. and of course, this does not happen in the film as we all know. Was this better or worse in your opinion?

2.) What was the most important aspect of the series that the film decided to ignore/cut?

True Potterheads know that many aspects of JK Rowlings stories were cut from the film due to time constraints, and various aspects were changed to be more "lively" for the audience...what do you believe was the most important aspect left out or changed?

For me, the weirdest moment of the whole series is that in the last film, they decide to have Harry and Voldemort fly around the Hogwarts grounds in some sort of death grip.. this was surely a stunt for the 3D glasses, but for me it was pointless and disappointing. (I have left out other examples as I want you to give your own opinions)

3.) Should Neville have killed Bellatrix?

I am sure that most Harry Potter fans are sick to death of this debate, however it is one that I love. I am a firm believer that Neville should have been the one to kill Bellatrix, as it would create justice. The argument for Molly killing Bellatrix is that as a mother, her unconditional love for her family, gave her the power to defeat Voldemorts right hand-woman. However, as much as this is beautiful, it is also frustrating for me.. as Bellatrix is supposed to be one of the best witches throughout magical history.. she had killed so many people and was such an impressive duellist. Would a woman who has been a housewife and nothing else (not meaning to aggravate the feminists here!) be able to stop arguably the best witch of all time..? No!

I also understand that Neville is not a great wizard himself, but he was supposed to be the most dedicated member of Dumbledore's army, and if he had defeated her, it would have embodied his commitment to avenge his parents.