‘Harry Potter’: What The Movies Changed About Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley is an important character in the world of Harry Potter. He is Harry’s first friend at Hogwarts and becomes one of his best friends. Along with Hermione, Ron is always there for Harry and accompanies him on so many of his adventures.
Ron is a very important character in both the books and the movies. There are some differences, however, and some of them are key differences, between Ron in the Harry Potter books and Ron in the Harry Potter movies. Find out what the movies changed about Ron and look into possible reasons why, ahead.
What is Ron Weasley like in the ‘Harry Potter’ books?
According to Screen Rant, Ron is a lot more heroic in the Harry Potter books. He is a loyal friend, always defending those he cares about. There is a moment in the Prisoner of Azkaban book where Ron defends his friends Harry and Hermione. He is even willing to die if it means they are safe.
Instead, in the movie, Ron watches as Hermione defends Harry. This change does not make complete sense, as Ron’s heroism should have been more a part of the movies. He is Harry Potter’s best friend, after all. He almost needs to be a hero.
As it is, in the movies, Ron’s heroic moments are often given to Hermione. While Hermione is a heroine in her own right, she should not have been given so many of Ron’s heroic moments. Ron should have been able to stand on his own and be the hero a lot more frequently.
Why this was changed we don’t know. Yet it could have been to provide more of a contrast between Ron and Harry. However, fans likely wouldn’t have minded if Ron had been more heroic in the movies.
Ron is a stabilizing influence in the books
Harry and Hermione are often more emotional in the books. Ron is able to calm them down and offer a different perspective. Often Ron will offer his friends a much-needed dose of common sense. Movie fans may be somewhat surprised by this as he does not really do so in the movies.
One example of Ron offering common sense to his friends is in the Sorcerer’s Stone book when he reminds Hermione that she’s a witch when they’re facing the Devil’s Snare. Without Ron’s reminder, the three of them would have never gotten out of that sticky situation. Why scenes like this were left out of the movies, we don’t know. It would have been nice if Ron had truly gotten a chance to shine in the movies, both by being more heroic and offering his friends some common sense.
Instead, in the movies, Ron is often used as comic relief. While Ron does have a good sense of humor, and that should be shown as part of his character, it is not his whole character. He is capable of being serious as well and also of showing his common sense.
Why is Ron shown as less competent in the movies?
Though he is not as intelligent as Hermione, he is a lot more competent than what the movies portray. He and Harry often do equally well in their Hogwarts classes. In the Order of the Phoenix book, he and Hermione are both made prefects of Gryffindor. That is not a job that is given out without consideration.
Ron must have proven himself competent and capable of the responsibilities of being a prefect. In the movies, however, this is not shown. Ron is often portrayed as being less good at magic than Harry is and a lot worse than Hermione. This is not so in the books.
Why Ron is not shown as competent in the movies, we don’t know. It probably has something to do with his status as comic relief. Yet it’s a shame because fans of the Harry Potter movies would have probably loved to see a different side of Ron.
It would have been nice if Ron had been shown as more heroic, a stabilizing influence, and a lot more competent in the movies. It would have probably made his role in Harry’s life make a lot more sense. Though there are some similarities between book Ron and movie Ron, the movies did leave out quite a few crucial aspects of Ron’s character.
