I hate how the later movies focused soooo much on Harrys/Hermiones friendship and neglected Rons and Harrys friendship terribly. So many scenes that were actually about Harry/Ron in the books were giving to Hermione. For example: Book: Ron and Harry were alone in private when RON found out that Harry has a scar on his hand (from Umbridge) It showed how he cared about Harry. Movie: All three sit together while HERMIONE found out that Harry has a scar on his hand, meanwhile Ron said just one sentence.... why they included Hermione for no reason in the first place? Iit was originally a pure Harry/Ron moment. Book: Ron said to Harry: "We are with you Harry, whatever happens." at the end of Book 6. It showed how motivated he was to help harry with the horcruxes. Movie: Harry and Hermione talk about the horcrux and have a conversation, meanwhile Ron sit somewhere in the background and said NOTHING. Book: Ron protected Harry from Sirius with a broken leg. Movie: Hermione protected Harry from Sirius.... Book: When Ron left in Deahly Halllows, it was (like you said already) a HUGE shock, we read from harrys point of view how terribly he felt when his best friend left. It was the moment when something broke between the trio as a whole, cause Harry and Hermione barely talked with each other for weeks and seemed emotionally helpless without ron. Movie: Harry and Hermione danced with each other and had fun... the whole dynamic and balance of the trio was runied by this happy moment. Cause this moment didn't showed that Ron was the heart of the trio. And they left the ultimative bro-hug between H/R in Deathly hallows, although it was a huge significant moment of their friendship. Book: Harry didn't told Ron and Hermione that he faces Voldemort in the forest, only Neville knew. Movie: Harry told them and Hermione hugged him and seems really sad, meanwhile Ron was just in the background and did and said NOTHING. Book: Harry and Hermione have a brother/sister bond, they have their up an downs with each other, also Harry doesn't always understand hermione and is sometimes annoyed by her. Harry likes her very much, but for Harry Hermione isn't the same as his best friend Ron. Movie: Hermione seems to be harrys veeeery bestiest friend by heart, they have no disagreements and conflicts with each other, all seems very unrealistic and over the top for me... Book: It is about Harry Potter and TWO impotant side kicks by his side. Movie: It is about Harry and Hermione.... and a hanger-on whos name is Ron.
Ur comment is so underrated . Great information and I completely agree with you that Ron was portrayed as a comedic relief in the movies, where as in the books he was an important character and was intelligent emotionally and fell for the true Hermione. Wheteas, in the movies he out of nowhere started developing feelings in prisoner of askaban. Anyway, this is just my opinion
I completely agree with you. But I think the most offensive change that the movies did to Ron was in the scene were Bellatrix tortures Hermione. When that happens in the books Ron lost it completely: he begs her to take him instead, and when he's taken to the cell he can't stop screaming and kicking.... you can feel his pain and his love for Hermione. But in the movies...He Doesn't do Freeaking anything!!! I can totally get why people that only saw the movies don't understand why Hermione married Ron. By robbing Ron of his charm they not only destroy him as a character, but they also ruined the hole Ron/Hermione dynamic. Being a hardcore Harry Potter fan (as the nerd rage in this comment clearly indicates), and as the years goes by, I find it harder and harder to re watch the movies, just because I can't stand the way they slowly but firmly destroyed Ron. haha!!
Totally agree with you! This was one of the scenes I was planning on mentioning, but I didn't want to extend my video out to last a hundred years of me yelling about Ron. But I have so many issues with how they played down his dynamic with Hermione in general. And this scene in particular is so telling. In the book it's almost hard to read he's so upset. And while he's upset in the movies, I just didn't get that same feeling of like... utter desperation from him. And that is what happens to his relationship with Hermione in all the movies, I thin.
well that´s just the second worse offense. like shifting Ron scenes to hermione pissed me off more. Th e devils snare for instance. Hermione is freaking out even looks for wood and ron screams "are you a witch or not" reminding hewr of the Incendio spell.while movie hermione is just chill and kills the thing. Or the scene that gets me boiling: in the book Ron in front of Harry in the shrieking shack while his leg was broken. Telling Sirius, if he wants to get to harry he has to kill him first. In the movie of course hermione does it. Man i hated that. way to destroy a character. Man they took away from Ron to the point where they should not even have cast a Ron at all if they had planned ron like this!
Fully agree with you.. I couldn't have said any better. I love book Ron so much for being a realistic character with some great qualities and some very human flaws...
I've recently started my re-read of the books and i'm on GOF now. This time around i'm really noticing how Chivalrous Ron is. And not JUST to his friends. There are tons of throw away lines about Ron helping people, even outside his house. A fresh example for me is at the beginning of fourth year while the castle is undergoing a deep cleaning to impress the new visitors. Filch is in a fowl mood and trying to discipline students for breathing loudly and when they come across a group of 1st year Ravenclaws, he stops to warn them not to go down the corridor where Filtch is. HE's always pulling neville out of the trick step, and helping first years avoid peeves, but all of these lines are more like background candy. "The three rounded a corner out of the dungeons, Hermione whispering furiously to Harry while Ron warned a group of 1st year Ravenclaws about Filch." And that's just strangers. That's not even counting the times he helps his friends, like standing on a broken leg to yell at what he'd thought was mass murderer Sirius Black that he'd have to go through him to get to Harry. Ron is always picking up books for people who drop them, especially Hermione, but also anyone else who needs it. HE's just a very considerate person.
And this plays into the end when Ron mentions the house elfs, something Hermione hadnt thought of and Harry asks if to get them to fight. That firat kiss between them really is the product of all the buildup of their characters.
I know I'm 4yrs late but this comment made me think of that moment in the book when Hagrid tells the trio that Buckbeak is being sentenced to death, and Ron immediately offers to make tea because that "was what his mum always did when anyone was upset"💔❤🩹
Honestly something that bothered me as the movies progressed is I didn't feel like the trio grew closer and stronger like it did with the books but I never could quite place what was missing. You are completely right about Ron being the gooey sentimental glue that holds them together. When he left in Deathly Hallows it was truely heart breaking and the movie couldn't quite capture the same impact
Kyle Jackson I loved the fighting scene, suddenly Ron became a real person. And I loved Hermiones reaction. That she just brakes down once she and Harry had disapparated the following morning. Harry tries to cheer her up in the "silly-dancing" scene, but the loss of Ron is devastating. But I missed the scene when Ron had stabbed the goblet, and just cries, and Harry is trying to comfort him. In the movie Ron emediately becomes the humorous guy again and that leaves him strangely two dimensional. That's a shame.
Yes, so true. When I was younger I didn't notice it but I just recently watched them all over again and as the movies progressed its like it becomes a strong duo versus a trio. He kept having less lines and when he did have lines they were to make him be a joke. It just frustrated me so much that their stongest point was when they were in their 1st year.
I am so angry they even took the 'If you want to kill Harry you'll have to kill us first" line from him and gave it to hermoine... I mean come on. It was one of my favorite Ron moments. It's a moment, a 13 year old stands on his broken leg, telling a mass murderer who just escaped prison that if he wants to kill his best friend he will have to kill him first. It's just amazing.
Ron is such an underrated and important character in the Harry Potter series. In the movies, he's so overlooked and portrayed as an idiot most of the time. He's basically just there for comic relief and it's so annoying because he's such a great character and so much more than that.
So if Ron's the heart of the trio, does that mean Hermione's the brain and Harry's the soul? :) I totally agree with you on every point btw. Ron's a shallow joke machine in the movies, Hermione's a flawless witch with perfect hair - and they both lose every ounce of charm they had in the books. Hermione panicking and losing her cool and Ron defusing the situation with common sense was vital in the books. Half their dynamic is missing in the movies! Also, Ron and Harry are so close that, even with the rift between them in the Goblet of Fire, Ron's still the person Harry would miss most in the second task... Not Hermione. She is Harry's other best friend for sure, but in GOF Harry even notes that their friendship isn't as easy as it is with Ron. You'd never guess that in the films -_-
in the movies ron was the joke. he was cowerd stupid and heartless. and i think the most annoying thing to me that they did in the movies were in DH2 when harry was going to voldmort and was saying goodbye to them ron just stood there letting his freind go to death while in the book harry wear his cloak so ron and hermione dont see him because he knew they will not let him go alone and would go with him even if it costs their lifes
The movies even went out of their way to make Hermione more attractive.. I know Emma Watson was attractive all on her own and that couldn't be helped, but her hair went from bushy to curly to just plain straight by the final movie. Hermione was always too busy studying till 3 AM and worrying over classwork and helping Harry to focus on taking care of her hair, and the movies completely ignored this fact.
She has done an interview on how much she hated (and still cringes when she looks back on) that first hair. I know it was her job but she was still a child with insecurities and I think they took into consideration how hating her appearance for 8 movies would affect her. It's not the same as Daniel's contacts which hurt his eyes, or Emma's fake teeth bc she couldn't talk with them in, but hating your appearance for multiple years (a decade?!?!) while going through puberty and the whole world seeing the version of yourself that you hate seems like it'd be damaging. Plus, they did not have contracts for ALL of the movies; they could've walked away after the 6th movie. If you wanted to ensure you had the best chance for getting the actors/actresses for signing on for the whole project you have to be willing to make some sacrifices to make sure they are happy and comfortable and want to come back for all of the movies.
Veronika Daisy, she was 11. Do you really think she could anticipate hating her hair once she got older and more self conscience? I sure as hell didn't care about my appearance until around 13-14. Plus, they may not have stipulated anything about her appearance other than no drastic changes (cutting her hair off like she did after the movies). All I'm saying is I bet you would have been more angry if Emma Watson left after the 6th movie because she hated being Hermione.
There's nothing lazy about it; it probably took just as long to do the other hair styles she ended up having throughout the movies. She had normal hair bc she did not want that other hair. period. Of course she didn't have to wear that hair style outside of making the movie, but the cast was going to school on the set and hanging out with her peers in between takes. She was living a life (aka growing up) as Emma while she was filming the movies, so yes, she was actually wearing that hair to school and while hanging out with her friends. (and no you can't just take a wig off in between takes. It has to be restyled and the hair underneath would probably look like ass bc usually it's in a hairnet). She didn't like the hair so the directors LET her have normal hair bc obviously they were logical and compassionate people. Yes she signed on to be Hermione, but do you really think an 11 yr old is mature enough to realize what that entirely means? there's a reason we treat crimes committed by juveniles differently than adults and hair is a small concession to keep a young child actress happy for the DECADE you expect her to be committed to the franchise even if her contract stipulated she have "hermione" hair (which it may not have). If you're going to be angry about something, maybe be mad about how they butchered Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's personalities. Looks are superficial and multiple characters did not match their descriptions (Snape was supposed to be early 30's... not mid 50s), but the script was well in control of the character's personalities. The only way to make it right is if and when they remake the movies some day, but i'm sure concessions would be made again and people will continue to be upset over how every little detail isn't perfect.
directors have control but they can still be smart and compassionate to the fact that hating her appearance for the duration of the whole eight movies would affect her psychologically. Obviously you aren't a psychologist so maybe this just doesn't resonate with you that the people making the movies also cared about the well being of the children. I did not "catch" your anger about that bc you did not express that; you would not stop harping about the superficial, and significantly less important, aspects of the movies. I hope you do not have children bc you obviously lack empathy and compassion required to understand anyone else's feelings other than yours. This conversation is over bc it is obvious you lack the ability to analyze and understand basic arguments and I am talking to a wall.
He want to make her seem very perfect, simple things such as her not knowing what "mudblood" is, her not having very much confidence on a broomstick, or her freaking out of Devil's snare makes us see how nobody is perfect, not even Hermione, and this is, in my opinion, one of the best HP themes. In the movies, Hermione knows what a mudblood is and INCREDIBLY rides a broomstick, and she doesn't freak out in the devil snare scene, I agree with you that Hermione being not perfect makes her interesting, cause let's be honest, who likes someone who is perfect? I won't
I think the Devil's Snare scene is forgivable, since they cut Snape's Challenge, and they wanted Hermione to still have the solo victory she had in the book. Ron had the chess match, Hermione had the riddle, and Harry had the final chamber. the Devil's Snare and the Winged Keys in the book were team efforts. So Harry actually got two solo victories in the movie rather than like in the book. Movie Hermione is the fan fiction version of her. Beautiful, curves in all the right places, curly hair not bushy, trendy non-uniform clothes, all-knowing, and unable to pick an emotion in one scene. Even Ron's _temper_ is given to her. The problem is that Steve Kloves has gone on record saying Hermione is his favourite character. Because of this, Hermione gets played out a lot, and he clearly doesn't like Ron and Ginny, since he goes out of his way to downplay them and play out the relationship between Harry and Hermione. Ginny and Ron both suffer a lot in the movies from the writer's clear disdain for them. Presumably, he hates them for the same reason Harmony shippers hate them- they get in the way of Harry and Hermione's (non-existent) romance. I mean Romione and Hinny come out of _nowhere_ in the movies because of the writing and the lack of chemistry.
Ron has never been my favorite character out of the Golden Trio, but the differences between him in the books and him in the movies are just ridiculous. And while I love Hermione, part of her charm for me was that she was this awkward, ridiculously smart girl who always had her nose in a book, and I identified with that. She didn't necessarily understand social interaction, but she worked on it. She didn't know how to do her hair or her makeup, but she taught herself, or learned from the other girls in her year. Giving her Ron's best traits and moments makes her into an Everyman character that we're all supposed to identify with, but it also diminishes her actual importance in the trio, and makes Ron's presence fairly superfluous in some places. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the three main characters are codified in certain episodes by the parts of Buffy's psyche they're meant to represent. Buffy herself is the soul, Xander is the heart, and Willow is the mind. In the books, Harry is the soul, Ron is the heart, and Hermione is the mind. Giving Hermione the heart coding as well as the mind in the movies pulls apart the idea of the magical three who unite to save the day--something JKR was clearly going for right from the start. Basically, Ron is important and he shouldn't have had his usefulness and purpose transferred to someone else because it breaks the narrative structure and character arcs set up very early in the source material.
"Its all Hermione" - Thats a good summary of the movies in general. I do like the movies. I think they work wel las an adaptation but the characters is the weakest spot of the movies. Hermione did not just take away traits of Rons character but also of Harr'ys character. If i would only know the movies i would think: "Well Hermione knows and does everything. Harry's got his Scar and fame which is useful and Ron is also around." And this is not an accurate thing to think if you compare those characters to their bookversions...
Yeah because the fucking screenwriter is all about Hermione,he likes the character so much that he sacrafice Ron's original book character to make her more superior and carry the team Its truly bullshit,and I want to see book Ron so bad
Book!Ron is one of my all time favourite characters. I agree with everything you said, so much of his humour was much more clever in the books as well. I can only hope in a few years we might get a tv series that doesnt change anything about the story/characters. Ginny, the powerful, independent book-version, would be awesome. Also more of Neville's family story and Remus. Just.. so much more of everything but the right way.
Ahhh I agree so much with everything you said! They massacred Ron's character in the films and I'll never be over it. It really annoys me how they completely diminished his character because one of the directors (can't remember which one) was an admitted Harmony shipper (gross) and so gave all the screentime to them and treated Ron like an incompetent inconvenience, when Ron is SO IMPORTANT. They really simplified the trio to make them the Hero, the Girl and the Spare which is so aggravating. The films made mistakes of a lot of things, Ron probably being the biggest one.
Natalie C. what is gross about shipping harry and hermione together even if its not canon? (and no i am not talking about the fanatic shippers btw.) i mean anyone can ship whoever they want and they do have chemistry in the books as well. but yeah i agree about the rest esp. regarding ron and hermione. the movies really changed tons of stuff unneccesarily from the books and especially ron and hermione and harry and ginnys relationships really suffer from this and make it due to this nonsensical in the movies (instead of being better built up and portrayed like in the books) (i am not saying that everything should be exact same bc. thats not possible due to the different kinds of medias books and movies are but the quite a few changes werent necessary)
Yes yes yes! Thank you! Ron was flawed, and could be mean, but so could Hermione and Harry. And it was his good side that often helped the reader understand WHY he behaved badly sometimes. For example, its easier to understand his picking on Hermione sometimes when you understand she picks on him right back, and its easier to understand his resentment towards harry in book 4 and 7 when you understand more about his home life and how he isn't catching a break despite all the good things he does. Honestly I was more frustrated with Hermione's characterization then Ron's though. It's because Hermione was portrayed as being able to do no wrong that Ron ended up looking so bad by comparison. I remember just foaming at the mouth during the last movie when she starts telling Dumbledore's brother about his sister Ariana, just yelling at the screen, "How would you even know that Hermione? That was a private family matter, not written in any wizarding books! Being book smart doesn't mean you know everything!"
You put all of my thoughts into a wonderful video, now if only you could do one for Ginny. Another thing that I think speaks highly to the friendship between Ron and Harry is that Ron is the person that Harry has to save during the Triwizard Tournament. This really showcases how much of a friend he is to Harry and how loyal and faithful he is. Harry truly cherishes Hermione's friendship, but Ron is his number one person and I feel like that is lost in the movies. When his lines and actions are given to Hermione it lessens Harry and Ron's friendship, which is such a great part of the books.
I agree completely! He is one of the most loyal characters in literature, and I feel like a lot of that was taken away in the movies. He also comes across as kind of dumb and an idiot, but he never felt any dumber than Harry in the books--actually, especially in the early books, Harry comes across as the "dumb one" a lot because he knows nothing about the wizarding world. And that's all there to make the reader feel a connection to Harry, and identify with him, because he is, in a sense, just like us--new and ignorant to the Wizarding world. Ron, and his family, provide so much for both Harry and Hermione. Even though Hermione has great parents, they sort of get left behind for her, because they almost exist in another reality. She needs the Weasleys just as much as Harry. By the later books, she's around The Burrow just as much as Harry, sometimes even more. There is just no way that Voldemort could have been defeated if Harry, Ron, or Hermione were any less than they were in the books.
I agree with you. I feel they did a very poor portrayal of Ron in the movies. I also think Hermione was just too strong in the movies; she not only got a lot of Ron's lines, knowledge and ideas, but she also took some of Harry's. Both Ron and Harry come off as less intelligent and quick thinking in the movies. One example is when they are trying to get out of Gringotts, in the books, Harry is the one who gets the idea to escape on the dragon and in the movies they have Hermione come up with the idea. I know I've noticed other things when I watch the movies, but I haven't seen them in a while, so that's all I can think of at the moment. I wish they'd left more lines and ideas with who they belonged to in the books when they did the movies. Though I agree that Ron was the most maligned in his movie portrayal (at least of the trio, they also did a bad job with Ginny).
And I hated it when they destroyed the Malfoy house scene. God that was such a disappointment. In the books Ron would have literally tore the tower down brick by brick with his own hands. The screams of Hermoini could not let him breath. He was so impaitient, he was shouting, banging the gates, shouting and screaming from downstairs. When finally the gates opened and Wormtail died, Ron was the first to jump out of dungeon. He pounced at the Malfoys, like literally. He was the one who snatched away the wands first and shot at those damn wizards. What they showed in movie was BLASPHEMY. Love Ron ❤Always....
I was never a fan of Hermione, because of the fact that she got Ron's lines from the book. I always loved Ron as the book character and I hated how they made him like I believe you said, the butt of all the jokes, but in truth he was a real leg that both Harry and Hermione stood on.
This is now, officially, my favourite video ever! Ron has always been my favourite character and despite how much I did like the movies and thought the casting was perfect, I dislike them every time I think about how much they crapped on Ron's character and put Hermione on a ridiculous pedestal. They took away all of Ron's great characteristics and moments and either gave them to Hermione or just left them out completely. They did the opposite with Hermione where all of her flaws and bad moments were ignored and completely left out. I honestly think the reason why Ron is the least popular is because people have movie Ron in their heads and forget or don't know how great he is in the books. Hermione's changes in the movies annoyed me greatly because they basically turned her into a Mary Sue which I think is insulting to a character who is so rich and three dimensional.
I also think when people complain about Ron and bring up the fact that he insulted her in their first year which made her cry, I think that they forget just how snobby and quite rude she was to him when they met and how she talked down to him before that moment. I don't condone what he said but he didn't say it to her and didn't intend for her to hear it. He was just having a moan to his friends about someone that had irritated him which I think everyone has done at some point in their lives (and we would be just as gutted if someone overheard us in those moments). Plus he was frustrated because she had talked down to him from the minute they met. Not to mention the fact that they were both 11 at the time and we've all done and said stupid things when we're 11. They both grew and changed over time.
I totally agree, they Made Hermine a Mary Sue in the movies at the expense of Book Ron and I am so SO glad you mentioned that character's deficiencies and weaknesses makes for interesting arcs and developments.
Dang, as I get older I love Ron more and more. He’s the most realistic of the trio. Not everyone can be the Chosen One, and even though I was very much the Smart Girl, I related to Ron too. He was basically the ideal best friend for anyone: protective, has common sense, good sense of humor, and loyal. It’s also important for kids to know that it doesn’t matter if they’re ‘chosen’ or the most brilliant kid, or the most talented, or most creative. #RonWeasleyDefenseSquad2K19
I'm really glad you did a whole video about Ron; it made a whole lot of sense and kind of made me realise how I myself had underestimated these qualities in him to a certain extent. But I feel that this is one part of a much broader problem that the films had in relation to the original story. In my opinion, the films didn't do the book any justice -- they focused much more on the big action sequences and other things that are superficially impressive and treated all the in-between scenes that had to do with how the trio's relationship developed and the nuances of the emotional journey each character goes through like an inconvenient series of notes that had to be shown in order for the blockbuster scenes to make sense. The most important thing for me about the stories told in the books was the growing pains of the characters who are arguably at the most sensitive and vulnerable age a human can be at, and that's what makes the whole thing so magical. It's not just the wizarding world that is an amazing experience in itself; it's how Harry and his friends feel about the world and situations they find themselves in that made it so personally and intimately engaging to so many readers. It really felt like the movies didn't know how to or care about conveying that, and only tried to portray the stories from the outside in; and without that emotional landscape, it's difficult to care about anything else that happens.
can we all still agree though that Harry liking Ginny back kind of came out of nowhere during the half blood prince? and i'm talking about both book and filmwise
3:50 - So Hermione is the head of the team, Harry is the face of the team, and Ron is the heart of the team. Clearly Neville was the biceps. ...They didn't show themselves until way late in the game, though, 'cause Harry's a scrawny git.
I love this video. I hate how Ron gets so much hate and he doesn't deserve it. He's a great friend. and such an important part of the trio and I think the movies take that away I also think Hermione is such a better character with her flaws.
I am also so damn mad that they never mentioned in the movies how jealous Ron was because he felt like his mum and family loved Harry more. Ron's always been this 6th son that was supposed to finally be a girl. He's never been intelligent like Percy, brave like Bill or bold like charlie. He wasn't as popular as Fred&George. And then there's his best friend, being THE Harry Potter. And of cause he's afraid his family's gonna like him more. But he still doesn't hesistate to share his damn family with harry.
In all honesty, the changes in the first two didn’t bother me as much. For the sake of flow and plot they are excusable. The first film with the devil’s snare though was given to Hermione seeing as her own moment with the potion was cut, Ron retained his usefulness with identifying the type of key needed to open the door as well as the chess board and also telling Harry to go on alone setting the stage for most of his future encounters with destiny. Now what happened starting from Prisoner of Azkaban is anyone’s guess. People responded to Emma Watson. It’s the same thing happening now with Rey in Star Wars. Though Prisoner is one of my favourites cinematically, followed by Order of the Phoenix, it’s certainly the start of a downfall in true adaptation quality. Then it passed to David Yates and it just became about empire building and money.
I guess that’s what happens when you turn what is essentially a series of mystery books into a series of teen drama/thrillers. That, and having a director and screenwriter later on who apparently couldn’t set aside their favorite ‘ship long enough to at least be as close to the books as possible in the context of a film.
This just sums up all my feelings. I feel like the writers/directors had an agenda and that didn't include Ron. What's more annoying is that I think Rupert Grint would've been awesome at portraying the Ron from the books.
Absolutely! Although I do like Rupert's acting in the movies, I wish he'd been allowed to play the character as he was in the book. I mean, that was why he auditioned for the part in the first place wasn't it, because he felt such a connection to Ron in the books.
Such a good video, you definitely boiled down the most prominent differences! I've always focused more on book/movie Hermione being different, but you're right you can't have one without the other. In general I just love how flawed and different to one another the characters are in the books, which is always refreshing when compared to the movies. It makes me sad when people say they don't like Ron but love Hermione purely based on the movies...it's like you're missing out by not seeing their true potential/identities!
Completely agree and I feel that this also affected the actor's future roles. So many people found Ron annoying and saw Rupert Grint as that annoying side kick character with no desirability. Huge mistake on the part of the directors.
Everything you said was so true! I've been rereading the books recently and there are SO many scenes with Ron that I read and I can tell HOW his character would've been changed or when things would've/were given to Hermione.
Ron was definitely the glue that held the trio together. He balanced out Hermione, who could be rather severe when it came to studying, rules, etc.; and he balanced out Harry, who dealt with some pretty heavy stuff throughout the series but had Ron there to keep his spirits up. Ron provided levity, fun and warmth which are all things very much needed when things get dark. He was fiercely loyal, both to Harry and Hermione, and despite the coward they often portrayed him as in the films, he was quick to jump to the defense of both of his friends. Ron, not Hermione, was Harry's #1 best friend...Hermione was #2 despite what the films would have you think. They ruined Ron in the films and did a lot of damage to Hermione as a character too (she's basically flawless in the films which IS NOT the case in the books). That is why I will always prefer the books over the films.
I always feel like Ron was often overlooked and left aside. I think that's so unfair. He, along with the rest of his family, provides the first real "family experience" Harry's ever got to have. He was like a brother to Harry, he was always loyal, willing to listen and protect those who he loved. He's *so* underrated.
Another fantastic video, loving the HP chats. I do really love the movies but yeah, poor Ron did get the short straw a bit. Another thing that I wish they had included a bit more in his movie-incarnation is that this kid was from a poor family, he had to go without things or have second (or third) hand ones. His socioeconomic background was such a big part of what shaped him as a character in the book but the movies gloss over it a bit, leaving out things like the goblin gold in GOF, a real shame because it made his moments of jealousy towards Harry that bit more understandable, and Ron all the more wonderful because though he was sometimes embarrassed, frustrated or resentful about it he never stopped being generous, like you said, opening his home and his family life to his friends who had a lot more than him materially. Ron is just fab really.
They turned Hermonie into a Rey essentially. Absent of flaws, nigh completely dependable almost to a fault, ironically. She made Ron nearly obsolete. Whichs sucks because I love Ron and I feel he gets the worst portrayal in the movies as you said, the butt of all jokes and a coward mostly
Ron got the short end of the sick but all three weren't right in the movies. Hermione's too flawless; brave, literally knows everything, perfect hair. In the books she's smart and studious but lacks Harry's in the moment courage/daring, can be socially awkward. Harry ends up a blank protagonist, not memorable just 'the chosen one', in the book's he's brave and moral to a ridiculous degree, he'd give up his life for a stranger. Ron is the glue of the trio in the books, the only one with a wizard upbringing, he's Harry's family, the most sociable. Equally he suffers from being so much in other's shadows. This kind of complexity didn't make it into the films, much to their detriment. The video really pinpointed the issue with 'the balance' being skewed- Ron is a right off but even Harry suffers & ultimately the main problem is Hermione being overpowered. In the books, situations feel they require all three. In the film's Hermione could have handled everything alone.
Ron is actually my favorite character out of the series, mostly because he feels natural. Despite being involved in "unusual" events throughout, Ron seem to have a more normal life than most other people at Hogwarts
I was so sad about Ron's portrayal in Cursed Child! You raise a lot of valid and important points and I totally agree with all of them. I'm not a big fan of the movies, especially because they gave lines to the wrong characters. I mean, if you're taking a line from a book, why not give it to the correct character? I really like what you say about the balance between the trio. I think this also applies to the 'intelligence' of the three. What I really like about them is that all three are smart and intelligent in different ways. Hermione of course has the 'traditional' intelligence that stems from a broad general knowledge and reading a lot of books. Harry is really good at DADA and reacting in dangerous situations. And Ron knows all of these little things, as you said. And I mean, he BEAT PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL'S CHESS SET when he was 11. Just saying.
the difference in a nutshell: book ron is a character we all love. he's essential to the trio's dynamic, he provides emotional support and his knowledge about the wizarding world is very useful. movie ron is completely disposable comic relief. that's it. that's the thing.
The movies make me want to bunch Steve Kloves on the nose, not gonna lie. Robert Grint was robbed of a chance to portray a wonderful character, he did great with what he had but if the writing had been better, he could have done so much more. Ron is my favourite character in the books. The prevalence of movies' effects on the fandom make it impossible for me to read 95% of all Harry Potter fanfiction.
I have huge issues with how they changed Ron and Hermione's characters. A lot has been said about Ron, but this ties into the changes made to Hermione's character, I feel. Because in the books (especially the earlier ones), Hermione isn't really extremely courageous, at least not in quite the same way as Harry or Ron are. Sure she's strong, but she freezes up and panics a lot in dangerous situations. So why is she in Gryffindor, then? Because she is super brave and willing to take on anything and everything in her way when it comes to fighting for her ideals. In my language (German), we have a word for that - "Zivilcourage", which basically translates to "civil courage" and means you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, especially when it comes to stepping up to help or defend others against a sort of status quo. The films gave Hermione a lot of "traditionally courageous" scenes that were mostly taken from Ron, and cut out the major storyline where Hermione's bravery really shines - namely the fight for houseelves' rights. I think the films wanted to make her into too much of a "perfect" character - beautiful, intelligent, fearless; when she's only one of those in the books. They erased (almost) all of her flaws for the films, or the parts that make her a bit "edgy" and therefore a much more rounded character. They could easily have shown how courageous she is in terms of her ideals, and instead chose to make her traditionally fearless at the expense of Ron. So I'm not at all happy about how they handled that.
I grew up with the movies and when I was 13 I wanted to know more of the Harry Potter world so I started to read the books. Wow they changed my opinion on characters like Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Snape, even Harry and so much more. It's just atrocious what they did in the movies. I hate Steve Kloves for butchering Ron and Ginny for his favour of Hermione and Harmony. He stated that Hermione was his favourite character and that he shipped Harmony. Look at GOF and you will see how he tried to show a subtle Harmony pairing. Wtf for goodness sake, he should had let Rowling do her job. Moreover I feel like JK let herself be influenced by the movies. Comments like that she thinks that writting Romione was a mistake etc. (I also feel like later book Hermione was quite similar to movie Hermione)
I'm so late to this, but I just wanted to say that I agree with you. Movie Hermione absolutely took the place of Book Hermione in the last book of the series, Deathly Hallows. I feel like Rowling dropped all pretenses and succumbed to Kloves's adulation of Hermione, who is a self-insert character, meaning Hermione IS J.K. Rowling.
The movies showed like only 10% of Ron's shining moments in total, 50% of him was being a comic relief, and 40% of him was about being a jeaulous, mean jerk. I hate when People say that Ron wasn't a good friend for Harry and wasn't loyal, just because what happened in GoF or DH. Ron was in DH extremely effected by the horcrux, he wasn't himself. This fact people tend to forget. in GoF he did a mistake by not believing Harry at first, but people also forget that he was only 14 years old and was always neglected because of his older brothers. Ron is an incredible friend, who was willing to sacrifise himself for Harry and not just once, who gave him a second home with the burrow and the feeling of a loving family, who helped him with the horcruxes and followed him through all the adventures, Who protected him from Sirius or who saved his life from the frozen lake. I wish more people could see the many great things he did for Harry.
something I don't understand is that why people send Ron a lot of hate and think he is useless! he is supportive and loyal he is the one that's always with Harry in every situation and never leaves him alone. he doesn't deserve hate, he has a perfect character and if he wasn't in the story, the tale would have been incomplete. AND in the movies, they didn't pay much attention to Ron's character and how he really is in the books and I think that is really cruel! thanks for the video I think this is going to help a lot for the ones that don't know how he really is and maybe hates would go away who knows! ♥♥♥
Ron was a really nice character. As you said movies just made him a comic relief. Although he made jokes in the books as well, he cared for both Harry and Hermione when they were. busy taking care of the world. In the PoA movie, Ron constantly made fun of Hermione for taking too much classes at once but in the books he also asks her frequently if she is able to take all the pressure and advises her to reduce some classes. Ron became quite useless (I've heard movie fans say this) but in the books, he is as essential as Hermione. In the books too, what made him a jealous was being surrounded by people who are praised more than him , so it is very natural to lose confidence .But in the movies they just show Ron being randomly jealous of Harry because Harry looks cool and he doesn't.
The problem is that the movies CANCELED all of HERMIONES flaws and ADDED all of RONS flaws. And even many of Harrys flaws from the books the movie makers didn't added. So the leader of the group, the hero could be even cooler.... But in the book (especially in book 5) Harry is a very angry, mean and ungrateful jerk. He shouted at Ron and Hermione for not writing him, he destroyed Dumbledores office because of his uncontrolled anger, he provokes and offends Dudley at his best, meanwhile in the movie Dudley is the one who is mean to him and the "innocent", "poor" Harry Potter sits just on a swing... i like Harry, he is in my Top 5 list, but he is also not perfect.
T0T0RU The thing with the movies was that they didn't realise that flaws make a person beautiful. They didn't just miss Harry's flaws but his really good qualities his kindness. They missed all the sass. They made Ron and Hermione two really different people and I can imagine how hard it is to see two so different people together. It really seemed forced in the GoF movie putting Harry and Hermione together and even in last two films.
Harry was short sighted and often let his anger, not only cloud his judgment, but blind him. But at the end of the day, Ron was more of his best friend than Hermione.
Ron actually was a really annoying character for me for a while...until I came to realize that he really was the heart of the gang. Like, Harry was the action, Hermione the brains, but Ron, Ron was always the one who wasn't afraid to kinda let his emotions comes first. I guess I originally found that kinda annoying but now I've come to appreciate that it's what made the character trio work.
I love this video from the beginning to the end. You have adressed ALL the problems I have with movie Ron. In the books, Ron is one of my favourite characters (next to Neville and McGonagall), but my mom, who only saw the movies, started to get annoyed with Ron so much, already in Chamber of Secrets (where his being afraid of the spiders is, as well, shown to be just comic relief instead of adding to the suspense and the utter horror we are supposed to feel). When I told her how book Ron actually was, she almost didn't believe me. Oh, I really don't want to diss Rupert Grint here, because he is an amazing actor (and I would also by an ice cream van with all that money). There's only so much an actor can do with such crappy writing. On a different note, I feel like the same happened in those terrible Percy Jackson movies with Grover. In the books, he is kind of shy and nervous and loves nature, but is still brave and introduces Percy to the greek mythology. In the movie, he's a walking black stereotype (not that I have any problem with him being portraied black, since it's never made clear in the books) as well as permanently horny.
In my opinion movie herminoe comes off as too perfect, she’s just too unrelatable and doesn’t really have all of her book quirks which really made her character.
I loved that ron was more affended then hermione regarding the mudblood line it is brilliant that ron who knows all about the nitty gritty of the wizarding world would know that word and it is telling of his personality that he was quock to react-- and that hermione had no clue what was going on was both hilariously badass in an unintentional sort of way and it was also telling as it layed out both the fact that books with the word mudblood are restricted and that hermione who only knows of the wizarding world through the the words on a page it is brilliant piece of layered writing that combines exposition, character moments character development and conflict development-- its world building and fantasy writing at its subtle finest i think
Dude guys Ron is so awesome and my second favorite character besides Hermione. He is so funny and protective, he always makes me smile. He is my fictional boyfriend so nobody can take him from me! He always has the cutest hair and smile. All around Ron is an awesome guy.
I only now fully notice that the reason why I never particularly liked Ron is that I probably got his book and his movie version all mixed up! Because when you talked about how Ron actually is as a character I thought 'hm, that actually sound a lot like me'. So I guess the movies are just too much of a present thing in my head to really love Ron. As sad as that is. Also I would love you to do a HP chat about Lupin (anything about him really cause he is my favourite character) or about Charlie, the left out Weasley brother!
Ah, my beloved Ron. He gets such a bad rap, and it's completely undeserved. I mean, what I wouldn't give to have a friend like him. I blame the movies for that. Honestly, my favourite relationship in the books is his and Harry's friendship. I cried many times when I read the books, but oddly, the place I remember crying the most (I had to put the book down for a while) was in DH when Ron came back ... when he and Harry hugged. God, that just broke me. I like the movies in general and for many reasons. I don't mind when adaptations are different from the source material. But changing Ron's character was their biggest mistake. It doesn't matter what you do in a movie adaptation, as long as the essence isn't lost. And I'm afraid Ron's was.
i totally agree. i also love Ron's and Harrys friendship the most, but the (later) movies didn't care much about this relationship and instead wanted us to believe that Harry and Hermione were the closest. This dance scene between this two bothers me so much. They included this scene, that wasn't even in the book and cutted instead the emotional hug-moment between Ron and Harry. Have you seen the deleted scene, where Ron and harry tried to catch a rabbit and Ron tried to aim his spell at harry at the end? i was glad that it wasn't in the final product, it was horrible...because it makes Ron even more to look like a jerk. Ron was in the movies like 50% comic relief, 40 % jeaulous, mean jerk, and like only 10 % with his shining moments. So many scenes with him and Harry were different in the movies, like in Goblet of fire, when they had a fight and Ron said to Harry "Piss off" and bumbs into him on purpose, in Deathly Hallows Movie-Ron shouted at him " Your parents are dead, you have no family.", although it was Harrys line in the book! I hate when people say that Ron isn't a good friend and isn't loyal, just because he was mad at him in GoF and left him in DH because he was wearing the horcrux.
I cannot express my hatred for the movies. Ron is my favorite character and I hate how the movies just stripped him of all of his good qualities while they stripped Hermione of all of her bad qualities. As a Harry Potter fan and someone who’s read the books plenty of times, every time I hate the movies even more after I re-read the books.
Some great points there on Ron who is also the character I empathise most with in the series. But more than three movies, I believe J.K. Rowling herself is to blame for what Ron became. Ron was all that you said till book 4. Post that though, I got a sense that Rowling herself didn't know how to build Ron as a character and just stuck to the easier comic relief mode. There was hardly anything notable that Ron could do in the last three books. He had to be shown as being inferior to the other two. He definitely should not get an Outstanding in the OWLs, Dumbledore made him a prefect only because he didn't want to put more pressure on Harry, he had to have terrible times as a quidditch keeper unlike Ginny who was a Winner from there time she sat on the broom..... So on and so forth. JKR made him a caricature and there movies just picked on it.
No she didn't completely. Although you're right, she did change Ron for the worst. In GoF, every fan hated him. In OoTP, the narrative treated him inferiorly. HBP was Ron's worst year. DH, Ron got a character arc and was the best.
Some of this is explained by Hermione's legolas effect in the movie. The movies gave her the same treatment the lord of the ring gave legolas... an infallible badass
So... All the good stuffs of Ron were given to Hermione as she got enlightened in the movies more . I read only the third book, The prisoner of the Azkaban , from which I spotted the difference between movie and book. And Ron is the most favorite character of mine. That's why I always get offended watching the movies that Ron is being so less important and underrated Character ......😢
Ron has always been my favorite character in the Harry Potter series, it breaks my heart when people say Ron is the worst character and not a good friend.
The movies and directors want to make her seem very perfect, simple things such as her not knowing what "mudblood" is, not having very much confidence on a broomstick, or freaking out of Devil's snare makes us see how nobody is perfect, not even Hermione, and this is, in my opinion, one of the best HP themes! It always makes me more happy and less insecure, and that is a huge reason Hermione is one of my favorite characters! I love imperfect Hermione! And I agree with you that Hermione being imperfect makes her interesting! In the movies, Hermione knows what a mudblood is and INCREDIBLY rides a broomstick, and she doesn't freak out in the devil snare scene... Which is stupid, ok, it makes her seem incredibly perfect.
Honestly I completely agree with all of your points in this. All of the trio were chopped up in the movies and then shuffled about until Ron got all the bad traits, Harry got very few (Angst, being the main one, which isn't really a trait so much as a state), and Hermione got all the good ones :| It's just really quite sad.
Yeah, I saw another ron-based discussion that brought that trope up. It really is quite annoying, because those two in the books were great, relatable characters but due to this rewriting are now pretty much just aren't themselves any longer.
I think your right that he is a little different in the movies and maybe he should have more scenes where he shows his protective side. But I have to say of all the main characters. He was the one who was best portrayed. We can talk about looks and stuff, but as you said, they didn't know how they would grow up. I really love movie Ron! And Rupert Grints portrayl. Love your videos and would also love a video about a difference between Hermionie and Harry. Aspecially the look of her, because its actually important that she wasn't that beautiful and was a little more "normal".
I love both the book versions and the movie versions of the characters for different reasons. I still treat them as separate intellectual properties because they are! The book versions are obviously the best because we want our characters flawed, warts and all.
Everyone kept bitching on how Hermione's dress is a different color in the movies but when they fucked up ron and Harry's character and made Hermione this perfect goddess in the films, no one batted an eye
I'm so grateful to see that other Harry Potter fans think they've butchered Ron's character in the movies... honestly, I think they shouldn't have made those movies at all. none of is especially good nor brought to life the joy I felt while reading the books, didn't do justice to the humor and heart we see in the books. I'm on a "I hate what they did to Ron in the movies" video streak at the moment because book ron is such a complex, important character reduced to a stupid sidekick in the movies.
I hate HP movies. I just hate them. I HATE how they portrayed Harry, Dumbledore and Snape in the films (especially Harry) For example: when Harry and Dumbledore returned from the cave, in the books Harry is purposefully jinxed by Dumbledore so he can't intervine but movie Harry DID NOT DO ANYTHING. HOW ON EARTH HARRY POTTER WOULD NOT JUMP INTO ACTION WHEN ONE OF HIS DEAR ONES IS IN DANGER?!?! IN WHAT UNIVERSE IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?! And also WHY DO THEY HAVE TO INTRODUCE THIS WEIRD SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN HIM AND HERMIONE IN THAT DANCE SINCE AFTER RON'S DEPARTURE ?!? JUST NO! Those are not my characters Sorry if this is not gramatically correct but since English is not my mother tongue it's kind of difficult for me to try to make sense when something infuriates me so so so much.
Dance between Harry and Hermione was a beautiful moment of levity. There was absoutely nothing sexual about it. Only fanfic cave dwellers see sexual tension in everything. Harry was just supportive to his friend. Giving Hermione a moment of peace in times when literally everything went to sh*t. She was devastated when Ron have left. He gave her some energy and happiness to go on. Thats what good friends usually do.
Agree with all of it except the dance. It was important an important moment that actually reinforced how important Ron was (too little too late?), and JK Rowling has stated herself that book Harry and Hermione came very close to doing something when Ron was gone, simply because their sadness was so great that it would only be natural to seek relief. However the fact that they didn’t was a testament to their love for Ron.
Now that the movies have been for years and I've had the chance to sit back and really critique them. I've come to the conclusion that the movies are terrible. Maybe they should have waited until all the books were published. Doing each book as a season with 24 episodes would have been better than trying to cram and leaving so much out in a movie. The movies are terrible I just wish they had never made them.
I'm so excited to watch your older videos now that I've discovered you since the cursed child discussion =) Appreciate your videos and differenciated views.
new subscriber here. I totally agree with you. Reading the books, I loved Ron. I could relate to his insecurities as well as his love and protectiveness for his friends and family. However I don't really like movie Ron at all. I am a big fan of fanfiction and read it all the time. I think most writers write movie Ron though. They forget how loving and gentle Ron could be. Yeah he had issues with jealousy but it was understandable in the book. in the movie he was just a jerk.
Sharlet Armstrong the more I think about it, Ron's jealousy become more understandable. I mean, he got five brilliant brothers for his entire life. He was most likely seen as 'Harry's best friend' instead of himself. He was always under the shadows of the bright and talented wizards (his brothers and Harry) around him, you know. Of course he would feel insecure at one point or another. And I felt so heartbroken when I read the part when Ron left the Hermione and Harry in the Deathly Hollows. But, I think he was 'reedemed' when he saved Harry from drowning *and* when he finally destroyed the hocrux (also a symbolism of him destroying his insecurity, IMO). I don't 'feel' that watching the movie. He was straight out jerk and petty in the movie.
I agree that fanfiction writers (and readers) forget how Ron really is in the books. I once got a comment on one of my fics about how it was "weird" that my Ron was so protective of Harry. Like...??? Have you even read the books? Do you even know Ron Weasley?
Loved this discussion. Since the first movie came out, I was upset over the portrayal of Ron. Don't get me wrong, I still like him, but book Ron is a completely different person. I especially hate the way Ron agrees with Professor Snape in the 3rd movie about Hermione being a know it all since we all know that in the book, he defends her! :S :@ grrrr. Gosh movie Ron annoys me in so many scenes! I 100% agree about Hermione being almost perfect in the movies. Again, I do like movie Hermione a lot but she really had no flaws and that to me was so unrealistic. I noticed the same thing happened to Daenerys in Game of Thrones since (to me) her character is given almost God like characteristics and she can do no wrong. In the books, she goes through pretty normal stuff. What you said about taking all of book Ron's great qualities and giving it to Hermione in the movies reminds me so much of A Series of Unfortunate Events except that they took everything amazing about Violet and gave it to Klaus. This is why I always love the books more than the movies or tv show, with The Lord of the Rings movies being the only exception because they were just perfect.
That was such a good video! You definitely have my personal 'Harry Potter Expert' award :) Maybe you will do some more of this videos... Just a thought. It's nice to see characters in different light. I like both Rons, honestly. Movie Ron is guffy, just a comic relief and it goes well with all the changes they made. But I know this os not the original Ron and I like book Ron better; still, I don't hate movie Ron. Have a good day, Cece:)
I hate how the later movies focused soooo much on Harrys/Hermiones friendship and neglected Rons and Harrys friendship terribly.
So many scenes that were actually about Harry/Ron in the books were giving to Hermione.
For example:
Book: Ron and Harry were alone in private when RON found out that Harry has a scar on his hand (from Umbridge) It showed how he cared about Harry.
Movie: All three sit together while HERMIONE found out that Harry has a scar on his hand, meanwhile Ron said just one sentence.... why they included Hermione for no reason in the first place? Iit was originally a pure Harry/Ron moment.
Book: Ron said to Harry: "We are with you Harry, whatever happens." at the end of Book 6. It showed how motivated he was to help harry with the horcruxes.
Movie: Harry and Hermione talk about the horcrux and have a conversation, meanwhile Ron sit somewhere in the background and said NOTHING.
Book: Ron protected Harry from Sirius with a broken leg.
Movie: Hermione protected Harry from Sirius....
Book: When Ron left in Deahly Halllows, it was (like you said already) a HUGE shock, we read from harrys point of view how terribly he felt when his best friend left. It was the moment when something broke between the trio as a whole, cause Harry and Hermione barely talked with each other for weeks and seemed emotionally helpless without ron.
Movie: Harry and Hermione danced with each other and had fun... the whole dynamic and balance of the trio was runied by this happy moment. Cause this moment didn't showed that Ron was the heart of the trio. And they left the ultimative bro-hug between H/R in Deathly hallows, although it was a huge significant moment of their friendship.
Book: Harry didn't told Ron and Hermione that he faces Voldemort in the forest, only Neville knew.
Movie: Harry told them and Hermione hugged him and seems really sad, meanwhile Ron was just in the background and did and said NOTHING.
Book: Harry and Hermione have a brother/sister bond, they have their up an downs with each other, also Harry doesn't always understand hermione and is sometimes annoyed by her. Harry likes her very much, but for Harry Hermione isn't the same as his best friend Ron.
Movie: Hermione seems to be harrys veeeery bestiest friend by heart, they have no disagreements and conflicts with each other, all seems very unrealistic and over the top for me...
Book: It is about Harry Potter and TWO impotant side kicks by his side.
Movie: It is about Harry and Hermione.... and a hanger-on whos name is Ron.
Agree 👍👍
Ur comment is so underrated .
Great information and I completely agree with you that Ron was portrayed as a comedic relief in the movies, where as in the books he was an important character and was intelligent emotionally and fell for the true Hermione. Wheteas, in the movies he out of nowhere started developing feelings in prisoner of askaban.
Anyway, this is just my opinion
U r absolutely correct
Why did it had to be like this😭
So true. Ron deserves better
I completely agree with you. But I think the most offensive change that the movies did to Ron was in the scene were Bellatrix tortures Hermione.
When that happens in the books Ron lost it completely: he begs her to take him instead, and when he's taken to the cell he can't stop screaming and kicking.... you can feel his pain and his love for Hermione. But in the movies...He Doesn't do Freeaking anything!!! I can totally get why people that only saw the movies don't understand why Hermione married Ron. By robbing Ron of his charm they not only destroy him as a character, but they also ruined the hole Ron/Hermione dynamic.
Being a hardcore Harry Potter fan (as the nerd rage in this comment clearly indicates), and as the years goes by, I find it harder and harder to re watch the movies, just because I can't stand the way they slowly but firmly destroyed Ron. haha!!
Totally agree with you! This was one of the scenes I was planning on mentioning, but I didn't want to extend my video out to last a hundred years of me yelling about Ron. But I have so many issues with how they played down his dynamic with Hermione in general. And this scene in particular is so telling. In the book it's almost hard to read he's so upset. And while he's upset in the movies, I just didn't get that same feeling of like... utter desperation from him. And that is what happens to his relationship with Hermione in all the movies, I thin.
KherMoon yes that was so painfull to read you could feel his heart break as he heard hermoine being tortured
well that´s just the second worse offense. like shifting Ron scenes to hermione pissed me off more. Th e devils snare for instance. Hermione is freaking out even looks for wood and ron screams "are you a witch or not" reminding hewr of the Incendio spell.while movie hermione is just chill and kills the thing. Or the scene that gets me boiling: in the book Ron in front of Harry in the shrieking shack while his leg was broken. Telling Sirius, if he wants to get to harry he has to kill him first. In the movie of course hermione does it. Man i hated that. way to destroy a character. Man they took away from Ron to the point where they should not even have cast a Ron at all if they had planned ron like this!
Yep yep. I'm getting mad just thinking about it. Ron is my favorite character and the movies pretty much ruined him.
Fully agree with you.. I couldn't have said any better. I love book Ron so much for being a realistic character with some great qualities and some very human flaws...
I've recently started my re-read of the books and i'm on GOF now. This time around i'm really noticing how Chivalrous Ron is. And not JUST to his friends. There are tons of throw away lines about Ron helping people, even outside his house. A fresh example for me is at the beginning of fourth year while the castle is undergoing a deep cleaning to impress the new visitors. Filch is in a fowl mood and trying to discipline students for breathing loudly and when they come across a group of 1st year Ravenclaws, he stops to warn them not to go down the corridor where Filtch is.
HE's always pulling neville out of the trick step, and helping first years avoid peeves, but all of these lines are more like background candy. "The three rounded a corner out of the dungeons, Hermione whispering furiously to Harry while Ron warned a group of 1st year Ravenclaws about Filch."
And that's just strangers. That's not even counting the times he helps his friends, like standing on a broken leg to yell at what he'd thought was mass murderer Sirius Black that he'd have to go through him to get to Harry.
Ron is always picking up books for people who drop them, especially Hermione, but also anyone else who needs it. HE's just a very considerate person.
Yes! I adore this entire comment. This is one of the things I'm really looking forward to noticing more when I do my next reread.
ProblemsofaBookNerd :3 awesome.
And this plays into the end when Ron mentions the house elfs, something Hermione hadnt thought of and Harry asks if to get them to fight. That firat kiss between them really is the product of all the buildup of their characters.
I know I'm 4yrs late but this comment made me think of that moment in the book when Hagrid tells the trio that Buckbeak is being sentenced to death, and Ron immediately offers to make tea because that "was what his mum always did when anyone was upset"💔❤🩹
Honestly something that bothered me as the movies progressed is I didn't feel like the trio grew closer and stronger like it did with the books but I never could quite place what was missing. You are completely right about Ron being the gooey sentimental glue that holds them together. When he left in Deathly Hallows it was truely heart breaking and the movie couldn't quite capture the same impact
Kyle Jackson I loved the fighting scene, suddenly Ron became a real person. And I loved Hermiones reaction. That she just brakes down once she and Harry had disapparated the following morning. Harry tries to cheer her up in the "silly-dancing" scene, but the loss of Ron is devastating.
But I missed the scene when Ron had stabbed the goblet, and just cries, and Harry is trying to comfort him. In the movie Ron emediately becomes the humorous guy again and that leaves him strangely two dimensional. That's a shame.
Yes, so true. When I was younger I didn't notice it but I just recently watched them all over again and as the movies progressed its like it becomes a strong duo versus a trio. He kept having less lines and when he did have lines they were to make him be a joke. It just frustrated me so much that their stongest point was when they were in their 1st year.
I am so angry they even took the 'If you want to kill Harry you'll have to kill us first" line from him and gave it to hermoine... I mean come on. It was one of my favorite Ron moments. It's a moment, a 13 year old stands on his broken leg, telling a mass murderer who just escaped prison that if he wants to kill his best friend he will have to kill him first. It's just amazing.
Ron is such an underrated and important character in the Harry Potter series. In the movies, he's so overlooked and portrayed as an idiot most of the time. He's basically just there for comic relief and it's so annoying because he's such a great character and so much more than that.
He's underrated in the movies. In the books, he's amazing!
So if Ron's the heart of the trio, does that mean Hermione's the brain and Harry's the soul? :) I totally agree with you on every point btw. Ron's a shallow joke machine in the movies, Hermione's a flawless witch with perfect hair - and they both lose every ounce of charm they had in the books. Hermione panicking and losing her cool and Ron defusing the situation with common sense was vital in the books. Half their dynamic is missing in the movies! Also, Ron and Harry are so close that, even with the rift between them in the Goblet of Fire, Ron's still the person Harry would miss most in the second task... Not Hermione. She is Harry's other best friend for sure, but in GOF Harry even notes that their friendship isn't as easy as it is with Ron. You'd never guess that in the films -_-
in the movies ron was the joke. he was cowerd stupid and heartless. and i think the most annoying thing to me that they did in the movies were in DH2 when harry was going to voldmort and was saying goodbye to them ron just stood there letting his freind go to death while in the book harry wear his cloak so ron and hermione dont see him because he knew they will not let him go alone and would go with him even if it costs their lifes
The movies even went out of their way to make Hermione more attractive.. I know Emma Watson was attractive all on her own and that couldn't be helped, but her hair went from bushy to curly to just plain straight by the final movie. Hermione was always too busy studying till 3 AM and worrying over classwork and helping Harry to focus on taking care of her hair, and the movies completely ignored this fact.
She has done an interview on how much she hated (and still cringes when she looks back on) that first hair. I know it was her job but she was still a child with insecurities and I think they took into consideration how hating her appearance for 8 movies would affect her. It's not the same as Daniel's contacts which hurt his eyes, or Emma's fake teeth bc she couldn't talk with them in, but hating your appearance for multiple years (a decade?!?!) while going through puberty and the whole world seeing the version of yourself that you hate seems like it'd be damaging. Plus, they did not have contracts for ALL of the movies; they could've walked away after the 6th movie. If you wanted to ensure you had the best chance for getting the actors/actresses for signing on for the whole project you have to be willing to make some sacrifices to make sure they are happy and comfortable and want to come back for all of the movies.
Veronika Daisy, she was 11. Do you really think she could anticipate hating her hair once she got older and more self conscience? I sure as hell didn't care about my appearance until around 13-14. Plus, they may not have stipulated anything about her appearance other than no drastic changes (cutting her hair off like she did after the movies). All I'm saying is I bet you would have been more angry if Emma Watson left after the 6th movie because she hated being Hermione.
There's nothing lazy about it; it probably took just as long to do the other hair styles she ended up having throughout the movies. She had normal hair bc she did not want that other hair. period. Of course she didn't have to wear that hair style outside of making the movie, but the cast was going to school on the set and hanging out with her peers in between takes. She was living a life (aka growing up) as Emma while she was filming the movies, so yes, she was actually wearing that hair to school and while hanging out with her friends. (and no you can't just take a wig off in between takes. It has to be restyled and the hair underneath would probably look like ass bc usually it's in a hairnet). She didn't like the hair so the directors LET her have normal hair bc obviously they were logical and compassionate people. Yes she signed on to be Hermione, but do you really think an 11 yr old is mature enough to realize what that entirely means? there's a reason we treat crimes committed by juveniles differently than adults and hair is a small concession to keep a young child actress happy for the DECADE you expect her to be committed to the franchise even if her contract stipulated she have "hermione" hair (which it may not have).
If you're going to be angry about something, maybe be mad about how they butchered Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's personalities. Looks are superficial and multiple characters did not match their descriptions (Snape was supposed to be early 30's... not mid 50s), but the script was well in control of the character's personalities. The only way to make it right is if and when they remake the movies some day, but i'm sure concessions would be made again and people will continue to be upset over how every little detail isn't perfect.
directors have control but they can still be smart and compassionate to the fact that hating her appearance for the duration of the whole eight movies would affect her psychologically. Obviously you aren't a psychologist so maybe this just doesn't resonate with you that the people making the movies also cared about the well being of the children. I did not "catch" your anger about that bc you did not express that; you would not stop harping about the superficial, and significantly less important, aspects of the movies. I hope you do not have children bc you obviously lack empathy and compassion required to understand anyone else's feelings other than yours. This conversation is over bc it is obvious you lack the ability to analyze and understand basic arguments and I am talking to a wall.
Also in the books Hermione has BROWN Hair, Not a Mix with dark blond in later movies ( especially in halfbloodprince )
I blame Steve Kloves. He's a major Hermione fanboy & turned her into a Mary Sue to the detriment of Ron's character. 😤
I agree. Was Kloves biased against Ron or something?
Tranisha Thomas I think he wanted Hermione to end up with Harry.
He want to make her seem very perfect, simple things such as her not knowing what "mudblood" is, her not having very much confidence on a broomstick, or her freaking out of Devil's snare makes us see how nobody is perfect, not even Hermione, and this is, in my opinion, one of the best HP themes.
In the movies, Hermione knows what a mudblood is and INCREDIBLY rides a broomstick, and she doesn't freak out in the devil snare scene, I agree with you that Hermione being not perfect makes her interesting, cause let's be honest, who likes someone who is perfect? I won't
Same
he managed to ruin both their characters
I think the Devil's Snare scene is forgivable, since they cut Snape's Challenge, and they wanted Hermione to still have the solo victory she had in the book. Ron had the chess match, Hermione had the riddle, and Harry had the final chamber. the Devil's Snare and the Winged Keys in the book were team efforts. So Harry actually got two solo victories in the movie rather than like in the book.
Movie Hermione is the fan fiction version of her. Beautiful, curves in all the right places, curly hair not bushy, trendy non-uniform clothes, all-knowing, and unable to pick an emotion in one scene. Even Ron's _temper_ is given to her.
The problem is that Steve Kloves has gone on record saying Hermione is his favourite character. Because of this, Hermione gets played out a lot, and he clearly doesn't like Ron and Ginny, since he goes out of his way to downplay them and play out the relationship between Harry and Hermione. Ginny and Ron both suffer a lot in the movies from the writer's clear disdain for them. Presumably, he hates them for the same reason Harmony shippers hate them- they get in the way of Harry and Hermione's (non-existent) romance. I mean Romione and Hinny come out of _nowhere_ in the movies because of the writing and the lack of chemistry.
Ellie F in the movie i really enjoyed the relationship between Ron and Hermione but they showed Ron is like a side kick
I don't really mind the devil's snare since they cut the potions.
Ron has never been my favorite character out of the Golden Trio, but the differences between him in the books and him in the movies are just ridiculous. And while I love Hermione, part of her charm for me was that she was this awkward, ridiculously smart girl who always had her nose in a book, and I identified with that. She didn't necessarily understand social interaction, but she worked on it. She didn't know how to do her hair or her makeup, but she taught herself, or learned from the other girls in her year. Giving her Ron's best traits and moments makes her into an Everyman character that we're all supposed to identify with, but it also diminishes her actual importance in the trio, and makes Ron's presence fairly superfluous in some places. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the three main characters are codified in certain episodes by the parts of Buffy's psyche they're meant to represent. Buffy herself is the soul, Xander is the heart, and Willow is the mind. In the books, Harry is the soul, Ron is the heart, and Hermione is the mind. Giving Hermione the heart coding as well as the mind in the movies pulls apart the idea of the magical three who unite to save the day--something JKR was clearly going for right from the start.
Basically, Ron is important and he shouldn't have had his usefulness and purpose transferred to someone else because it breaks the narrative structure and character arcs set up very early in the source material.
Yes! Perfectly said!
"Its all Hermione" - Thats a good summary of the movies in general. I do like the movies. I think they work wel las an adaptation but the characters is the weakest spot of the movies. Hermione did not just take away traits of Rons character but also of Harr'ys character. If i would only know the movies i would think: "Well Hermione knows and does everything. Harry's got his Scar and fame which is useful and Ron is also around." And this is not an accurate thing to think if you compare those characters to their bookversions...
Yeah because the fucking screenwriter is all about Hermione,he likes the character so much that he sacrafice Ron's original book character to make her more superior and carry the team
Its truly bullshit,and I want to see book Ron so bad
Book!Ron is one of my all time favourite characters. I agree with everything you said, so much of his humour was much more clever in the books as well. I can only hope in a few years we might get a tv series that doesnt change anything about the story/characters. Ginny, the powerful, independent book-version, would be awesome. Also more of Neville's family story and Remus. Just.. so much more of everything but the right way.
Yes! There should be a 7 season tv show that is actually book accurate.
Ahhh I agree so much with everything you said! They massacred Ron's character in the films and I'll never be over it. It really annoys me how they completely diminished his character because one of the directors (can't remember which one) was an admitted Harmony shipper (gross) and so gave all the screentime to them and treated Ron like an incompetent inconvenience, when Ron is SO IMPORTANT. They really simplified the trio to make them the Hero, the Girl and the Spare which is so aggravating. The films made mistakes of a lot of things, Ron probably being the biggest one.
MusicBooksTV It was actually the screenwriter who loved Hermione
Steve Kloves AND David Yates are unabashed Harmony shippers
Natalie C. what is gross about shipping harry and hermione together even if its not canon? (and no i am not talking about the fanatic shippers btw.)
i mean anyone can ship whoever they want and they do have chemistry in the books as well.
but yeah i agree about the rest esp. regarding ron and hermione.
the movies really changed tons of stuff unneccesarily from the books and especially ron and hermione and harry and ginnys relationships really suffer from this and make it due to this nonsensical in the movies (instead of being better built up and portrayed like in the books)
(i am not saying that everything should be exact same bc. thats not possible due to the different kinds of medias books and movies are but the quite a few changes werent necessary)
ron is my favorite character in the books
Yes yes yes! Thank you! Ron was flawed, and could be mean, but so could Hermione and Harry. And it was his good side that often helped the reader understand WHY he behaved badly sometimes. For example, its easier to understand his picking on Hermione sometimes when you understand she picks on him right back, and its easier to understand his resentment towards harry in book 4 and 7 when you understand more about his home life and how he isn't catching a break despite all the good things he does. Honestly I was more frustrated with Hermione's characterization then Ron's though. It's because Hermione was portrayed as being able to do no wrong that Ron ended up looking so bad by comparison. I remember just foaming at the mouth during the last movie when she starts telling Dumbledore's brother about his sister Ariana, just yelling at the screen, "How would you even know that Hermione? That was a private family matter, not written in any wizarding books! Being book smart doesn't mean you know everything!"
I've never felt so appreciative of Ron. I've always loved him and how realistic he is, but I've never fully appreciated his qualities until now
You put all of my thoughts into a wonderful video, now if only you could do one for Ginny. Another thing that I think speaks highly to the friendship between Ron and Harry is that Ron is the person that Harry has to save during the Triwizard Tournament. This really showcases how much of a friend he is to Harry and how loyal and faithful he is. Harry truly cherishes Hermione's friendship, but Ron is his number one person and I feel like that is lost in the movies. When his lines and actions are given to Hermione it lessens Harry and Ron's friendship, which is such a great part of the books.
I agree completely! He is one of the most loyal characters in literature, and I feel like a lot of that was taken away in the movies. He also comes across as kind of dumb and an idiot, but he never felt any dumber than Harry in the books--actually, especially in the early books, Harry comes across as the "dumb one" a lot because he knows nothing about the wizarding world. And that's all there to make the reader feel a connection to Harry, and identify with him, because he is, in a sense, just like us--new and ignorant to the Wizarding world. Ron, and his family, provide so much for both Harry and Hermione. Even though Hermione has great parents, they sort of get left behind for her, because they almost exist in another reality. She needs the Weasleys just as much as Harry. By the later books, she's around The Burrow just as much as Harry, sometimes even more.
There is just no way that Voldemort could have been defeated if Harry, Ron, or Hermione were any less than they were in the books.
I agree with you. I feel they did a very poor portrayal of Ron in the movies. I also think Hermione was just too strong in the movies; she not only got a lot of Ron's lines, knowledge and ideas, but she also took some of Harry's. Both Ron and Harry come off as less intelligent and quick thinking in the movies. One example is when they are trying to get out of Gringotts, in the books, Harry is the one who gets the idea to escape on the dragon and in the movies they have Hermione come up with the idea. I know I've noticed other things when I watch the movies, but I haven't seen them in a while, so that's all I can think of at the moment. I wish they'd left more lines and ideas with who they belonged to in the books when they did the movies. Though I agree that Ron was the most maligned in his movie portrayal (at least of the trio, they also did a bad job with Ginny).
And I hated it when they destroyed the Malfoy house scene. God that was such a disappointment. In the books Ron would have literally tore the tower down brick by brick with his own hands. The screams of Hermoini could not let him breath. He was so impaitient, he was shouting, banging the gates, shouting and screaming from downstairs. When finally the gates opened and Wormtail died, Ron was the first to jump out of dungeon. He pounced at the Malfoys, like literally. He was the one who snatched away the wands first and shot at those damn wizards. What they showed in movie was BLASPHEMY. Love Ron ❤Always....
I was never a fan of Hermione, because of the fact that she got Ron's lines from the book. I always loved Ron as the book character and I hated how they made him like I believe you said, the butt of all the jokes, but in truth he was a real leg that both Harry and Hermione stood on.
Arlene A.
This is now, officially, my favourite video ever! Ron has always been my favourite character and despite how much I did like the movies and thought the casting was perfect, I dislike them every time I think about how much they crapped on Ron's character and put Hermione on a ridiculous pedestal. They took away all of Ron's great characteristics and moments and either gave them to Hermione or just left them out completely. They did the opposite with Hermione where all of her flaws and bad moments were ignored and completely left out. I honestly think the reason why Ron is the least popular is because people have movie Ron in their heads and forget or don't know how great he is in the books. Hermione's changes in the movies annoyed me greatly because they basically turned her into a Mary Sue which I think is insulting to a character who is so rich and three dimensional.
I also think when people complain about Ron and bring up the fact that he insulted her in their first year which made her cry, I think that they forget just how snobby and quite rude she was to him when they met and how she talked down to him before that moment. I don't condone what he said but he didn't say it to her and didn't intend for her to hear it. He was just having a moan to his friends about someone that had irritated him which I think everyone has done at some point in their lives (and we would be just as gutted if someone overheard us in those moments). Plus he was frustrated because she had talked down to him from the minute they met. Not to mention the fact that they were both 11 at the time and we've all done and said stupid things when we're 11. They both grew and changed over time.
I totally agree, they Made Hermine a Mary Sue in the movies at the expense of Book Ron and I am so SO glad you mentioned that character's deficiencies and weaknesses makes for interesting arcs and developments.
*Hermione
+Golden Eagle A flawless character
ugh Steve Kloves assassinated Ron!
Dang, as I get older I love Ron more and more. He’s the most realistic of the trio. Not everyone can be the Chosen One, and even though I was very much the Smart Girl, I related to Ron too. He was basically the ideal best friend for anyone: protective, has common sense, good sense of humor, and loyal. It’s also important for kids to know that it doesn’t matter if they’re ‘chosen’ or the most brilliant kid, or the most talented, or most creative.
#RonWeasleyDefenseSquad2K19
I'm really glad you did a whole video about Ron; it made a whole lot of sense and kind of made me realise how I myself had underestimated these qualities in him to a certain extent.
But I feel that this is one part of a much broader problem that the films had in relation to the original story. In my opinion, the films didn't do the book any justice -- they focused much more on the big action sequences and other things that are superficially impressive and treated all the in-between scenes that had to do with how the trio's relationship developed and the nuances of the emotional journey each character goes through like an inconvenient series of notes that had to be shown in order for the blockbuster scenes to make sense.
The most important thing for me about the stories told in the books was the growing pains of the characters who are arguably at the most sensitive and vulnerable age a human can be at, and that's what makes the whole thing so magical. It's not just the wizarding world that is an amazing experience in itself; it's how Harry and his friends feel about the world and situations they find themselves in that made it so personally and intimately engaging to so many readers.
It really felt like the movies didn't know how to or care about conveying that, and only tried to portray the stories from the outside in; and without that emotional landscape, it's difficult to care about anything else that happens.
Please do this with Ginny!!!
I concur needs doing
Definitely
Agreed!
Jodie Cozier yesssss
can we all still agree though that Harry liking Ginny back kind of came out of nowhere during the half blood prince? and i'm talking about both book and filmwise
3:50 - So Hermione is the head of the team, Harry is the face of the team, and Ron is the heart of the team.
Clearly Neville was the biceps.
...They didn't show themselves until way late in the game, though, 'cause Harry's a scrawny git.
Neville was never that important tbh
I love this video. I hate how Ron gets so much hate and he doesn't deserve it. He's a great friend. and such an important part of the trio and I think the movies take that away I also think Hermione is such a better character with her flaws.
All that was true. The only similarity between book Ron and movie Ron is that they're both adorable!
I am also so damn mad that they never mentioned in the movies how jealous Ron was because he felt like his mum and family loved Harry more. Ron's always been this 6th son that was supposed to finally be a girl. He's never been intelligent like Percy, brave like Bill or bold like charlie. He wasn't as popular as Fred&George. And then there's his best friend, being THE Harry Potter. And of cause he's afraid his family's gonna like him more. But he still doesn't hesistate to share his damn family with harry.
I agree with this comment for the most part but I think Ron's just as brave as the rest of his family or even Harry
In all honesty, the changes in the first two didn’t bother me as much. For the sake of flow and plot they are excusable. The first film with the devil’s snare though was given to Hermione seeing as her own moment with the potion was cut, Ron retained his usefulness with identifying the type of key needed to open the door as well as the chess board and also telling Harry to go on alone setting the stage for most of his future encounters with destiny.
Now what happened starting from Prisoner of Azkaban is anyone’s guess. People responded to Emma Watson. It’s the same thing happening now with Rey in Star Wars. Though Prisoner is one of my favourites cinematically, followed by Order of the Phoenix, it’s certainly the start of a downfall in true adaptation quality. Then it passed to David Yates and it just became about empire building and money.
I guess that’s what happens when you turn what is essentially a series of mystery books into a series of teen drama/thrillers.
That, and having a director and screenwriter later on who apparently couldn’t set aside their favorite ‘ship long enough to at least be as close to the books as possible in the context of a film.
This just sums up all my feelings. I feel like the writers/directors had an agenda and that didn't include Ron. What's more annoying is that I think Rupert Grint would've been awesome at portraying the Ron from the books.
Absolutely! Although I do like Rupert's acting in the movies, I wish he'd been allowed to play the character as he was in the book.
I mean, that was why he auditioned for the part in the first place wasn't it, because he felt such a connection to Ron in the books.
People always talk about how mean and how much of a jerk Ron is, but they never mention that Harry and Hermione could also be mean in the books.
Such a good video, you definitely boiled down the most prominent differences! I've always focused more on book/movie Hermione being different, but you're right you can't have one without the other. In general I just love how flawed and different to one another the characters are in the books, which is always refreshing when compared to the movies. It makes me sad when people say they don't like Ron but love Hermione purely based on the movies...it's like you're missing out by not seeing their true potential/identities!
Completely agree and I feel that this also affected the actor's future roles. So many people found Ron annoying and saw Rupert Grint as that annoying side kick character with no desirability. Huge mistake on the part of the directors.
Everything you said was so true! I've been rereading the books recently and there are SO many scenes with Ron that I read and I can tell HOW his character would've been changed or when things would've/were given to Hermione.
Ron was definitely the glue that held the trio together. He balanced out Hermione, who could be rather severe when it came to studying, rules, etc.; and he balanced out Harry, who dealt with some pretty heavy stuff throughout the series but had Ron there to keep his spirits up. Ron provided levity, fun and warmth which are all things very much needed when things get dark. He was fiercely loyal, both to Harry and Hermione, and despite the coward they often portrayed him as in the films, he was quick to jump to the defense of both of his friends. Ron, not Hermione, was Harry's #1 best friend...Hermione was #2 despite what the films would have you think. They ruined Ron in the films and did a lot of damage to Hermione as a character too (she's basically flawless in the films which IS NOT the case in the books). That is why I will always prefer the books over the films.
I always feel like Ron was often overlooked and left aside. I think that's so unfair. He, along with the rest of his family, provides the first real "family experience" Harry's ever got to have. He was like a brother to Harry, he was always loyal, willing to listen and protect those who he loved. He's *so* underrated.
are you feeling it now mr krabs ikr, I love Ron. He’s my favorite character
NewiCraft omg i love ron too. hes also my fav character!! hes so precious ♡
I can now see why Book Hermione might've actually been attracted to Book Ron rather than how it was portrayed (& felt by the actors) in the film.
Another fantastic video, loving the HP chats. I do really love the movies but yeah, poor Ron did get the short straw a bit. Another thing that I wish they had included a bit more in his movie-incarnation is that this kid was from a poor family, he had to go without things or have second (or third) hand ones. His socioeconomic background was such a big part of what shaped him as a character in the book but the movies gloss over it a bit, leaving out things like the goblin gold in GOF, a real shame because it made his moments of jealousy towards Harry that bit more understandable, and Ron all the more wonderful because though he was sometimes embarrassed, frustrated or resentful about it he never stopped being generous, like you said, opening his home and his family life to his friends who had a lot more than him materially. Ron is just fab really.
They turned Hermonie into a Rey essentially. Absent of flaws, nigh completely dependable almost to a fault, ironically. She made Ron nearly obsolete. Whichs sucks because I love Ron and I feel he gets the worst portrayal in the movies as you said, the butt of all jokes and a coward mostly
Ron got the short end of the sick but all three weren't right in the movies. Hermione's too flawless; brave, literally knows everything, perfect hair. In the books she's smart and studious but lacks Harry's in the moment courage/daring, can be socially awkward. Harry ends up a blank protagonist, not memorable just 'the chosen one', in the book's he's brave and moral to a ridiculous degree, he'd give up his life for a stranger. Ron is the glue of the trio in the books, the only one with a wizard upbringing, he's Harry's family, the most sociable. Equally he suffers from being so much in other's shadows. This kind of complexity didn't make it into the films, much to their detriment. The video really pinpointed the issue with 'the balance' being skewed- Ron is a right off but even Harry suffers & ultimately the main problem is Hermione being overpowered. In the books, situations feel they require all three. In the film's Hermione could have handled everything alone.
Ron is actually my favorite character out of the series, mostly because he feels natural. Despite being involved in "unusual" events throughout, Ron seem to have a more normal life than most other people at Hogwarts
I needed to watch this video and read these comments after just seeing the movies... *sigh of relief* the whole world hasn't gone mad after all.
I was so sad about Ron's portrayal in Cursed Child! You raise a lot of valid and important points and I totally agree with all of them. I'm not a big fan of the movies, especially because they gave lines to the wrong characters. I mean, if you're taking a line from a book, why not give it to the correct character? I really like what you say about the balance between the trio. I think this also applies to the 'intelligence' of the three. What I really like about them is that all three are smart and intelligent in different ways. Hermione of course has the 'traditional' intelligence that stems from a broad general knowledge and reading a lot of books. Harry is really good at DADA and reacting in dangerous situations. And Ron knows all of these little things, as you said. And I mean, he BEAT PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL'S CHESS SET when he was 11. Just saying.
I have a crush on both book-Ron and movie - Ron but mostly on book - Ron. I like him more than Harry :)
the difference in a nutshell: book ron is a character we all love. he's essential to the trio's dynamic, he provides emotional support and his knowledge about the wizarding world is very useful. movie ron is completely disposable comic relief. that's it. that's the thing.
The movies make me want to bunch Steve Kloves on the nose, not gonna lie. Robert Grint was robbed of a chance to portray a wonderful character, he did great with what he had but if the writing had been better, he could have done so much more. Ron is my favourite character in the books.
The prevalence of movies' effects on the fandom make it impossible for me to read 95% of all Harry Potter fanfiction.
I have huge issues with how they changed Ron and Hermione's characters. A lot has been said about Ron, but this ties into the changes made to Hermione's character, I feel.
Because in the books (especially the earlier ones), Hermione isn't really extremely courageous, at least not in quite the same way as Harry or Ron are. Sure she's strong, but she freezes up and panics a lot in dangerous situations. So why is she in Gryffindor, then? Because she is super brave and willing to take on anything and everything in her way when it comes to fighting for her ideals. In my language (German), we have a word for that - "Zivilcourage", which basically translates to "civil courage" and means you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, especially when it comes to stepping up to help or defend others against a sort of status quo.
The films gave Hermione a lot of "traditionally courageous" scenes that were mostly taken from Ron, and cut out the major storyline where Hermione's bravery really shines - namely the fight for houseelves' rights. I think the films wanted to make her into too much of a "perfect" character - beautiful, intelligent, fearless; when she's only one of those in the books. They erased (almost) all of her flaws for the films, or the parts that make her a bit "edgy" and therefore a much more rounded character. They could easily have shown how courageous she is in terms of her ideals, and instead chose to make her traditionally fearless at the expense of Ron. So I'm not at all happy about how they handled that.
I grew up with the movies and when I was 13 I wanted to know more of the Harry Potter world so I started to read the books.
Wow they changed my opinion on characters like Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Snape, even Harry and so much more.
It's just atrocious what they did in the movies. I hate Steve Kloves for butchering Ron and Ginny for his favour of Hermione and Harmony.
He stated that Hermione was his favourite character and that he shipped Harmony. Look at GOF and you will see how he tried to show a subtle Harmony pairing. Wtf for goodness sake, he should had let Rowling do her job.
Moreover I feel like JK let herself be influenced by the movies. Comments like that she thinks that writting Romione was a mistake etc. (I also feel like later book Hermione was quite similar to movie Hermione)
I'm so late to this, but I just wanted to say that I agree with you. Movie Hermione absolutely took the place of Book Hermione in the last book of the series, Deathly Hallows. I feel like Rowling dropped all pretenses and succumbed to Kloves's adulation of Hermione, who is a self-insert character, meaning Hermione IS J.K. Rowling.
Ron's the key to all this. He's a funnier character than we've ever had.
The movies showed like only 10% of Ron's shining moments in total, 50% of him was being a comic relief, and 40% of him was about being a jeaulous, mean jerk.
I hate when People say that Ron wasn't a good friend for Harry and wasn't loyal, just because what happened in GoF or DH.
Ron was in DH extremely effected by the horcrux, he wasn't himself. This fact people tend to forget. in GoF he did a mistake by not believing Harry at first, but people also forget that he was only 14 years old and was always neglected because of his older brothers. Ron is an incredible friend, who was willing to sacrifise himself for Harry and not just once, who gave him a second home with the burrow and the feeling of a loving family, who helped him with the horcruxes and followed him through all the adventures, Who protected him from Sirius or who saved his life from the frozen lake. I wish more people could see the many great things he did for Harry.
something I don't understand is that why people send Ron a lot of hate and think he is useless!
he is supportive and loyal he is the one that's always with Harry in every situation and never leaves him alone.
he doesn't deserve hate, he has a perfect character and if he wasn't in the story, the tale would have been incomplete.
AND in the movies, they didn't pay much attention to Ron's character and how he really is in the books and I think that is really cruel!
thanks for the video I think this is going to help a lot for the ones that don't know how he really is and maybe hates would go away who knows! ♥♥♥
Ron was a really nice character. As you said movies just made him a comic relief. Although he made jokes in the books as well, he cared for both Harry and Hermione when they were. busy taking care of the world. In the PoA movie, Ron constantly made fun of Hermione for taking too much classes at once but in the books he also asks her frequently if she is able to take all the pressure and advises her to reduce some classes. Ron became quite useless (I've heard movie fans say this) but in the books, he is as essential as Hermione. In the books too, what made him a jealous was being surrounded by people who are praised more than him , so it is very natural to lose confidence .But in the movies they just show Ron being randomly jealous of Harry because Harry looks cool and he doesn't.
The problem is that the movies CANCELED all of HERMIONES flaws and ADDED all of RONS flaws. And even many of Harrys flaws from the books the movie makers didn't added. So the leader of the group, the hero could be even cooler.... But in the book (especially in book 5) Harry is a very angry, mean and ungrateful jerk. He shouted at Ron and Hermione for not writing him, he destroyed Dumbledores office because of his uncontrolled anger, he provokes and offends Dudley at his best, meanwhile in the movie Dudley is the one who is mean to him and the "innocent", "poor" Harry Potter sits just on a swing... i like Harry, he is in my Top 5 list, but he is also not perfect.
T0T0RU The thing with the movies was that they didn't realise that flaws make a person beautiful. They didn't just miss Harry's flaws but his really good qualities his kindness. They missed all the sass. They made Ron and Hermione two really different people and I can imagine how hard it is to see two so different people together. It really seemed forced in the GoF movie putting Harry and Hermione together and even in last two films.
Harry was short sighted and often let his anger, not only cloud his judgment, but blind him. But at the end of the day, Ron was more of his best friend than Hermione.
Ron actually was a really annoying character for me for a while...until I came to realize that he really was the heart of the gang. Like, Harry was the action, Hermione the brains, but Ron, Ron was always the one who wasn't afraid to kinda let his emotions comes first. I guess I originally found that kinda annoying but now I've come to appreciate that it's what made the character trio work.
I love this video from the beginning to the end. You have adressed ALL the problems I have with movie Ron. In the books, Ron is one of my favourite characters (next to Neville and McGonagall), but my mom, who only saw the movies, started to get annoyed with Ron so much, already in Chamber of Secrets (where his being afraid of the spiders is, as well, shown to be just comic relief instead of adding to the suspense and the utter horror we are supposed to feel). When I told her how book Ron actually was, she almost didn't believe me.
Oh, I really don't want to diss Rupert Grint here, because he is an amazing actor (and I would also by an ice cream van with all that money). There's only so much an actor can do with such crappy writing.
On a different note, I feel like the same happened in those terrible Percy Jackson movies with Grover. In the books, he is kind of shy and nervous and loves nature, but is still brave and introduces Percy to the greek mythology. In the movie, he's a walking black stereotype (not that I have any problem with him being portraied black, since it's never made clear in the books) as well as permanently horny.
In my opinion movie herminoe comes off as too perfect, she’s just too unrelatable and doesn’t really have all of her book quirks which really made her character.
I loved that ron was more affended then hermione regarding the mudblood line it is brilliant that ron who knows all about the nitty gritty of the wizarding world would know that word and it is telling of his personality that he was quock to react-- and that hermione had no clue what was going on was both hilariously badass in an unintentional sort of way and it was also telling as it layed out both the fact that books with the word mudblood are restricted and that hermione who only knows of the wizarding world through the the words on a page it is brilliant piece of layered writing that combines exposition, character moments character development and conflict development-- its world building and fantasy writing at its subtle finest i think
Dude guys Ron is so awesome and my second favorite character besides Hermione. He is so funny and protective, he always makes me smile. He is my fictional boyfriend so nobody can take him from me! He always has the cutest hair and smile. All around Ron is an awesome guy.
I only now fully notice that the reason why I never particularly liked Ron is that I probably got his book and his movie version all mixed up! Because when you talked about how Ron actually is as a character I thought 'hm, that actually sound a lot like me'. So I guess the movies are just too much of a present thing in my head to really love Ron. As sad as that is.
Also I would love you to do a HP chat about Lupin (anything about him really cause he is my favourite character) or about Charlie, the left out Weasley brother!
*****
I do read them every year around christmas :D
Ah, my beloved Ron. He gets such a bad rap, and it's completely undeserved. I mean, what I wouldn't give to have a friend like him. I blame the movies for that.
Honestly, my favourite relationship in the books is his and Harry's friendship. I cried many times when I read the books, but oddly, the place I remember crying the most (I had to put the book down for a while) was in DH when Ron came back ... when he and Harry hugged. God, that just broke me.
I like the movies in general and for many reasons. I don't mind when adaptations are different from the source material. But changing Ron's character was their biggest mistake. It doesn't matter what you do in a movie adaptation, as long as the essence isn't lost. And I'm afraid Ron's was.
i totally agree. i also love Ron's and Harrys friendship the most, but the (later) movies didn't care much about this relationship and instead wanted us to believe that Harry and Hermione were the closest. This dance scene between this two bothers me so much. They included this scene, that wasn't even in the book and cutted instead the emotional hug-moment between Ron and Harry. Have you seen the deleted scene, where Ron and harry tried to catch a rabbit and Ron tried to aim his spell at harry at the end? i was glad that it wasn't in the final product, it was horrible...because it makes Ron even more to look like a jerk. Ron was in the movies like 50% comic relief, 40 % jeaulous, mean jerk, and like only 10 % with his shining moments. So many scenes with him and Harry were different in the movies, like in Goblet of fire, when they had a fight and Ron said to Harry "Piss off" and bumbs into him on purpose, in Deathly Hallows Movie-Ron shouted at him " Your parents are dead, you have no family.", although it was Harrys line in the book! I hate when people say that Ron isn't a good friend and isn't loyal, just because he was mad at him in GoF and left him in DH because he was wearing the horcrux.
I cannot express my hatred for the movies. Ron is my favorite character and I hate how the movies just stripped him of all of his good qualities while they stripped Hermione of all of her bad qualities. As a Harry Potter fan and someone who’s read the books plenty of times, every time I hate the movies even more after I re-read the books.
Some great points there on Ron who is also the character I empathise most with in the series. But more than three movies, I believe J.K. Rowling herself is to blame for what Ron became. Ron was all that you said till book 4. Post that though, I got a sense that Rowling herself didn't know how to build Ron as a character and just stuck to the easier comic relief mode. There was hardly anything notable that Ron could do in the last three books. He had to be shown as being inferior to the other two. He definitely should not get an Outstanding in the OWLs, Dumbledore made him a prefect only because he didn't want to put more pressure on Harry, he had to have terrible times as a quidditch keeper unlike Ginny who was a Winner from there time she sat on the broom..... So on and so forth. JKR made him a caricature and there movies just picked on it.
No she didn't completely.
Although you're right, she did change Ron for the worst. In GoF, every fan hated him.
In OoTP, the narrative treated him inferiorly.
HBP was Ron's worst year.
DH, Ron got a character arc and was the best.
Some of this is explained by Hermione's legolas effect in the movie. The movies gave her the same treatment the lord of the ring gave legolas... an infallible badass
So... All the good stuffs of Ron were given to Hermione as she got enlightened in the movies more . I read only the third book, The prisoner of the Azkaban , from which I spotted the difference between movie and book.
And Ron is the most favorite
character of mine. That's why I always get offended watching the
movies that Ron is being so less important and underrated
Character ......😢
such a desi sounding comment
Ron has always been my favorite character in the Harry Potter series, it breaks my heart when people say Ron is the worst character and not a good friend.
The movies and directors want to make her seem very perfect, simple things such as her not knowing what "mudblood" is, not having very much confidence on a broomstick, or freaking out of Devil's snare makes us see how nobody is perfect, not even Hermione, and this is, in my opinion, one of the best HP themes! It always makes me more happy and less insecure, and that is a huge reason Hermione is one of my favorite characters! I love imperfect Hermione! And I agree with you that Hermione being imperfect makes her interesting!
In the movies, Hermione knows what a mudblood is and INCREDIBLY rides a broomstick, and she doesn't freak out in the devil snare scene... Which is stupid, ok, it makes her seem incredibly perfect.
i'm so glad somebody finally started talking about this!
Honestly I completely agree with all of your points in this. All of the trio were chopped up in the movies and then shuffled about until Ron got all the bad traits, Harry got very few (Angst, being the main one, which isn't really a trait so much as a state), and Hermione got all the good ones :| It's just really quite sad.
Hermione got Ron traits and Ron got nothing. it is a problem. It is called Women are Wiser trope and Men are dumb trope. :(
Yeah, I saw another ron-based discussion that brought that trope up. It really is quite annoying, because those two in the books were great, relatable characters but due to this rewriting are now pretty much just aren't themselves any longer.
I was annoyed by the way Ron was done too. Ron, Neville and Draco got shafted in the movies.
Since Neville is my favorite character in the books, I definitely have to agree that I was super sad by what they did to him in the movies.
I think your right that he is a little different in the movies and maybe he should have more scenes where he shows his protective side. But I have to say of all the main characters. He was the one who was best portrayed. We can talk about looks and stuff, but as you said, they didn't know how they would grow up. I really love movie Ron! And Rupert Grints portrayl.
Love your videos and would also love a video about a difference between Hermionie and Harry. Aspecially the look of her, because its actually important that she wasn't that beautiful and was a little more "normal".
I love this! Ron Weasley is my favorite character and I agree so much with this! I will forever be angry about movie Ron..
I love both the book versions and the movie versions of the characters for different reasons. I still treat them as separate intellectual properties because they are! The book versions are obviously the best because we want our characters flawed, warts and all.
this has nothing to do with the video but the audio was pretty low for me and i have it on full blast ??
It was the same for me
Yeah, it's been like that for a couple videos. Maybe she got a new mic or something and the levels are messed up?
same!
Everyone kept bitching on how Hermione's dress is a different color in the movies but when they fucked up ron and Harry's character and made Hermione this perfect goddess in the films, no one batted an eye
This girl is awesome. She looks like an awesome person to hang around and talk for hours.
Book Ron has the most scars out of the trio
I'm so grateful to see that other Harry Potter fans think they've butchered Ron's character in the movies... honestly, I think they shouldn't have made those movies at all. none of is especially good nor brought to life the joy I felt while reading the books, didn't do justice to the humor and heart we see in the books. I'm on a "I hate what they did to Ron in the movies" video streak at the moment because book ron is such a complex, important character reduced to a stupid sidekick in the movies.
Remeber in the early 2000s when ron was the favorite character
You are my absolute favorite new youtuber. Your HP chats are my favorites and you say all the things I have been thinking for years.
I hate HP movies. I just hate them. I HATE how they portrayed Harry, Dumbledore and Snape in the films (especially Harry) For example: when Harry and Dumbledore returned from the cave, in the books Harry is purposefully jinxed by Dumbledore so he can't intervine but movie Harry DID NOT DO ANYTHING. HOW ON EARTH HARRY POTTER WOULD NOT JUMP INTO ACTION WHEN ONE OF HIS DEAR ONES IS IN DANGER?!?! IN WHAT UNIVERSE IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?! And also WHY DO THEY HAVE TO INTRODUCE THIS WEIRD SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN HIM AND HERMIONE IN THAT DANCE SINCE AFTER RON'S DEPARTURE ?!? JUST NO! Those are not my characters
Sorry if this is not gramatically correct but since English is not my mother tongue it's kind of difficult for me to try to make sense when something infuriates me so so so much.
I completely agree. Harry and Hermione love each other as friends. In the movies, its so awkward and forced especially in The Goblet of Fire.
Dance between Harry and Hermione was a beautiful moment of levity. There was absoutely nothing sexual about it. Only fanfic cave dwellers see sexual tension in everything. Harry was just supportive to his friend. Giving Hermione a moment of peace in times when literally everything went to sh*t. She was devastated when Ron have left. He gave her some energy and happiness to go on. Thats what good friends usually do.
Sorry I hate the movies. I completely HATE them.
Girl, u're so right
Agree with all of it except the dance. It was important an important moment that actually reinforced how important Ron was (too little too late?), and JK Rowling has stated herself that book Harry and Hermione came very close to doing something when Ron was gone, simply because their sadness was so great that it would only be natural to seek relief. However the fact that they didn’t was a testament to their love for Ron.
E x a c t l y
Thank you for saying it! I could rant about this for hours.
I would love a hp tv series in the vain of game of thrones or something
Now that the movies have been for years and I've had the chance to sit back and really critique them. I've come to the conclusion that the movies are terrible. Maybe they should have waited until all the books were published. Doing each book as a season with 24 episodes would have been better than trying to cram and leaving so much out in a movie. The movies are terrible I just wish they had never made them.
I was going into this video with scepticism, but you have really good points. You convinced me.
I'm so excited to watch your older videos now that I've discovered you since the cursed child discussion =) Appreciate your videos and differenciated views.
Wow I love this video!!! You really summed it all up so well, it couldn't have been put into better words.
Well, I have too admit that you have given me a diffrent perspective of Ron.
new subscriber here. I totally agree with you. Reading the books, I loved Ron. I could relate to his insecurities as well as his love and protectiveness for his friends and family.
However I don't really like movie Ron at all. I am a big fan of fanfiction and read it all the time. I think most writers write movie Ron though. They forget how loving and gentle Ron could be. Yeah he had issues with jealousy but it was understandable in the book. in the movie he was just a jerk.
Sharlet Armstrong the more I think about it, Ron's jealousy become more understandable. I mean, he got five brilliant brothers for his entire life. He was most likely seen as 'Harry's best friend' instead of himself. He was always under the shadows of the bright and talented wizards (his brothers and Harry) around him, you know. Of course he would feel insecure at one point or another.
And I felt so heartbroken when I read the part when Ron left the Hermione and Harry in the Deathly Hollows. But, I think he was 'reedemed' when he saved Harry from drowning *and* when he finally destroyed the hocrux (also a symbolism of him destroying his insecurity, IMO). I don't 'feel' that watching the movie. He was straight out jerk and petty in the movie.
I agree that fanfiction writers (and readers) forget how Ron really is in the books. I once got a comment on one of my fics about how it was "weird" that my Ron was so protective of Harry. Like...??? Have you even read the books? Do you even know Ron Weasley?
Sharlet Armstrong it is not Rupert fault you have to blame Steve kloves
These books are making me want a potter reread pretty soon it’s been a while.
I never really thought about this before this video. I am so glad you made this one :)
Loved this discussion. Since the first movie came out, I was upset over the portrayal of Ron. Don't get me wrong, I still like him, but book Ron is a completely different person. I especially hate the way Ron agrees with Professor Snape in the 3rd movie about Hermione being a know it all since we all know that in the book, he defends her! :S :@ grrrr. Gosh movie Ron annoys me in so many scenes! I 100% agree about Hermione being almost perfect in the movies. Again, I do like movie Hermione a lot but she really had no flaws and that to me was so unrealistic. I noticed the same thing happened to Daenerys in Game of Thrones since (to me) her character is given almost God like characteristics and she can do no wrong. In the books, she goes through pretty normal stuff. What you said about taking all of book Ron's great qualities and giving it to Hermione in the movies reminds me so much of A Series of Unfortunate Events except that they took everything amazing about Violet and gave it to Klaus. This is why I always love the books more than the movies or tv show, with The Lord of the Rings movies being the only exception because they were just perfect.
That was such a good video! You definitely have my personal 'Harry Potter Expert' award :) Maybe you will do some more of this videos... Just a thought. It's nice to see characters in different light.
I like both Rons, honestly. Movie Ron is guffy, just a comic relief and it goes well with all the changes they made. But I know this os not the original Ron and I like book Ron better; still, I don't hate movie Ron.
Have a good day, Cece:)
Yes!!! I've been waiting for somebody to discuss this
All of this is so true! Book Ron for life ;)