Harry Potter – 20. rocznica: Powrót do Hogwartu

A flight through the world of Hogwarts and the legacy it left in the hearts of the young cast. There is a lot to bite into, but we learn almost nothing new and we are thrown into nostalgia, which must prevail, period. Rupert Grint himself says that he doesn't feel old enough to need to do a recap – none of the people involved did, but why not, ten years on, reflect on the great literary phenomenon that spawned the grateful coming-of-age fantasy films, and point out how great and friendly all the colleagues and creators were? At least an elementary effort to distinguish the motivational development of the series, which was subordinated to the visions of various directors, provides a somewhat supportive structure for this appealing special. And to its credit, it can also be considered more of a chronological documentary, recounting the background, casting, and creative decisions regarding the development of some of the characters, rather than a cheesy self-reflexive advertisement and reminiscing. I'm a huge fan of the books, and I quite like the films (though I'd really only single out probably three and five), but this failed to enrich me in any way, either emotionally or with the behind-the-scenes stories, of which I expected considerably more – and if anything, considerably better researched, as in the case of Emma Watson's teenage crisis, which was only barely mentioned. It would require taking off the rose-tinted glasses and coming up with themes about the production of the Potter films, their social resonance and their role in the lives of the actors that would actually be worth documenting. This is just nice glossy fan-service with some interesting observations and parallels between the child actors and their characters. 55 % (01.01.2022)

I can say I'm a fan of the Harry Potter films and books - I basically grew up on them, so I couldn't miss the reunion of the cast and creators after all these years. At the same time, I had some nostalgic expectations, but they weren't completely fulfilled. The documentary is over an hour and a half long, yet for most of the running time I found it flat and done purely for effect. It plays too much on emotions, and the actors themselves were often less believable in their speeches than the characters with whom the viewer has associated them for years. That said, Helena Bonham Carter was charmingly wacky and I even shed a little tear at Robbie Coltrane's final comment about Hagrid, much like I did when remembering deceased actors. The archival presence of J.K. Rowling makes you shudder, at least she was often mentioned by others involved. PS: I didn't have to pull out my tissues during the screening, but Rupert Grint and his stuffy nose would have definitely welcomed some. (01.01.2022)