The year 2021, among many other things, marked 20 years since the release of the very first Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (I will not be calling it the Sorcerer’s Stone). As someone who grew up with the series, both books and films, being roughly the same age as the characters in each film, I can properly say that I was there when the magic was written.
The first movie was nothing short of magical, seeing the book, its characters, and settings come to life, and each movie after that has been its own unique experience as well. To mark the 20th anniversary of the first film, Warner Bros. released a reunion special featuring many of the cast and crew coming together to share memories of being a part of this incredible franchise.
In Sri Lanka, one may expect for this sort of occasion to fly under the radar, but that would be an affront to the magic of Harry Potter and all Lankan Potterheads. Brunch received an exclusive invite to a Harry Potter event like no other. Hosted by the entertainment website and Sri Lanka’s first-ever buy one, get one free coupon app Slash, this event was an exclusive screening of the reunion special, Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts, amidst an evening of Potter-centric mirth.
Pre-show
This evening of Harry Potter festivity was hosted at Butler’s Pub at Park Street, and as far as venues go, it was quite well suited. The decor by Eskazee Events really transformed the venue into a modestly sized but powerful version of the Hogwarts Great Hall, with decor that all Harry Potter fans know and love, from house banners to props like potions-making stations and even a very fun take on the entrance to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters.
Guests were sorted into the four Hogwarts houses by a very realistic-looking Sorting Hat and then the opening act began: Harry Potter quiz. Now, as an avid albeit largely latent Harry Potter fan, I must confess, I found most of the questions quite basic, but there were some detail-oriented, number-based questions (like, for instance, how many staircases Hogwarts castle has) – that had me stumped as well. It also made me think that I need to re-read the books.
The next activity was a crossword puzzle/decoding activity, which I abstained from, followed by a round of Harry Potter-inspired Taboo (the game where you have to describe something specific to your team without using key words). I found this round quite entertaining because, well, I knew all the answers (for those of you wondering, yes, I am, in fact, a Slytherin).
The last activity before the main event was another quiz, but this was a rapid-fire round with heavy penalties if you got the wrong answer. (I knew all the answers here too, though saying this doesn’t feel like the flex I thought it would).
The winners of the pre-show activities ended up being Hufflepuff House. Well done Hufflepuff for shattering the stereotype that Puffs are – well, for want of a better word – useless. I do not recall Slytherin’s ranking in all this, which is a personal point of shame.
We then moved on to the screening of the reunion, while being served a wonderful three-course pub meal courtesy of Butler’s Pub.
Showtime
Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts starts more or less as all Potter films do – with the iconic Warners Bros. logo and the iconic Harry Potter score. I can’t lie, the opening gave me chills; I got chills when I heard chords of “Harry’s Wondrous World” at the opening of the first Fantastic Beasts movie too, and this was the same – that feeling of knowing this was connected to the universe I grew up loving and just cannot let go of.
It must be addressed, now, that J.K. Rowling (JKR) does not appear in this reunion, save for some archival footage interspersed here and there, but if you’re expecting the reunion to address this in any way, you will be disappointed. Famously, JKR has built the wrong sort of name for herself over the last two years through several hateful Tweets (and then some) that show a shocking lack of respect and understanding for the transgender community to great backlash. Never has the question of separating the art from the artist been as big a question as in the case of JKR and the Harry Potter fandom, and this is a question the reunion avoids answering.
Some other noticeable people missing from the reunion, which sees so many of the cast and crew come together, are Dame Maggie Smith (who played Prof. McGonagall) and Dame Julie Walters (who played Molly Weasley). The reasons for these remarkable women not making an appearance is as yet unclear, and though there was archival footage of them, they were sorely missed.
Overall, I must say, the reunion was a very pleasant experience, but not entirely groundbreaking. There were beautiful moments and some unheard-of stories, but somehow, speaking as someone who was an immense fan (I’m talking hours and hours of watching YouTube videos on practically everything related to the fandom and an embarrassing amount of fanfiction), I didn’t find anything especially new.
It was, of course, very exciting, but it is a reunion; it’s people you know and love sharing stories about something you know and love, and yes, while some stories will surprise you and have you feeling very warm and fuzzy, it is, in essence, a very long behind-the-scenes featurette, but with a lot more oomph than such featurettes would normally have.
The production value, like anything from the Harry Potter universe, was incredible, as well as the thoughtful editing. Despite being somewhat underwhelmed because there was no “new” information (to me), I still found my heartstrings being tugged at the end because of some masterful editing of the scene in which Severus Snape says his famous line “always” – a line I have always found very problematic because it encourages holding onto past pain for all the wrong reasons and not moving forward. But still, it was very touching, which, in a nutshell, is what the Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts reunion film is. Very touching.
