As flawed as the stories and characters can sometimes seem when re-reading the books as an adult, it’s indisputable thatHarry Pottercaptivates the minds of most young readers due to the depth of its lore and the ever-growing roster of characters. Every book introduces a host of fascinating characters and concepts that enrich the Wizarding World. However, that level of depth doesn’t translate well onto the screen due to the requirements and constraints of filmmaking.Among the characters who didn’t get their due in the movies, there’s Mad-Eye Moody(Brendan Gleeson).
From makingGinny Weasley not as strong a witch in the moviesto leaving outRon Weasley and Harry Potter’s Quidditch Cup wins, the film franchise has made missteps of varying impacts. However, they really shortchanged Mad-Eye Moody as a supporting character despite him having great importance in the books. He deserved more screen time and a much better sendoff, but theHarry Pottermovies do his character a great disservice. Hopefully,HBO’sHarry PotterTV showwill give him the respect and relevance he deserves in the plot.
He Was Much More Important In The Books
It is understandable that a franchise likeHarry Potter, dealing with so many characters, will struggle to give all the characters their due. But Mad-Eye Moody is someone who should have made it to the list of characters the movies will prioritize at any cost. TheHarry Potternovels make no secret of his significance, not just in the fight against Voldemort but in Harry’s life specifically, and it’s still disappointing to rewatch the movies and realizethey never paid him the attention he deserves.
It is especially disappointing that Mad-Eye Moody was a more central character, albeit due to his term as a professor at Hogwarts, when he was being impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr. than when he was back to being himself.
Mad-Eye Moody is one of the bravest and smartest wizards to join the Order of the Phoenix. Before that, he worked as an auror for years, and is often considered to be the most famous auror of all time. Not only do the books fail to capture his fame and importance to the wizarding world, they also don’t depict how difficult he was to capture and impersonate. He was responsible for the arrests of most of Azkaban’s convicts, and he is the one who safeguards the Order’s headquarters at 12, Grimmauld Place, too. The movies don’t mention any of that.
He Deserved A Proper Send-Off
Among theHarry Potteroff-screen character deaths in the movies, one of the most egregious is Mad-Eye Moody’s. He’s killed during the Seven Potters sequence inThe Deathly Hallowswhere seven people drink Polyjuice Potion and impersonate Potter to confuse the Death Eaters. However, not only does Moody die during the Battle of the Seven Potters, his body is taken by the Death Eaters, preventing his friends from burying him or holding a funeral for him. Harry was among the characters who didn’t take his death well.
So, to unceremoniously kill off Mad-Eye in a rush, barely showing how he died and how others reacted to it, feels disrespectful to such a powerful, brave, and important wizard like him. Showing his death would not only allow us viewers to experience his death like those of Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore and bid adieu to him, but would also convey how dangerous the Death Eaters are. Mad-Eye Moody is famously difficult to kill, so his death goes to showhow hard it is to survive an attack from Lord Voldemort, irrespective of your talents as a wizard.
