Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022) Movie Review

Hello guys and a very Happy New Year to you, my fellow nerd babies and a welcome back for another round of movie reviews with Movie Nerd, a place where you can be nerdy about movies!

So guys, this one is a very special one for me because, before I begin I would like to say that this is a on the fly review because this one was not planed or put together before or even thought about writing a review for but I am a massive Harry Potter fan and a big Potterhead and when I heard that they are going to do a reunion, 20 years after the first movie was released and this whole series took flight and 10 years since the series has ended, the Potter fan base and the magic and what that series of movies and books meant to a lot of people, me included, is still so powerful, the impact that it had on the world is still so strong that I was so excited to see this documentary style movie, with interviews and secrets from behind the scenes that I really did not know, up until this point.

I will not give a synopsis because there really is not a synopsis to give because the main cast is back, mainly, with some few notable absences, on one hand because of scheduling issues and, of course, the freaking COVID virus and, on the other hand because some of them, sadly, passed away years back, like Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, Helen McCrory and others. To see the three main ones, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe, back together, was very emotional, magical and a bit surreal.

I was a bit surprised of the length of it, which is 1 hour and 42 minutes, I think but I could have care less if it was 3 or 4 hours long, that's how much I enjoyed this reunion. I really liked the way they structured this whole thing, in chapters, like a book and each chapter was focused on two specific titles from the series, starting, of course, with the first one and going through all of them, ending with The Deathly Hollows of course. It was very interesting and it really helped on following the story about this wonderful series and this amazing world that J.K created, through the eyes of these amazing actors and directors. Yes, all of the directors from all of the films return as well, Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell and David Yates. Sadly, no J.K but she is mentioned quite a lot and we get some pieces from an interview she did in 2019. This tainted a bit the whole thing but it does make it less enjoyable.

Overall, I was so very pleased to return back into this world, back to the real magic of this series and not to talk ill about the Fantastic Beasts movies but those movies, although I find them OK, the magic in those movies does not fell as magical as it did with the Harry Potter movies and they really do not measure up to what the Harry Potter franchise was, is and it still will be, a place where you can be whoever you want to be, a place where you really feel like you belong. A welcoming, magical and emotional return. Amazing and utterly beautiful and a really great addition to the world of Harry Potter! 9.5/10

OK guys, that was my on the fly review, a review that I did not even plan to do but this is something that is really close to my heart and really impacted my life and my childhood and it still does to this day and it will still years after this. It's streaming now on HBO Max and I strongly suggest I watch it, especially if you are a Potter fan, you will not be disappointed. After this, I am not sure when or what I will post because this week I will be working and I am surely will not be able to go and see a movie but, hopefully, next week I will have something. Until then, take care, stay safe and movie nerdy and keep on reviewing!