Harry potter 20th anniversary return to Hogwarts is a warm blanket or invisibility cloak of nostalgia that mixes cozy cast reunions and fond friendship memories with a film-by-film approach to the eight movie saga think of that powerful memory in its attempt to be everything though it may run a bit long for some casuals tastes occasionally feeling more like supplemental blu-ray material but the time and care devoted to sentimentality and heartfelt reminiscence is always wonderfully on display when things get really dark and times are really hard there's something about harry potter that makes life richer it's a strong bond that we'll always have potter fanatics probably won't find anything new to chew on within this almost two hour special but if you're that big a fan it won't matter you can hear all about the kids audition processes and about the various onset crushes over the years all day until the hippogriffs come home and it'd still be a joy no not everyone is back for this juggernaut of a time capsule but the key players are here the triumphant trio plus the saga's most important mid-carders some were clearly more available than others emma watson appears in the storybook style opening credits and several breakout chats while rupert grint was only on hand for the harry ron hermione fireside chat but enough shuffling of the deck is done so that everything flows nicely again this is a feature-length endeavor that also brings out the four directors chris columbus alfonso coron mike newell and david yates for lengthy dives into their movies so definite attention was paid to the pacing of the project it never gets hung up on anything for too long but it also sits with things enough .
Impact you emotionally presentation matters and what's front and center here is a very hearth-centric gather round having most everyone back at hogwarts which as a cold weather castle is designed to feel gothically soothing and comforting makes this all feel like a festive family reunion a family filled with love but also one with members who don't regularly see each other or even check in which makes it feel even more like a real family in certain ways to be honest daniel radcliffe watson and grint have an immense sibling style love and affection for each other but we're so deeply immersed in each other's lives during a decade of formative years that they've also had their feel of each other in a way they will always be special to one another but they also all three of them represent each other's past very starkly and assuredly we live in a world where fans dream of co-stars being best friends who are inseparable for the rest of their lives but that's rarely the case so one of the reasons these types of reunion hangs are so popular is because well they wrangle and hurt everyone back into close proximity addressing the jk rowling in the room she's relegated to a few mentions and snippets from an interview done in 2019. it can be distracting but not enough to sidetrack the special especially given the length of the thing hearty laughs over past jokes and japes tears wiped away in remembrance of friends and mentors lost along the way in a filmic exploration of the character's journeys from beginning to end return to hogwart covers all the bases and makes for a pleasant and gratifying tuck-in for the phenomenal franchise the happiest you can remember return to hogwarts is a charming look back at a decade of harry potter movies featuring headlining cast members an inviting atmosphere and a lot of love and laughter it's also uniquely long for a reunion special taking us through each movie in a way that may make for a slog for some to that end it's also separated up into more easily digestible chapters and segments for pull apart viewing if necessary the end result though is a terrific roots to tips take on a delightful decade of movie making for more check out our reviews of the matrix resurrections and spiderman no way home and for everything else stick with us.