Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts 4K 2022 2160p HMAX WEB-DL

An HBO Max special celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter movie.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts 4K Review
The doors of Hogwarts have reopened, is it not a Christmas miracle? On January 1, 2022, many pairs of eyes around the world are glued to the big, small, and medium screens to go back, if only for a couple of hours, to a place where everyone was once happier, and the grass was greener, the trees were higher, a nearly headless Nick walked through the dinner table, and the Weasley brothers sabotaged exams. A rejuvenation potion like this, or a few turns of the time flywheel, is exactly what one wants to start the year, which for many ended with the traditional holiday marathon: and once again, Harry won and survived.

Chapter 1: Harry Potter and the Return to Hogwarts
Let's start with the Muggle titles and lineups: after all, "Harry Potter 20 Years Later" is not a special edition talk show or a reunion at Zoom, but a documentary. The occasion for the gathering was the Philosopher's Stone milestone: the first movie about the boy who survived turned 20 years old in 2021. Nevertheless, the nostalgic action is not limited to the first two pictures, but moves through the chronology of growing up and covers the entire Potterian cinematic cycle. Footage chronicles the highlights from the filming and then turns to the awe-inspiring faces of the matured alumni. The cast came out impressive, but not ultimatum: the great Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Emma Thompson, David Thewlis, Julie Waters and many others did not participate in the project (the Dursleys, of course, belong on Tees Street, not at Hogwarts). But that can hardly spoil the genuine magic of the unity of all those who created these (un)ordinary wonders.

One of the most awe-inspiring moments of the entire "Return" was saying goodbye to the departed: Alan Rickman, Richard Griffiths, John Hurt, and other wizards of the cinematic world. Foolish and generally impossible to recount other people's feelings, the artists themselves could barely find the words to spell out the loss: personal to each and common to all.

Another person who was not at the celebration was Joan Rowling. The writer has been waging a completely unnecessary war on Twitter and therefore was not invited to the ball. But the creators managed not to construct concrete scenes of alienation or pretend that the woman who built Hogwarts never existed. The snippets with J.K. included in the film are taken from a taped interview in 2019, and the students of the Wizarding School thank Roh's mother time and again. Under the circumstances, this is a compromise, but still a sensible resolution to a difficult situation.

Chapter 2: Harry Potter and the Gifts of Life
Perhaps the main and perhaps the only thing worth writing and talking about after watching "Return to Hogwarts" is the genuine joy of all those gathered in one frame and uttering not empty lines about kinship and family. For nearly two hours, everyone has a chance to touch that sincere happiness of meeting and the true magic of love that so many words are devoted to in the book.

The family tree of the magical family has sprouted, not least thanks to "The Philosopher's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets" director Chris Columbus. He became both the director, the father to all the kids, and the main dreamer on the set. Looking back, the performers unanimously professed their love for their first years at the school of magic. Columbus himself called The Philosopher's Stone a kind of invitation to Hogwarts: the doors opened for the first time and forever.

It's unlikely that fans of Porteriana with years of experience will find anything new for themselves in Reunion: all the movies about the movies have long been learned, interviews have been read and videos of the first trysts of Emma, Rupert and Daniel have been watched a thousand times. But, what's the same chemistry flickering between the golden trio 20 years ago as it does today is the real witchcraft: getting Harry, Ron, and Hermione right once. While a nostalgic warmth spills inside when looking at everyone together and each individually (Helena Bonham Carter is great! How good Neville is! Gary Oldman makes the best jokes!) it's the Gryffindors who finally disarm even skeptical Hogwarts guests.

"The Return" isn't perfect, though: closer to the second half, the action storms and it seems overdrawn in places, with memories wandering in a nostalgic circle time after time, but that doesn't stop the film from being a most successful reunion. There have been a thousand and one reunions in the past two years, but some of them have covered in dust, some are remembered for the frank awkwardness of the participants, who had nothing to say to each other. "Return to Hogwarts" happened absolutely for love, though. And maybe that's because these people never really broke up. Even though they don't get together every year for Christmas dinner in the Great Hall, they participate in the same charitable projects, promotional campaigns, and other activities tightly tied to the wizarding world. In the ten years that have passed since the filming of Deathly Hallows ended (this footage will also break your heart, be warned), the students and teachers of Hogwarts have never managed to become strangers to each other or to you and me.

Chapter 3: Harry Potter and the Order of Hogwarts
And that, in general, is the important didactic purpose of this meeting: many (including us) grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, looked up to them, argued with their decisions, fell in love and mended their first heartbreak with the pages of Rowling's books. It is encouraging to see that all the heroes of our childhood and adolescence have grown up to become good and decent people. Daniel Radcliffe has conquered all his addictions and is doing his best in independent cinema, Rupert Grint is the first of the trio to become a father (especially evident in his lack of sleep), and Emma Watson has become a generational icon, also thanks to her activism.

Surprisingly, there was still a drop of bitterness and naked sincerity in this glossy and parade event: Rupert, Dan and Emma confessed that at some point they lost themselves and became Harry, Ron and Hermione even outside the set. They didn't respond to their names on the streets and events, had a hard time adapting to schools and universities, and were deprived of a typical childhood. But in spite of all these difficulties, it was love, care, concern, and of course friendship that helped them cope with the crisis.

Today it is common to scold Rowling's series of books for their conservatism, blue blood and other British archaisms, which have become the foundation of the story. Perhaps some controversial aspects are better seen from a distance, but nevertheless Harry Potter, Joan Rowling, and Chris Columbus have become educators for so many people around the world. Growing up and graduating high school, like Harry, we stopped being "chosen" (as every child thinks of himself) and became ordinary people in jobs in ministries, cozy shops, and newspapers like The Daily Prophet. But we all need a couple of days a year to go back to Hogwarts and rejoice without looking back that we haven't stopped believing in magic.