If you’re a Harry Potter buff like me, then you have heard about the fan film Voldemort: Origins of the Heir that was produced by Tryangle Films and maybe have even watched it already. For those of you who haven’t heard of the film, but still love Harry Potter, let me fill you in on what my thoughts are of this new take at the Harry Potter universe starting with the pros of the film.
Voldemort: Origins of the Heir was funded by a kickstarter campaign back in 2016. The 52-minute movie was uploaded onto their YouTube page January 13, 2017. It follows the story of Tom Riddle up to the point of him becoming Lord Voldemort. Now, watching this film and knowing how difficult it is to create special FX and match the feel of a Harry Potter film, I give the team props for creating costumes, sets, music, and effects that made the film feel that magical Hogwarts feel. From the moving pictures, to Tom’s diary, to the darkness of the filming, they did a pretty good job at conveying the tone of the wizarding world during the dark times and making the props look as close to the original. Now, where I praise them on post production, it’s time to talk about the cons of this movie.
The film is taking place during the time where Voldemort is Voldemort and is currently gaining more power and followers. It opens on a scene of a woman, who we later find out is Grisha McLaggen, the heir of Gryffindor, fighting with gas mask wearing Soviet guards. Why Soviet guards? No, really, I’m asking why. The opening fight scene was cool to watch, but I just can’t get past the evil Soviet guy named Makarov who has ONE EYE. It almost doesn’t feel like this storyline belongs in the Harry Potter world but just barely makes it. Grisha McLaggen showed up to this place to get ahold of Tom’s diary so she can destroy it because she believes it’s a horcrux. Not only does this storyline feel out of place, but we are also treated to flashbacks that seem to contradict themselves. Especially the scene where Tom goes to visit Hepzibah Smith to retrieve the locket. Where the sets, costumes, and props fit the HP mold, their accents couldn’t hold. There are so many rough British accents in this film. You know the one, the one where they try too hard to sound British and end up having this over enunciated somewhat of an accent type accent that one would hear in a elementary school play. My next con is that the film made it feel like things just didn’t tie together and were jumping around a lot. The storyline of the heirs felt unexplained and ended just as they began. The twist ending felt thrown together as if they didn’t know where else to put this scene so they put it at the end. The flow of the film just made me feel like I was reading a cheesy fanfiction.
While I wouldn’t watch Voldemort: Origins of the Heir again, I do appreciate what they were trying to convey and the story they produced. Although it seems my cons of this movie outweigh the pros, I do honestly give props to the entirety of Tryangle Films and their entire staff and team. To film something of this caliber and to share your art with a community so dedicated takes a lot of guts and talent. Please don’t stop creating and sharing something that you love.