The actors who played Snape, Sirius, Lupin, etc were all too old in the movies..

[TheHulksPurplePanties]

I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Alan Rickman. But I recently started playing the new Harry Potter "Mystery at Hogwarts" game and I came to the realization (because I OBVIOUSLY don't have better things to think about) that Snape should only be 23/24 in this game. He should have been 31 at the start of the Potter series, but Rickman was in late 50's. I know life was difficult in the Potterverse but come-on, a 31 year old does not look 50.

I'm sure the reasoning was that they wanted bigger names in the movies to get more of a draw, but surely there were actors in their 30's who could have played the roles?

TheHulksPurplePanties Makes sense! You're in good company!

LaurieMarlow That bit gave me warm fuzzies.

Eyebrows Watson. I'm on the floor! Someone should turn that into a username!

I haven't seen CC in the theatre, just read the script. I'm in Scotland and it's a bit far to go to London just to see it! Is it going on tour at any point?

I thought Cursed child was spectacular, but I hated the plot and left the theatre (especially on the second performance) annoyed (probably irrationally). Wish I hadn't seen it. That's why I go by my new policy of ignoring everything an author says apart from the books. I don't give any more credence to what Rowling says happened after DH than I would anybody else :).

TooExtra I'd expect it might but not for a long while, as it's still a sellout. I am at the PP who knows someone who has seen it 80+ times, the tickets cost a fortune and I have a friend who still hasn't managed to get her hands on a pair!

ahard I actually had a fab time dissecting the plot failures with my sister after the first performance The time turners were the thing that got me the most...

The fact that cursed child on stage has pretty whizz bangs to distract from the complete failure to match the series isn't much of an argument to me.

SPOILERS (strike through to make less readable, but don't waste your money going to see it)

Just two for starters. Voldemort woukd never have had a child to continue is line. It is mentioned eleventy billion times that he considers himself separate, unique, special. A mini me doesn't fit with his immortality agenda, which he only thought was threatened before he and Bellatrix died. Moronic. Full stop. Second point that really annoyed me was Cedric becoming a Death Eater just because he was humiliated once is again, pathetic, weak bastardisation of the original storytelling. Look at the beautifully woven picture of the tragedy of snape's failures - still debated here - vs that utter piece of wank.

Ahhhhh. I hate that piece of shite so much it gives me energy.

Oh and my main problem with what I believe to be JKR's pretence that Hermione could have been black in the books is that Hermione was ALREADY THE VICTIM OF RACIAL ABUSE IN HP. Substitute Mudblood for the N word. There's no way someone as emotionally and intellectually literate as Hermione wouldn't have said something like 'gee, I was abused for my skin colour in muggle world, now for my parentage'.

I think it's dishonest, and I'd admire her so much more if she'd said that yes, she wrote the characters as white and only mentioned race when it wasn't. Opened up a debate and talked about how she might do it differently. But she had to tweet something right on instead. It's important that Hermione could be black, and there's no reason she couldn't have been, but it's also important that JKR didn't specify her race because she didn't think she had to.

Oh yes I’d forgotten about Cedric. I need to re read it - although I’ll just end up getting annoyed again.
I’ve found the opposite to ICantCope in that everyone I speak to in the fandom dislikes CC (is that you Jo?)

Thing is though, it is what it is. That's the story, it is canon and that's that. You don't have to like it but it is canon

Cedric's character assassination really pissed me off, like hell would he have become a Death Eater! Time turners don't work that way, either. And Ron, Hermione and Severus all getting the Dementor's Kiss upset me too! (I'm still trying to work out the logic of the latter still being alive, did they ever explain it properly? Although getting bitten by Nagini is far better than getting kissed by a Dementor in my book.)

But it can't be canon, because if it is Rowling contradicts herself with how Time Turners work!

Sapphire - Severus getting the kiss was a blessed relief after they gave him that crappy heroic speech.

So much in there to hate.

Oh and I don't really care either way if it's considered canon, but some of the dialogue that was borrowed from the original series - i.e. in the Time Turner parts (before they had done anything to alter the course of history) - was slightly altered for no obvious reason. Makes it a bit of a shift from canon if you care about those things.

I honestly think that anyone who claims to like Cursed Child on the same level as HP (not as kitsch, or a play, or fanfic) is seriously lacking in reading comprehension and basic literary understanding. (I have to say that online, don't care if it makes me sound like a twat, it helps me grit my teeth and smile IRL)

Oh and it managed to shit on Hermione by saying that without Ron in an alternate timeline, she'd have been an embittered singleton. Like Hermione needed a man to give her purpose!

And pretty much everything else in the play!
She didn’t actually write it did she? I could be wrong but I thought she had some creative input but it was written by two other people? Therefore could be considered as non canon?

thecatsthecats I don't even remember his speech, and right now I can't find my copy of CC. That's probably a good thing!

Seamus Gorman burnt his copy of CC (he's on YouTube, does lots of Harry Potter theory videos) because he hates it that much.

Oh yeah, Hermione basically became a female version of Severus (but without any of the back story that made his character work!) Argh! (That was my first impression when I read that bit.) Hermione would not have become a miserable teacher, she'd have gone off to change the world!

Never bothered with the CC. I don't consider it Canon, anymore than the star wars books are. Honestly, hermione's race doesn't bother me in the slightest, race didn't seem to be an issue in the books, unlike bloodline. If I remember correctly her only real defining features were her frizzy hair and buck teeth. Those characteristics span a range of races.

Now, if someone tried to make Ron black i'd question. Ginger is a Caucasian (and Arab, so may explain Bill's time in Egypt) curse.

CC for me was one big load of WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING??? And instead of that joyful post-analysis after a brilliant show or play, just consisted of a load of “but I don’t understand whyyyyyy”. What they did to Cedric was dreadful, he was so pure of heart in the books. Just no. And the way Hermione turned into such a shrew was unforgivable. It’s weird because I love the whole of the HP world and story in itself, but I think that JKR is bullshit, and not at all a great writer. She is repetitive and doesn’t giv half of her characters the justice of any depth. Every reference to anything Hermione says in the books is “said Hermione, shrilly” or “said Hermione, sharply” and although we all are able to get that she was central to the plot and Harry wouldn’t have survived without her, she is still painted as a bit of an over-emotional shrieking creature. I think that JKR’s sort of basic writing style woven over an imaginative world has made HP very likeable and accesible, but compared to someone like Phillip Pullman it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny really. I still love it, but there’s also so much that’s badly written and the tragedy of it, for me, is that when all of that bad writing finally gets good and the ending finishes perfectly with Harry’s triumph using Expelliarmus - it doesn’t even get transferred over to the films! Sacrilege!

Hope this will make you feel better theWarOnPeace! Certainly made me feel better!

What the Cursed Child did to Dumbledore made me shudder too. I just couldn't believe the best thing they could come up with was the "Butterfly Effect" time-turner structure, which is such an exhausted and stupid premise. And that bonkers plot device with the blanket at the end made me actually groan out loud.

I am also amazed at ICantCope knowing only fans, I've never met a single one among proper Potterheads, I thought it was pretty comprehensively reviled.

Be amazed. As I've said, I'm highly involved with "proper fans" (patronising much?) and employees of the WW team and everyone who has seen the play thought it was fantastic.

How are you involved with "proper Potterheads" (I find it's only children who call themselves that these days), QuimReaper?

is this game any good? I saw it in Waterstones and was tempted but it was £50 <img loading="lazy" class="inline-flex mumsnet-emoji" alt="Shock" src="https://www.mumsnet.com/build/assets/shock-7MJQdU1X.png">   my dd is a huge HP  fan and loves board games - me not so much. I have similar games as in forbidden island.     Would it work as a camping trip game?

Simmer down ICant! I just meant I know lots of people who like the books and liked the play, but of the few people I know who've reread them dozens of times and would dive into an enthusiastic discussion of the finer points on a message board (or in real life - sadly I know only one of those, although my sister tolerates me), all have despised CC (because they, like me, were overinvested, probably). I count MN posters who I recognise from the Potter threads in that, as I only know a couple of, ahum, "proper Potterheads" in real life.

TL;DR - Here is your badge and trophy for being the Biggest and Properest Potterhead On The Thread; I gladly bow to your superior knowledge and authority 🎖 🏆 ⚡️

LEM we don't have it but DH has it on a swap waiting list on BoardGameGeek as it has great reviews. He's probably partly buying it to try and find sneaky new ways to get me to play games with him, but he wouldn't do if it didn't look well worth playing.

Haha ICope what’s a ‘proper fan’ then? And who are these ‘wizarding world’ employees? Do you mean wizarding world as in the one in Florida because their opinion would mean sweet fa to me tbf.
I’m heavily involved in the fandom. I have HP social media accounts and connect with fans from all over the world. I also travel all over the world visiting various HP conventions and comic cons where I meet lots and lots of fans. I’ve literally met one person who loves the stage show. Some tolerate it, some people think it’s a lovely show but not in keeping with the HP universe. Most disliked it.
It doesn’t matter anyway, let people have their opinions. And stop banging on about how youre a bigger and better fan than anyone else.

LEM I haven’t played the board game but the HP cluedo game is good family fun, we all love it.

I've got Harry Potter Destination board game. Its a good game.