Harry Potter film fans- does the quidditch match derail the movie for you?

[Shodan]

I agree that the rules make no sense in terms of sport. In terms of making Harry or Ron the hero, it makes perfect sense.

But I like the sequences of quidditch in the movies - the fast pace of the flying draws you into Harry’s love of the game and love of the wizarding world in general. It’s because of the sense of freedom it gives.

Like the establishing shot when the group comes over the hill in HPatGoF and sees the whole crowd of camping wizards for the World Cup.

I guess the senselessness of the rules of quidditch don’t bother someone who is used to sports which have apparently arbitrary and silly rules, like tennis scoring. I don’t follow most sports, so I see their rules as an outsider, just as I do quidditch. Why can’t you use your hands in soccer? Why do you have to use a cue in pool? That’s just the rule.

Regards,
Shodan

[Larry_Borgia]

@Antinor01

Catching the snitch does not mean you win. Each goal made with the quaffle is worth 10 points, catching the snitch is worth 150 points and ends the game. It is perfectly possible to catch the snitch and still lose the game.

I’ve only seen the movies, and I was unaware of this. The movies, IIRC, seem to imply that the snitch catcher wins the game.

[Rysto]

@RickJay

That would actually make the sport a little interesting; if sometimes one Chaser had to prevent the Snitch from being caught, rather than catching it. The one chance she had to write that happening, she has Krum lose on purpose. s. Rowling isn’t much of a sports fan, I suspect.

Seeker. And that has happened. In PoA, Gryffindor had to win by 200 points or more to take the Quidditch Cup. So until they had a 50 point lead, Harry marked Malfoy so closely he was preventing Malfoy from even moving.

[Cervaise]

@Bricker

Considering how far the Seeker can fly in pursuit of the Snitch, it’s entirely possible that he’d be unaware of a recent quaffle goal.

If, twenty years ago, you had foreknowledge that you would one day write the sentence above in absolute seriousness, would you have pre-emptively committed yourself to an institution?

[elfkin477]

The novelity of seeing or reading about Quidditch matches has long since worn off for me.

[asterion]

@elfkin477

The novelity of seeing or reading about Quidditch matches has long since worn off for me.

Well, there probably won’t be one in the last book, which is probably a good thing.

[Rysto]

@asterion

Well, there probably won’t be one in the last book, which is probably a good thing.

JKR said that the reason she had Luna do the commentary in the last Quidditch match in HBP was that it was the last match in the series.

[Equipoise]

@Shodan

I agree that the rules make no sense in terms of sport. In terms of making Harry or Ron the hero, it makes perfect sense.

Spoiler for the movie Order of the Phoenix

I heard, no Quidditch in the movie, so Ron doesn’t get his day to shine. Sad, really. I love that part of the book.

[Ensign_Edison]

The movies start derailed for me, but I find them visually appealing, and on that level Quidditch is anything but disruptive. In fact I find it more of a distraction in the books than in the movies, though I like it there too. Of course it doesn’t make sense. None of it makes much sense if you pick it apart. To me the glorious nonsense of it all is part of the appeal.

[Miss_Mapp]

Books and movies both, a quidditch match is the one thing I am guaranteed to skip over. I never could care about them.

[chrisk]

@Cervaise

If, twenty years ago, you had foreknowledge that you would one day write the sentence above in absolute seriousness, would you have pre-emptively committed yourself to an institution?

I’m not sure that Bricker is participating in this thread in ‘absolute seriousness’. 80-90% seriousness maybe would be my guess.

[MarcusF]

Come on everybody - lighten up. Expecting the rules of any game to make much sense from the outside is asking a lot (have you every tried to explain cricket :smack: ) and in the Harry Potter universe things aren’t meant to be logical and consistent in everyday terms.