The review of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child should begin with determining what exactly this item is. Although it is advertised as the eighth story, it is not a novel but a script for a theater play. Moreover, this script is not written by J.K. Rowling, and Jack Thorne, who created the plot of the play together with director John Tiffany and Rowling. So the following review will not be a review of the play or the novel, but the script, and as the script itself was released as a "gift for fans", I will judge it from a fan's perspective.
We start where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows left off. 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny meet Hermione and Ron on Platform 9 3/4 where they bid farewell to their children departing for the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the new year of study: James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter and Rose Granger-Weasley. Of the three, Albus is our guide through the world of Cursed Child: his relationship with his father and best friend Scorpius Malfoy will be given the most space in the text. I will not reveal the details of the plot, but I will only say that time-changers are very important in it.
The idea of time travel is a permanent fixture in culture, so the story itself in Cursed Child is not very original. Many fans even accuse the authors (including Rowling itself) that it reads like fan-fiction, and undoubtedly, tricks such as time travel confirm the belief that the "eighth installment" adds nothing new to the world of Potter. Considering the fact that Harry's 7 volumes were one big, skillfully planned story, it's really hard to call the Cursed Child the eighth part. It is more of an accessory, an opportunity to spend a little more time with the heroes we love and to get to know their offspring. This is where the Cursed Child works: fortunately, the script is as pleasant and enjoyable to read as Rowling's novels.
Of course, the return to the world of the characters we know must not be associated with a certain disappointment about who we will meet again while reading and who we will not meet. Although I still regret that Luna does not appear in the play, and we do not meet Teddy Lupine, a lot of characters still return. It is a pity that we cannot spend more time with some of them, as if it were in the pages of a book. Ron and Ginny have a particularly reduced role compared to the novels. On the other hand, the authors decided to put the friendship between Albus and Scorpius on the main agenda, which brought great results. Scorpius stands out as the most interesting character - Malfoy, as much as possible unlike his ancestors, is also very devoted to his friend, the son of his father's greatest enemy.
Apart from their friendship, it is the relationship between parents and children that is the main theme of the Cursed Child; here the script / play enables Harry to settle accounts with his past. In this story, Harry is not an ideal father, and trying to find a common language with Albus, he himself tries to come to terms with his childhood, which he spent without his parents. In this respect, Cursed Child is an interesting addition to the series, because it shows how the events of Harry's youth could have influenced his character as an adult wizard, and consequently also his relationship with children.
Interestingly, the Cursed Child scenario is met with a rather negative or at least mixed reception among many Harry fans. Some people find continuity issues, such as the time travel rules that follow different rules than Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The main twist of the plot is also very controversial, but in some way it can be connected with the most important motifs in art.
Ultimately, the Cursed Child does not introduce any great new story, even if it adds something new - surprising or controversial - to the canon several times. This is not the eighth installment of the series, but more an expansion, thanks to which we can spend some more time with the characters. However, the script certainly does not reflect the experience of watching art. This story was intended for the stage from the very beginning, and its book transcription is only an opportunity to present it to all Potter fans outside of London. If someone has never been passionate about the series, the script for Harry Potter will certainly not convince him - the play may be like that. As for the fans, or at least me, the Cursed Child made me want to see the play even more..
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