In my opinion, the movies captured the general idea of the houses, but the books present a more layered understanding of them. Because movies have limited time to develop characters, the house qualities sometimes became more like shorthand personality markers rather than complex traits that could appear in many different ways.

Gryffindor, for example, was frequently portrayed as heroic and daring, but the movies occasionally leaned toward making that bravery look more like recklessness (e.g., Harry and Ginny after the Burrow is set on fire in HBP). In the books, Gryffindor courage is often tied to moral conviction and difficult choices. On the screen, some of those quieter moments of courage sometimes gave way to more dramatic, action-focused scenes.

Slytherin arguably suffered the most from simplification. While the books certainly show many antagonistic Slytherins because the narration is restricted to Harry's experience, a few characters from this house that do not fit the mold were featured. The films, though, had less room for nuance or for viewers to see Slytherin qualities expressed in a positive light, which is why Slytherin often leaned heavily into the "villain house" stereotype.

Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw also did not receive as much attention as they deserve. The films rarely spent time highlighting those strengths of Hufflepuff beyond Cedric Diggory in GoF. Similarly, Ravenclaw's defining traits were not explored as deeply as they could have been.