Happy birthday, Harry Potter!
In honor of the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the long-awaited follow-up to the worldwide phenomenon, I’ve decided to do the hardest thing imaginable and attempt to rank the eight Harry Potter film adaptations from worst-to-best. I’m a huge fan of the franchise, and today (which is also the 51st birthday of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling) seems like the best time for this list. Remember, this is my opinion only, and it’s also a ranking of the films, not the novels.
Let’s jump in! For number 8, head over to the next page!
8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
First off, I want to reiterate that I love all of the Harry Potter films, and I really feel that all eight are good movies. There has to be one at the bottom, though, and, to me, that is easily the first in the franchise.
Sorcerer’s Stone does a ton of things right. Its biggest accomplishment, though, has got to be the way that it perfectly captures the magic (pun intended) of the novel. Kickstarting a franchise like Harry Potter is a behemoth of a task, but director Chris Columbus does it in a wonderfully admirable way. Without a doubt, the cast is what makes the film work. The “Big Three” (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) are portrayed to perfection, but the film’s supporting cast props up any weakness. In particular, Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman established themselves as fan favorites due to their performances in the movie, and they would continue to be loved by fans throughout the series.
The reason that Sorcerer’s Stone is at the bottom of the list is because, like the novel it adapts, it is the least evolved story in the series. While it perfectly introduces the world, it doesn’t capture the complexity that the franchise would become appreciated for possessing. It’s also the most childish of the films (which makes sense considering the age of the protagonist), and the true strength of the series (much like the novels) doesn’t come until the story adds some maturity.
With that said, Sorcerer’s Stone is easily the most book-accurate entry in the film series, something which later films would struggle with at times.
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Just like Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets is a solid film. However, also like its predecessor, it suffers from its childishness. The story begins to take a slightly darker turn here, but the film still retains just a bit too much of director Chris Columbus’ childishly fantastic world.
Once again, the cast builds up the film. Kenneth Branaugh is absolutely wonderful as Gilderoy Lockhart, and the young actors have far fewer cringe-worthy line deliveries than they did in the previous film. The world is also greatly expanded here, and it all seems to work perfectly in the context of the film.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
First of all, I really think that this movie gets a lot of unnecessary criticism. It’s the most unique entry in the franchise (largely because so little of it takes place at Hogwarts), but it works perfectly as the setup for the finale. Without taking the heroes out of their comfort zones and challenging them, the final act of the story (which comes in the final film) wouldn’t have nearly enough gravitas to work as well as it does.
Major props have to be given to the cast, as Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint deliver their best and most emotional performances in the series. This film works best when viewed as a character study, and it really does feel like the right progression from what the characters have gone through during the previous six films.
The main reason this film is right here on the list is because it does end up dragging a bit. Expanding the final novel into two films works as a whole, but Part 1 (similarly to The Hobbit films) just doesn’t feel right as a standalone film.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Credit where credit is due, Order of the Phoenix has to be commended for taking the longest book in the series and trimming it down to the shortest film in the franchise. In general, it works really well. The characters feel like they react appropriately to what they witnessed at the ending of the previous film, and Daniel Radcliffe perfectly captures the teenager-with-PTSD that Harry is at this point in the story. The film also continues the underlying darkness that was built before, and it advances the story in a strong way.
The biggest weakness of Order of the Phoenix is the fact that it’s, essentially, a bridge film. Goblet of Fire is huge, and Half-Blood Prince is a great setup for the finale, but this film is forced to move us from one thing to the next. It’s also maybe a little too dark, but it does fit with the story that we’re seeing.
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The midpoint of the franchise, Goblet of Fire serves as a major turning point due to the return of Lord Voldemort in the final act. The film grows darker and darker as it goes on, and it all leads to that huge moment at the end.
Overall, Goblet of Fire is just a fun movie. The nature of the Tri-Wizard Tournament allows for some major universe expansion among the sheer fantasy that we see, and there are almost no points during the film that the audience doesn’t have a good time.
Goblet of Fire‘s biggest flaw is the major way that it changes some important aspects of the novel, but it does so in a way that works for the story it’s trying to tell. In addition, it’s sometimes hard to move past the angst that the characters have inside of them.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Part 2 of Deathly Hallows wraps up the film franchise, serving as a conclusion to all that was built over eight stories. Luckily, all of the setup necessary is present in the previous film, so Part 2 allows us to jump straight into the action without having to sit through a lot of exposition. The film almost entirely takes place at Hogwarts once again, but it’s done in a completely different context than we’ve ever seen in the series before.
Part 2 is almost non-stop with its action, and it works perfectly as the conclusion to the series. All of the acting is as good as ever (with Alan Rickman delivering an Oscar-worthy performance in Snape’s final outing), and it’s so much fun getting to see all of the payoff from what’s been built.
Part 2 has its flaws, for sure (what in the world was up with the ageing for the characters during the epilogue?), but it’s easy to overlook those in order to appreciate one of the best conclusions to a film franchise in modern history.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Often considered the best in the franchise (though, obviously, I respectfully disagree), Prisoner of Azkaban does for the films what Goblet of Fire does for the books. After the fantastical nature of the previous films, Prisoner of Azkaban is a complete tonal shift that adds maturity and complexity to what could have stayed a very childish story. Changing up directors for the first time, Prisoner of Azkaban almost entirely changed the look of the films, and the series ends up being much better for it.
Prisoner of Azkaban, without a doubt, has the most interesting (and arguably best) visuals of the franchise, and it’s simply a gorgeous film to watch.
In addition, Prisoner of Azkaban has the distinction of adding two of the most beloved characters in the franchise to the story in Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) and Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), adding onto an already-spectacular cast.
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
You can argue, but I completely believe that Half-Blood Prince is the best and most well-made film in the Harry Potter franchise.
Taking everything that was established before, Half-Blood Prince serves as the conclusion to our protagonists’ time in school (at least that we see), and it does so in a marvelously lighthearted way that still embraces the darkness that is present in the world. Half-Blood Prince is easily the funniest of the films, and it’s commendable that it’s able to find so much humor in such a depressing story.
The visuals in Half-Blood Prince are as good as ever, and I’m still enamored whenever I watch the opening sequence of the Death Eater attack. The cast is also in top form, and Michael Gambon delivers one of the best performances in the franchise as Dumbledore. The film also perfectly sets up the final adventure for our characters, and it never stops being an absolute blast from beginning to end.
What do you think of my ranking of the Harry Potter films? How would your ranking be different? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo Credit: Warner Bros.]
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