The Harry Potter series has been a consistent source of magic for more than two decades.
"WICKED!"
But not all of the silver screen adaptations of J.K.
Rowling's works have turned out as well as others.
From pacing issues to distracting book-to-screen inconsistencies to moments of shoddy direction,
some of the films simply don't measure up to the rest.
So, let's walk through all of the Harry Potter films, starting with the best and counting
down to find out which of them is officially the worst Harry Potter movie ever made.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
There was the Harry Potter franchise before Prisoner of Azkaban, and there was the Harry
Potter franchise after.
Director Alfonso Cuarón brought more than just fresh eyes to the series' third installment.
He also brought a whole new perspective to the magical franchise by grounding it in humanity.
Cuarón had the benefit of the prior films' world-building already in place, of course.
But he also brought a great deal of style and gravity to the story and helped to darken
the mood and ramp up the sense of true danger in the movies just in time.
Even from the film's opening moments, the film seems more alive than before, with performances
that rang a little more true.
The energy of the movie is electric, and draws us into Harry's life in ways the first two
films hadn't.
That's why the Dementors' attacks on him are so frightening and why Sirius Black's character
arc is utterly compelling to watch.
Not only did the film bring wonder back to Hogwarts, it also fundamentally altered the
direction of the franchise and became a benchmark for the entire series to follow.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
By the time the fifth Harry Potter film came along, the series was starting to barrel towards
its endgame.
Voldemort has already returned, and lives are being lost as a result.
The days of caring about house points and sneaking through the restricted section are
certainly over for Harry and his pals.
And in addition to the looming dangers of the outside, Order of the Phoenix really brings
it home when Dolores Umbridge ushers the authoritarianism rising within the Ministry of Magic to the
halls of Hogwarts.
Harry and those loyal to Dumbledore must band together in secret to survive her reign, and
yet, it feels like a hopeless endeavor and causes a sense of dread that's very real for
audiences at home.
Unlike many of its predecessors, Order of the Phoenix never feels overwhelmed by its
narrative ambition.
It plugs along at a brisk pace, covering the bases - including the series' first full-on
wizard fight - and delivers one of the series' biggest emotional payoffs in its harrowing
final moments.
It was director David Yates' first foray into the franchise, and it's easy to see why they
kept him around after this movie struck so many high notes.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In many ways, Half-Blood Prince actually beats Order of the Phoenix on the dramatic front.
The film's impact is bolstered by a devastating third act.
The film finds Harry and friends continuing to fight the good fight while unraveling the
deep, dark secret that's made Voldemort all but immortal, and it's a thrill to watch as
the stakes get raised to immeasurably scary levels.
Structured more as a pulpy detective story than a magical adventure tale, Half-Blood
Prince is the one film in the series that can be qualified as a genuine slow-burner.
It introduces the element of the horcruxes, of Snape's ulterior motives, and decimates
any sense of safety that might've remained before.
Half-Blood Prince may test your patience with its pacing, and certain creative liberties
in the plot might irk Potter purists.
But it does deliver on the drama and nimbly sets into motion the series' big finish.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Due to the final book's length and density, Warner Bros. decided to split the last installment
of the series in two films with the hopes that David Yates and his team could give the
franchise the send-off it deserved -- and earn an extra helping of profits, of course.
Despite a wobbly start with Part 1, Yates managed to achieve a fitting end with Deathly
Hallows Part 2.
The closing chapter covers Harry, Hermione, and Ron's desperate search for Voldemort's
horcruxes, Snape's surprising history, the epic Battle of Hogwarts, and Harry's fateful
showdown with the last heir of Slytherin.
It's a lot of action and drama to sift through for one film, and some fans have expressed
disappointment with the way the final showdown between Harry and the Dark Lord plays out.
But with the many smaller battles and moments of epic heroism on display in the end, Deathly
Hallows still ends with a bang … as long as you turn it off before the silly epilogue,
that is.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
J.K.
Rowling decided to travel back to the past for the series' next cinematic adventure.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which she scripted, follows the little-known character
Newt Scamander in 1920s New York as he inadvertently unleashes a bevy of magical creatures into
the muggle realm.
The Big Apple proves to be a welcome change of scenery for Rowling's world.
Free from the world of O.W.L. exams and teen angst, the more grown-up tale of wizards wandering
the world feels fresh and offers a new lens through which to view the magical realm.
The film is filled with action, adventure, and frightening foes, but the human element
of the story is front and center, which makes it a little less draining than some of its
predecessors.
That said, it suffers from some very slow moments and a sense of directionlessness that
makes the film feel very choppy.
And with the forthcoming sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, just around the corner, we
can expect this sub-series to start building back up to an all-out war sooner rather than
later, which might make Fantastic Beasts 2 feel formulaic.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
There are a lot of things that do work about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part
1.
For starters, it successfully sets up the big finish and offers some moments of emotional
evocation that hadn't yet been seen in the series.
It also separates the trio from everything they've ever known and puts the whole horcrux
hunt on the fast track.
However, despite the film's stylish scenery and some gutting performances by the leading
trio of cast mates, the film is pretty boring and seems to unnecessarily eat up screen time
with characters sitting around, just to justify making the final installment a two-parter.
The animated mini-movie and Dobby's last stand were stand-out moments of the whole series,
but Deathly Hallows Part 1 could have still been reduced to half an hour or so and tacked
onto the following film, and fans wouldn't have missed out on much.
"True, every word."
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
After cheating death for three straight years, Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts proved to
be his most perilous yet.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire finds the tortured teen wizard competing as the
youngest-ever contestant in the Tri-wizard Tournament, and facing down the murderous
dark lord himself, Voldemort.
Although the tournament setting does offer a nice contrast between the kids' fanciful
youth with the true grimness of the world that surrounds them, the movie also suffers
from some pretty cringe-worthy acting.
"Harry, take my body back, will you.
Take my body back to my father."
It also fails to find nuance in the secondary characters, like Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang,
which means their emotional arcs fall flat.
The best part of the film is when Harry and Voldemort finally come face to face, but the
whole encounter is limited to just a few minutes and feels like an afterthought that's overshadowed
by far less important drama.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Credit is due to Christopher Columbus for constructing a beautiful vision of Hogwarts
and the intricacies of magic found in J.K.
Rowling's story in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
And, ultimately, his casting choices for most of the characters would prove to pay off big
time in the long run.
However, with the kids being so young in the earliest installment, their line deliveries
leave something to be desired, and the film feels more like a cheery Disney movie than
the start of a long, hard battle for the Boy Who Lived.
With its three-headed beasts, shape-shifting professors, flying brooms, and a larger-than-life
chess match, though, there's still some major magic to behold in Harry's first year at Hogwarts.
In the end, this first installment of the landmark franchise is just magical enough
to keep your attention, but it's also a bit of a snoozer on repeat viewings.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Chris Columbus's return to adapt the second Harry Potter installment, Chamber of Secrets,
is even less impressive than the first.
Sure, the film offers up a genuine sense of discovery, and even danger, to the famed school
surrounded by whomping willows, spider-filled forests, and the titular Chamber of Secrets.
And all of this happens just as Harry and friends begin to unravel the dark and twisted
history of Tom Riddle.
Unfortunately, Chamber of Secrets still sees its stars struggling to find their way as
actors, while the director misses big moments with poor tone and pacing choices as well.
There are no bad installments to the Harry Potter film series, of course.
But with this one side-stepping so many potential power punches written into the book's storyline,
well, it's arguably the least magical of them all.
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