Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today we’re going to be ranking MY favourite Harry Potter movies from BEST to WORST.
I think one point of distinction that needs to be made right away here is that these are
NOT reflective of my BOOK rankings.
Over the course of a decade, the beloved book series was adapted into eight spellbinding
films, captivating audiences worldwide and bringing the Wizarding World to life on the
big screen.
However, In the process of adapting the complex and intricate world of the books into a more
visually-driven medium, many aspects of the books were omitted.
Because the films are a ‘less complete’ package, and because of filmmakers' decisions
to prioritize certain scenes over others, they make for quite a different experience-
each possessing their own unique charms and quirks.
The best way to describe the films would be a ‘diluted’ version of the books.
HOWEVER, with that said, I’m still a HUGE fan of the Harry Potter films (yes all of
them), and I have many positive comments about the way that each film was constructed.
As we dive into this cinematic realm, we'll explore the highs and lows of each movie,
taking into account the storytelling, visual effects, and the ways in which they either
stayed true to or deviated from the original source material.
I’ll try my best to rationalize WHY I ranked them the way that I did, but forgive me if
in some instances I’m unable to articulate myself properly and limited to explaining
things with just a ‘feeling’.
I know that a LOT of you are going to deviate from my choices here, so before we get started
be sure to comment YOUR best to worst in the comment section down below.
Let’s dive in.
Philosopher’s Stone
My first choice for this list is the Philosopher’s Stone, which coincidentally was also the FIRST
installment in the Harry Potter film franchise.
My reasons for this being my favourite are pure, straightforward and unadulterated.
The first reason this film is my favourite is because it served as the introduction to
the wizarding world on-screen.
This film set the stage for everything else that followed, and I think that with no blueprint
to follow, filmmakers did an excellent job of bringing the wizarding world to life.
When I saw this film on-screen for the first time, I really felt the magic.
The music, the set design, the costumes- it all felt so..REAL, and I just remember being
in total awe of what I was witnessing.
The next reason is NOSTALGIA.
This film came out just shy of my 9th birthday, which meant that the students of Hogwarts
were within just a few years of my own age.
Every time I watch the Philosopher’s Stone I feel like I’m transported back in time,
enjoying the film as my 9 year old self.
One other consideration is that this film stays relatively faithful to the source material,
offering a delightful adaptation of the first book that sets the stage for the epic story
to unfold.
These may not be the best reasons or most rational reasons for ranking this film above
the others, but for me they’re good enough.
Notable cons include PACING- which was a little slow, and ACTING- which fell a little short
due to the actors being so young.
However, I don’t feel that either of these detract too heavily.
Prisoner of Azkaban
Next up on the list we have Prisoner of Azkaban, the third installment of the Harry Potter
film franchise released in 2004, 5 years after its book counterpart was released.
The film was the second highest grossing film of 2004, but interestingly, it was the second
LOWEST grossing Harry Potter film overall- a figure that is certainly NOT indicative
of how GOOD this film actually was.
This film differentiated itself from the previous two largely through the introduction of an
entirely new director- Alfonso Cuaron.
While Christopher Columbus (who directed the first 2) did an EXCELLENT job, I think that
him taking a step back for the third installment was a smart decision as it allowed the film
series to adapt to a new style and grow in to ‘darker’ undertones.
Columbus was the perfect choice for delivering the more ‘innocent’ undertones of the
first two films, but Cuaron was able to take it in a new direction- introducing a new and
unique visual style / establishing an atmosphere that meshed perfectly with the third films
overall feel.
The more mature tone of this film served as a perfect reflection of the growth that main
characters had undergone.
This film also introduces a ton of new fan favourite characters, like Remus Lupin and
Sirius Black, and does a good job of placing an emphasis on / developing character relationships.
Notable cons include the way that time travel was handled as well as deviations from the
book.
Order of the Phoenix
Up next we have Order of the Phoenix, the fifth installment of the Harry Potter film
series released in 2007.
In Order of the Phoenix the Harry Potter film franchise found itself yet ANOTHER new director
in David Yates, a well respected director that ended up working on the FINAL four films
of the series.
This film, which was visually stunning and emotionally CHARGED, did a great job at balancing
the darker, more mature themes of the story with the familiar charm and wonder of the
magical world.
Furthermore, despite omitting various elements from the books, Order of the Phoenix actually
felt quite ‘complete’ (I’m probably gonna get attacked for that) - successfully
stringing together various story segments in to one.
Something about this film made it feel much longer than the others (in a good way).
Among my favourite aspects include The Battle of the Department of Mysteries (which was
visually stunning), the formation of Dumbledore’s Army, the duel in the Ministry Atrium between
Voldemort and Dumbledore, and who could FORGET Dolores Umbridge.
Love her or hate her (probably hate her) Umbridge was a HUGE part of this film and the way that
her character was portrayed was phenomenal.
If there’s one thing this film EXCELLED IN it was its ability to incite strong emotion
in the viewer.
From HATRED for Umbridge to DESPAIR for Harry following the loss of Sirius, this film nailed
it.
The film loses points for omitting book content like the entire fifth year Quidditch season,
Sirius Black’s two way mirror, a scene with Harry and Dumbledore towards the end of the
book and honestly…A fair bit of other stuff.
Half-Blood Prince
Oof, I know I’m gonna take some heat for this one..But hear me out.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the sixth installment in the Harry Potter
film franchise and was released in 2009.
From what I’VE SEEN, this film did not go over well with fans, with one of the biggest
reasons for this being that it didn’t stay true to the source material.
It deviated from the book substantially, and removed important memories and subplots.
HOWEVER, this is a list of films that I enjoyed the most, not a list of movies that stayed
closest to the source material.
That’s just ONE consideration for me.
For this reason, Half-Blood Prince still maintains a reasonably high position on my list.
I mentioned earlier that I enjoyed Prisoner of Azkaban because it dove right in to the
‘darker’ side of the Wizarding World, and I think that Half-Blood Prince did something
similar- taking it one..or even 2 steps further.
Half-Blood Prince felt sinister and uncomfortable, as though something horrible was about to
happen, and I happened to really enjoy that aspect of the film.
In this film we got heartbreak in the form of Albus Dumbledore’s death, betrayal (or
APPARENT betrayal) in the form of Snape’s change of allegiances, and a touch of humour
in potions professor Horace Slughorn.
We also got to closely monitor Malfoy’s plunge in to darkness as he transitions from
a petulant (but otherwise harmless) young bully to an emotionally disturbed young man
carrying a heavy burden.
Another plus for me was being able to dive a little deeper in to Voldemort’s past,
although I wish that this could have been explored further.
Chamber of Secrets
Next up we’re going all the way back to 2002 and the release of the second installment
in the series - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The first thing that Chamber of Secrets does well is provide a seamless follow-up from
the first installment in the series.
It gives us a good sense of continuity and effectively reintroduces a lot of the same
characters, places and concepts- cementing these ideas in our minds.
The film also has a great element of ‘mystery’ and ‘adventure’ - primarily revolving
around a hidden Chamber of Secrets and a giant Basilisk within.
These elements kept us engaged and intrigued as Harry, Ron, and Hermione work together
to unravel the truth.
It also introduces a plethora of new characters like the insufferable Gilderoy Lockhart, the
much beloved Dobby, and the sinister young Tom Riddle.
Through the introduction of this wide range of characters, I found myself experiencing
a wide array of emotions - from FEAR to ANGER to EXCITEMENT as well as everything in between.
This film also does quite a good job at staying true to the original source material - preserving
most core elements brought over from the books.
Cons include a rather lengthy runtime and a bit of a lack of character development (which
is corrected in the next film).
Deathly Hallows Pt 2
Up next we have the FINAL installment in the Harry Potter franchise- Deathly Hallows pt
2- which was released in 2011.
This final film, which is rife with emotion, ends the film franchise well by providing
us with closure and wrapping up pretty much everything that had previously been left unanswered.
Unveiled in this film is Snape's redemption, Neville's heroism, and the resolution of the
romantic relationships between Ron and Hermione as well as Harry and Ginny.
It also concludes the epic battle between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, which ultimately
determines the fate of the Wizarding World.
The film also bears a significant emotional weight, as it deals with the deaths of beloved
characters and the end of an era for both the characters and well, us, the audience.
However, I think that it carries this weight well and does a good job at closing out the
story.
Cons include PACING, with the film feeling a bit rushed at times DESPITE being split
in to 2 parts, and the epilogue, which somehow didn’t quite feel sufficient as a final
scene following 8 amazing films.
Deathly Hallows Pt 1
Up next we have the penultimate installment of the Harry Potter franchise- Deathly Hallows
pt 1, which was released in 2010.
In my view, the main difference between Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2 is that 2 is ‘action-driven’
- focusing on resolution, and 1 is ‘character-driven’- focusing on the last bits of character development
before the story is concluded.
I can’t really even begin to dive in to Deathly Hallows Part 1 without first discussing
one of my favourite aspects of the story- the tale of the Three Brothers.
The story, which is uniquely animated and narrated by Hermione Granger, gives me chills
every time I watch the film.
In fact, this scene alone bumped the entire film up a point for me, saving this film from
the LAST spot on the list.
That’s how much I enjoyed this singular component of the story.
As for the rest of the film, it was just a bit too slow going for me and it didn’t
seem to evoke the same ‘magic’ that I felt watching the other films.
This film made me feel bleak and hopeless in a bit of a mundane sort of way, which is
probably what it was INTENDED to make me feel, but it also kind of suffers in that it only
really serves as the BUILD UP film for the FINAL film where we finally get resolution.
It was just a part 1, which, unlike the other films in the series, made it feel a little
bit ‘incomplete’.
The film did provide a little bit more of an intimate glimpse in to the dynamics of
Harry, Ron and Hermione’s relationships, which I enjoyed, but I think that there may
have been a bit too much of that.
At the end of the day this was still a Harry Potter film and I still enjoyed it VERY MUCH,
however, pitted up against the tough competition of the other films this one didn’t quite
hit the mark.
In a perfect world I think that they should have removed some of part 1, added in a little
bit of part 2, then developed part 2 further.
Goblet of Fire
Last up on the list we have Goblet of Fire, the fourth installment of the Harry Potter
film franchise released in 2005.
I didn’t originally have Goblet of Fire in the last position.
In fact, when I was first organizing this list Goblet of Fire started up quite high,
but the longer I wrote about each film, the more I realized that, despite Goblet of Fire’s
success in a multitude of areas, it simply entertained me the least.
Goblet of Fire was uniquely directed by Mike Newell, who, having never read the Harry Potter
books himself, didn’t really hit the mark.
You’d think that after getting the job he could have made the effort to read the books,
but after watching the film for the first time it was apparent that he hadn’t.
At give or take 734 pages (depending on the version you get) Goblet of Fire had a lot
of information to cover, and it felt like Newell was a bit too reckless when it came
to deciding what would and wouldn’t be featured in the film.
Pros include the Triwizard Tournament, the inclusion of other wizarding schools, and
the return of Voldemort.
Cons include an apparent lack of character development, particularly with characters
like Barty Crouch Jr, and what I would describe as disregard for the source material.
Apparently, Newell based ‘his’ version of Hogwarts on his old boarding school, which
probably wasn’t a good thing to implement in the fourth installment of an existing and
successful film franchise.
Pacing in the film is a bit weird with some scenes feeling rushed and underdeveloped,
and others, such as the Yule Ball, feel overly long.
Overall the film struggles to balance the various subplots and themes, resulting in
a disjointed narrative that left me feeling a bit dissatisfied.
Like I said earlier, this is STILL a Harry Potter film and it still gets top marks when
compared with OTHER films out there, it just doesn’t quite stand up to the competition
when compared with OTHER Harry Potter films.
And that’s it for my list!
What do you think?
How does my list compare to yours?
I’d love to see how you guys rank the films so if you haven’t already be sure to comment
YOUR list down below.
Also, if you have compelling arguments for why my list should be re-arranged, then comment
that as well.
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Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live