Before starting I would like to make two important notes . Firstly, I considered each film as part of the film series, not as a movie adaptation of the books. In other words, I didn’t consider how loyal of an adaptation a particular movie was. However, I did penalize a film if it somehow hindered the continuity of the films. Secondly, the earlier films get a small handicap in the special effects department because we’ve come a long way in ten years.
#8 The Chamber of Secrets
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| *Cough* you are going to get married *Cough* |
Being referred to as “the worst Harry Potter movie” shouldn’t be considered an insult, I’m not saying Chamber is bad. It does however, have the worst main plotline. A gigantic basilisk is murdering students because a magical diary convinced a young girl to open the Chamber of Secrets? Even for a film about magic and the impossible things it can do, that’s a little bit ridiculous. Also, Chamber does less to advance the overall story of the series than any other movie, you could remove it and not have too many problems. This is particularly bad because The Chamber of Secrets is the longest film at 161 minutes.
Writing about Chamber got me thinking, in order to get so big the basilisk must eat a lot, but what does he eat? I consulted the all-knowing Google to find out. Apparently the Basilisk eats gingers.
Writing about Chamber got me thinking, in order to get so big the basilisk must eat a lot, but what does he eat? I consulted the all-knowing Google to find out. Apparently the Basilisk eats gingers.
#7 The Goblet of Fire
Goblet gets major points deducted because the first half hour is one giant cocktease revolving around the Quidditch World Cup. We witness the journey through a portkey to a huge wizard tailgate. Once Harry and friends finally reach the awesome stadium, we are treated to an epic sequence introducing the competing sides. Then the Minister of Magic gives a speech welcoming everyone and shoots a ball of light out of his wand to begin. The next scene is Harry and Ron talking about how the match was the most incredible thing ever… All of that buildup and you didn’t actually show anything?! Star Wars didn’t just skip over the Death Star battle to a scene with Luke and Han talking about how awesome it was. I felt left out.
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| Lol |
After that, the film does hit its stride with three thrilling action sequences and the rebirth of Voldemort. Although I did find the frenetic pace somewhat exhausting. I doubt this would have ever happened but perhaps Goblet deserved to be split into two films.
#6 The Deathly Hallows Part 1
Part 1 of The Deathly Hallows finds itself in the bottom three because much of the middle hour focuses on Harry, Hermione, and (sometimes) Ron having conversations in scenic places before getting into an argument. This gets monotonous, especially when compared to the other later films. However, I thought the cartoon explaining the Deathly Hallows was a great touch and I found myself tearing up a little bit when Dobby died, impressive considering how infrequently he was in the films.
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| I wish they had done this with Hermione |
#5 The Sorcerer’s Stone
When compared to the later installments, The Sorcerer’s Stone comes off as juvenile and naïve, but that’s deliberate. After all, the characters are still very young and the tone helps get across how wondrous magic is to Harry. This is before he knows about killing curses, Death Eaters, and Dementors. Magic is still a force for good. I also think Voldemort’s two cameos are both unnerving and well done. What I will fault the movie for is the questionable acting, the inexperience of the young actors comes through in some scenes.
Overall, I think The Sorcerer’s Stone accomplishes everything it set out to do and provides a solid set-up so we can dive deeper into the world of magic in later films.
#4 The Order of the Phoenix
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| Do they have to store prophesies in such a creepy room? |
I think the first film with Voldemort back in the wizarding world is handled very well. The Dark Lord acts logically by gathering his forces and attempting to discover what made Harry immune to his attack. Meanwhile, Harry begins to step into his role as the only one who can stop Voldemort. The fight between the Order and the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries is fantastic, the first real battle with magic we get to see. Immediately afterwards, the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore, the two greatest wizards alive, tops that.
My biggest complaint is the underuse of some incredible actors. Helena Bonham Carter, David Thewlis, and Emma Thompson are reduced to little more than cameo roles.
#3 The Prisoner of Azkaban
The last forty-five minutes of Azkaban provides numerous memorable scenes including Harry’s patronus, the realization that Peter Pettigrew is Scabbers, and the first glimpse of Sirius Black, the insane murderer. These scenes really show-off how the young leads have come into their own as actors. Meanwhile, each Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has his or her own merits but I think Lupin is my favorite. His relationship with Harry seems very real and his back story is compelling.
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| Harry and Hermione are definitely going to end up together, I'm sure of it |
The Prisoner of Azakaban ultimately fails to climb any higher on the list for two reasons. I think too much time is spent on the Buckbeak storyline because in the end he only provides something for Sirius to fly away on and the existence of the time-turner bothers me. If wizards have the ability to travel through time why is it only used so Hermione can go to more classes?
#2 The Half-Blood Prince
It’s hard for me to put into words why precisely Half-Blood Prince surpasses six Harry Potter movies. To put it simply, I really enjoy watching this film. When it becomes serious, especially during the scenes involving Harry and Dumbledore, it’s great. When the scenes are more lighthearted, such as those between Ron and Lavender. I think it still works.
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| The wizarding world's helmet technology is clearly lagging behind |
I have heard people complain that Half-Blood Prince has some superfluous scenes, such as Slughorn’s dinner party, which is entirely lighthearted. However, I don’t have a problem with the film’s humorous parts. People can lose sight of the fact that Harry is only sixteen years old. He is a teenager at a magical boarding school; I don’t need or want the entire film to be serious and gritty.
Ordering numbers four through two was very difficult, if I had been in a different mood they could have ended up in any order. Deciding on number one was not hard. Epic, thrilling, heartbreaking, triumphant, all apply. The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the reason why I love movies. In fact, I need to watch Part 2 at least once more, but it may have cracked my all-time top ten films (not easy to do, trust me).
One of my favorite scenes occurred prior to the battle when McGonagall along with professors and several members of the Order of the Phoenix ready Hogwarts. Watching so many beloved characters and even the castle itself prepare for Voldemort was like watching my childhood get ready to kick-ass.
The Half-Blood Prince- 83%
The Prisoner of Azkaban- 91%
The Deathly Hallow Part 2- 97%
For those who are interested, here are the movies as ranked by RottenTomatoes.com:
The Order of the Phoenix- 78%
The Deathly Hallow Part 1- 79%
The Sorcerer's Stone- 80%
The Chamber of Secrets- 83%
The Goblet of Fire- 87%The Prisoner of Azkaban- 91%
The Deathly Hallow Part 2- 97%
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| One million points for Gryffindor |
Agree or disagree with my ranking? Sound off in the comments!
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