8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This is in my opinion the only average Harry Potter film. I was surprised to find out that this is an unpopular opinion. The lowest ranked film in this franchise on Rotten Tomatoes is Death Hallows : Part 1, which is still at a very high 78%. Nevertheless, this movie is not that great in my opinion. I think the one shining light here, and is in every film from this world, is the actors. Every actor, especially the three leads, are charismatic and know their roles so well to the point where their character is rubbing off on themselves, and always bring their A-Game. Many people say that Death Hallows: Part 1 feels like a huge set-up, but I disagree. Part 7 felt as if it was still moving the whole scheme of Harry Potter along quite nicely, while not having too much action, yet still not feeling slow. This film felt like a placeholder. It was the most faithful to the novel, but something just didn't click. This movie lacked any action whatsoever, and you can still make entertaining and suspenseful films without gigantic action set-pieces for the audience to ogle at. The 7th film was largely conversation between our three leads, but it was well crafted dialogue that moved the plot along and built character. This film, just felt like nothing happened. If someone gave me a two minute run-down of everything that occurred in this film, I really wouldn't be missing out on much. It lacked cohesion or purpose to the grand scheme of Harry Potter. And this is the 3rd to last film. It was at a point where it should building up to a finale, while still feeling like it's own film. A very good example of doing this is The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers. This film built up to the eventual final battle and destruction of the ring, while at the same time felt like it's own film, with moments and battle sequences that had meaning. Many franchise directors are treating the second to last (or third to last in this case) film as a useless part, which in my opinion, it should be the most important part. Your excitement for the final installment of a franchise is highly dependent on what note the predecessor left on. Frankly, I had a period in time where I had no interest for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, because of what a useless chapter this was. But this film still had it's charming leads, cool CGI (although it was largely unnecessary when used), and great character moments, especially the ones dealing with love. The theme of love that was prevalent throughout this part and the 7th part was put to good use, and reminded us that although these wizards may possess incredible power, they are still kids. This adds to the feeling that J.K. Rowling created in her novels, that any kid could have the inner ability to be a wizard. It's incredibly important to have relatable characters in a fantasy world. Due to all the impossible that is happening around these people, the characters are still humans, and the reader/viewer needs to feel the danger that they go through. Without relatable characters, we just will not care for these people. I think that this film was the best at doing this in the franchise and I applaud it for that. However, that does not forgive it for being a 2 and 1/2 hour film that felt like I just watched nothing happen in front of me.
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
As a kid, this was not the first Harry Potter film I watched actually. I saw the Chamber of Secrets first, and when I found out there were books I read up to what was out (only the first five were released at the time) pretty quickly, and then I watched this movie. This is actually my least favorite book of the franchise. I felt as if it was overstuffed in plot details that felt like they served largely no purpose (I read it again, I'm not basing it off my third grade memory.) What I love most about this film is how it was able to remain faithful to the novel, while not feeling like it was ripped straight out of the pages. I have no problem from shying away from source material for artistic preference, I mean I watch comic book movies. But I do dislike not respecting source material. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, along with the rest of the franchise, but this one especially, feels like the Harry Potter books, while not being the exact same thing as the novel, and respects J.K. Rowling's work to the highest degree. I have to hand it to the casting director of this film. Finding good child actors is a tall feat, due to so many parents wanting their kid to be a star, when they have no talent. When a casting director is able to find three smart, talented, 10-year old kids, you know they did a job well done. Without the charisma of these three actors in this film, the franchise would not have likely not continued. As I said before, this book is overstuffed. But the movie is not. It is able to keep the plot moving forward at a steady pace, with a mild exception but I will explain that later, while still introducing new things from Hogwarts to catch the viewer's eye. This is by far the most light hearted of the series, and it makes sense, because the first two books were largely children's books, then they took a turn to the YA genre. So why is this movie 7th in this ranking? Well, I believe this movie was very elongated. About a half hour could have been removed from this film, and unless you read the novel, it wouldn't of been that different. I think that the filmmakers had too much knowledge of what happens next in the story, and they created their film on the basis of that, so they can set-up later plot lines. Overall, young children will love this film, even considering it's run-time, and is a great blockbuster and franchise opener.
Note : I actually really like them all from here on out.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
From the lightest chapter to the darkest chapter, Deathly Hallows 1 is grim, heavy, and sets-up the final part extremely well. Every part of this epic franchise excels in one category of the film-making process, and this part is no different. This film is gorgeously shot and David Yates and his cinematographer found some beautiful locations to film. Despite having a grey and dark blue color palette, this film was stunning. Like I said, this movie is easily the best work by the director and cinematographer by far. This was the first film in the franchise to not take place in Hogwarts castle, so it did not have the claustrophobic effect that all the others had. Similarly to the Half-Blood Prince, the character moments in this film were very moving, and reminded you of how that these people who feel like they need to save the world themselves, are just kids. Ron's outburst about Harry and Hermione getting closer and attacking Harry's parents was the best acting Rupert Grint has displayed through the whole franchise. I don't have as much to say about this part compared to others but to sum it up: this is the best directed and one of the best written films in this franchise, with an incredibly grim tone, and explores the beautiful open world outside of Hogwarts.
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The first exposure I had to the Harry Potter world was this film, and needless to say, It got me hooked. This film, similarly to the first part, is still a kid's film, but an adult can view it and still enjoy it. But the way it is filmed and the underlying tone felt very childlike. However, the final scenes of this film make it miles darker than the cheerful first film. This film felt similar to the first, but an improvement on nearly everything. All the acting performances were fantastic, the Basilisk action sequences is one my favorite in the entire franchise, and it expanded on the magical universe that the first film introduced us to. Also, it's just a lot more entertaining to watch. Whenever this film is on, I just check to see if we are near the Basilisk fight, because this sequence is just fantastic. When I first saw this when I was seven years old, that basilisk was absolutely terrifying. I remember I once got a nightmare about this thing. It looks outdated if you watch it now, but the basilisk was the first glimpses of a darker toned Potter universe. Also, the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets that this film creates if very interesting and pretty haunting if I do say so myself. This film was darker, funnier, and more entertaining than the first, and delivered on everything a sequel should.
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
It is around this part of the franchise that the grand scheme and story of Harry Potter begins to unravel. At the time of this film's release, it was the darkest movie in the series, and you can just sense it. The actors have matured into teens now, and the introduction of He Who Shall Not Be Named just added a new ominous presence to the film. Daniel Radcliffe was fantastic in this film, and was his best performance in the franchise here. The film takes the time to develop his character well, as you see how is leaner and meaner from the first few films. David Yates really knows how to direct this character, and watching Harry and his Order of the Phoenix go about, just showed how far this character has come. The death of Sirius Black, one of my favorite characters in this franchise, happened in this installment. Although it was pretty heartbreaking, it was done very well, in a super cool action sequence. Also, as much as the fandom hates her, Dolores Umbridge was one of my favorite parts of this film, making for a smaller villain in the universe. Why the other three films ranked above this near perfect one, was well, simply because they are all more entertaining.
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
When I was younger, this used to be my favorite. I remember recording this on my DVR and watching it over and over again. I have probably seen this movie almost 10 times, and for a good reason. It is damn good. The Goblet of Fire takes a turn from the general plot so far for an entertaining display of what the world of Harry Potter is like; filled with mermaids, dragons, and other creepy stuff. The world building that this film was incredible. Also, this is probably the funniest film in the franchise besides the Chamber of Secrets. The whole Ron and Hermione relationship thing that starts here is a very well directed on-screen romance, with good chemistry from both actors. The Hungarian Horntail trial is one of my favorite sequences in the franchise. It is what I always skipped to when I had the DVR, because it's a dragon and dragons are awesome. Also, the CGI still looks very good for that thing in 2016, which is pretty cool. The underwater sequence is still pretty haunting, and the internal struggle that Harry goes through throughout these scenes was handled well. And of course, the Dark Lord made his first formal appearance in the Third Trial. The entire maze was claustrophobic, which created some exciting tension throughout. The scene when Harry is face to face with Voldemort at the end of the maze was absolutely nailbiting, and the death of Cedric Diggory, although we did not know the character well enough emotionally, was heart wrenching. At the end of this film is where this franchise turns from kid's films filled with magic and fun times into a grim, fantasy experience.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book in the franchise. In my opinion, this is the best Harry Potter film. It is the best put together, and overall, I think stylistically, this film is superior to all the others, combining the right elements. However, it is not my favorite. I enjoyed every moment of this film with great pleasure, and picking which film should be first and which should be second was very difficult, but this is what I decided on. Under the magnificent direction of "Gravity" director Alfonso Cuaron, the Prisoner of Azkaban was a technical achievement, and told a wonderful story simultaneously. I have to point out one of my favorite characters from the novels here, Sirius Black. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black was near perfect casting, and I couldn't think of anyone else who could take on this role. This character is broken, multilayered, and incredibly emotional, however this is not seen until later installments. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin is my favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and the bond between teacher and student that he forms with Harry was cool to see take place. Unlike most characters in this series, his character arc starts at the beginning of this film, and ends with the finale of it. This film remains faithful to the amazing novel, while still being an inventive and magical experience, which is key when adapting something to film. The scene where Harry takes a flight with Buckbeak is a truly magical moment in his life, and the audience members feel it too. The sense of adventure and being free was universal with the beautiful music accompanying the gorgeous sequence. In my opinion, Azkaban is where this franchise actually starts, shying away from children and moving into the teen years.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
I thought real long on which film will take my number one spot, between Azkaban and Deathly Hallows 2, because they are both near perfect films. I asked myself, if both of these movies are playing right now, and I can only watch one, which would I watch. So I decided on the final installment.Thrilling, powerful, moving, exhilarating, magical, and stunning, Deathly Hallows 2 was a satisfying conclusion to an eight film saga. I grew up with these films and movies, and watching this finale was one of the greatest cinema experiences I have had. Through 10 years and eight films we see these young people grow as actors and characters, creating the most magical coming-of-age films I have ever seen. The ultimate duel between good and evil takes center stage in this film, and Yates creates it in the most entertaining fashion. This film does not slow down. From heart breaking character moments to large scale magic-filled action sequences, this movie was exactly what every fan wanted. It completed every character arc, and finished every story, and there is nothing from here on out. Although it is bittersweet, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is my favorite Harry Potter film.
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