Worst to Best Harry Potter Movies

Just like the books, the Harry Potter movies are all good in their own right. Here's my ranking from least to most favorite. 

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Order of the Phoenix is a much, much better movie than the book, but to be honest, that's not really saying much. This movie, like the book, is too angsty and has too many terrible (not bad, just evil) characters. Unlike the book, however, the final battle is much better and more memorable--it's probably the best improvement. However, the source material just weighs the movie down too much to truly be great.















7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince is one of the best books, but one of the worst movies. Now, I'll give it a couple of things: the pincers scene, the intensity of the most dramatic parts, and the overall tone are great. However, it suffers from being the *cough cough* penultimate chapter in a great saga, and it's simply a place for the movies to rest before the epic finale--as a result, it suffers a bit. Also, the unnecessary Burrow destruction to add more action was dumb. They should have shown more Hogwarts battle. And Dumbledore's funeral. That's all.










6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Goblet of Fire is passable. It's not the greatest movie, it's not the worst. The Triwizard tournament is a pleasant enough diversion for a while. Its true strength lies in the intensity and power of the graveyard scene, which is its one redeeming factor.














5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The one that started it all--the one that introduced us to Harry's Wondrous World. Sorcerer's Stone might not have the biggest plot or the best effects (or acting, for that matter), but it creates a wonderfully faithful adaptation of the first book. The cast, the score, the direction. It's a near perfect adaptation, and it's simply magical.













4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Despite starting a nasty trend of Hollywood splitting final movies, Deathly Hallows was the only time it made sense. The seventh book wasn't the longest one, but it had so much content crammed in that it seemed logical to separate the films so they could make it all fit. Deathly Hallows Part 1 should have been a lazy cash-grab, but it turned out much better than expected. The tone, mood, and scenery help set up the finale to come, and while it's not the best Harry Potter film, it's got a lot going for it. The hopeless ending is perfectly orchestrated, and the telling of the Three Brothers's tale is amazing. In short, this movie is greater than the prelude it should have been.









3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Just like the books, the first two movies are often slighted or underrated for some reason. On the contrary, Chris Columbus's films create a world that perfectly captures the magic of the books, and Chamber of Secrets is no exception. This movie takes everything that Sorcerer's Stone began and builds upon it. It's the last movie in the franchise that's truly for children, but adults can enjoy it too. It's an extremely faithful adaptation as well, perfectly balancing the school with the mystery. Chamber of Secrets is amazing, and it deserves to be recognized as the masterpiece it is. 

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The moving and incredible finale that was completely satisfying and epic. This movie gets a lot of credit because it's the last, but most of it is credit well-deserved. There are things glossed over, cut, and changed from the book, but the final battle with Harry and Voldemort, the scenes with Dumbledore and Snape, the fate of the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, and the epilogue make this finale everything it promised to be.

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I suppose it's only fitting that the best Harry Potter book has the best movie. Many of the best parts of the series are in this film, including Lupin, Sirius, dementors, and time travel. The actors are finally hitting their acting stride and the effects are as solid as they've ever been.  The movie manages to find a perfect balance between Chris Columbus's faith to the books and Alfonso Cuaron's visionary direction for an amazing movie. Prisoner of Azkaban is the pinnacle of Harry Potter film, and I wouldn't have it any other way.