Top Five Harry Potter Films

We’re going back to the wizarding world everyone.

And this time around, J.K. Rowling and filmmakers behind the last few installments of the billion dollar franchise are showing us a new era of magic and muggles with the highly anticipated Harry Potter prequel/spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Harry Potter’s story defined my generation, many of us growing up alongside the characters and actors in the series for more than a decade. Now is a great time to look back on the previous generation of the wizarding world and remember the best tales of the boy who lived, along with our other favorite potions, patronums, dementors, death eaters, and young witches and wizards.

And at the heart of it all is a universe full of enchantment, with magic cars, broomsticks, dragons and more. But the series also confronts more serious issues like murder, fascism and war.

But enough reminiscing, let’s get this countdown started.

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The one that started it all still holds up to this day. There are a few issues (namely in the child acting department) and some visual effects that don’t really hold up, especially when compared to the quality of those in the later films. But overall, it’s a nice introduction to a wizarding world that seemed so simple at the time.

The film has its iconic moments and characters that every potterhead remembers seeing for the first time (quidditch, fluffy the three-headed dog, the troll and the dark forest to name a few). It’s also amazing to see how all the actors have grown. Looking back, the film has a tragic tinge to it, since most viewers know where these characters’ journey will take them.

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The Goblet of Fire is my favorite book in the franchise because, being the middle chapter of the series, it’s the turning point between the relative light-heartedness of the first three films and the rather harsh darkness of the last three, striking a nice balance.

The film takes a similar approach and a feel along the lines of, “this is the end of the easy times and the beginning of harder ones.”  

The only issue I have with this film is one that I share with many of the others. With the books so huge and dense with material, many of these films would be better served by splitting them up into two or more parts like filmmakers did with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

But besides that, the film’s visual style is beautiful, the characters get major development points and viewers finally get a first real appearance of Lord Voldemort. The scene is absolutely terrifying and really makes an impression on you when you see it. There was no actor better than Ralph Fiennes to portray him. And no offense, but knowing who Robert Pattinson will play later in his career, makes it kind of satisfying seeing him die onscreen (“Remember Me” does not count).

3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

It’s fun to look back on this film and remember how dark it was at the time. With giant snakes in the basement, giant spiders in the woods, killer trees, quidditch balls and petrifaction spells, this movie gave us a few good reasons to not want to go to Hogwarts. There is a genuinely good mystery to solve in this film and with a truly unpredictable culprit.

This was also the last film where Richard Harris played Dumbledore. Due to his unfortunate death in 2002, he was replaced by Michael Gambon. Despite making appearances in only the first two movies, he left such an impactful impression on viewers, one that Michael Gambon never really amounted to.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Two words: wizard armageddon. It all ends here. The final chapter in the saga. This movie got all the hype and trust me, it does not let up. Part One ended where the book started getting good (post camping out in the woods) leaving viewers with the battle at Hogwarts for the franchises glorious ending. Seeing the school that many of us called home used as the battleground for the final struggle between good and evil couldn’t have been more perfect.

From a shining beacon in the darkness, a place where magic exists and all your dreams can come true; to a grey, depressing, old castle left in ruins, the message of this final film is clear: you have grown up.

Yet despite all that, everyone goes on to live a practically normal life. At the end of the film, the fact that Harry still decides to send his kids to Hogwarts alongside the children of his fellow classmates shows that, in the words of a great man, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Prisoner of Azkaban is number one mainly due to one thing, and one thing only. Out of all of the films, it’s the one that works best as a movie. While others work well adaptation wise, film wise and quality wise, Prisoner of Azkaban is the best.  

Alfonso Cuaron is one of modern day cinema’s most underrated directors, and watching part three throughout the years makes me realize the many unknown sensibilities of his style that affect the feel of the film.

In many of the scenes in the film, you’ll notice that there is no stationary shot. It gives the film a sense of unease, which is fitting since the film is focused on the escape of a murderer.

Other Cuaron techniques are used to maximize the perfection of this movie. In the leaky cauldron scene, when Harry and Mr. Weasley are talking about Sirius Black, his poster is always in the shot. The scene ends with Harry asking the question: “Why would I go looking for someone that wants to kill me?” with him completely alone in the frame.

Cuaron’s consistency on the theme of isolation is what puts this film a cut above all the the others. Many scenes feature Harry by himself. Even when he’s in a scene with others, notice how he is away from the rest in the shot. He picked this theme because Harry is the chosen one, the boy who lived, the one with a destiny and a burden that only he can bear no matter how many times people tell him they got his back.

Like anything else (games, books, food, etc.) it is easy to develop a taste for something when you learn it young. And without Azkaban I may not be where I am today. It’s the movie that made me love movies. And if that’s the effect it had on me, I could only imagine what it could do with others.

Harry Potter is a mega-franchise, one where millions of kids bought tickets to go see and millions more will watch and rewatch at home. Hopefully, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them can attest to that legacy.