Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone cover image. This movie ranked six out of eight. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone cover image. This movie ranked six out of eight. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros
©Warner Bros/courtesy Everett C

‘Harry Potter’– A Review Just in Time for Thanksgiving Binge Watching

Over the span of 24 years the ‘Harry Potter’ series has become one of the most popular and well known franchises in the world. Translated into 79 different languages with approximately 400 million copies sold in over 200 countries, ‘Harry Potter’ has found its place in many families’ homes. With eight movies filled with hours of content, this series has its ups and downs perfectly prepared to be ranked!

At the bottom of our list lies Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 released in 2010. This movie, although one of the very last, hardly contributed to the telling of the story. Much of the movie is known for the time spent following Harry Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, through the woods as he and his friends are on the run from Voldemort. The plot of this movie was far more disappointing compared to the mystery and action of the other movies. Overall, I felt the need for this movie was unnecessary and most likely would have worked better if combined with its other half. 

Next on our list is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone released in 2009 and 2001 respectively. Although both were fun movies to watch, they both felt a little lacking. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince made it so low on the list because of the small impact it left as a whole. Most of the movie was unmemorable and uninteresting. Generally the movie felt like it only served as a vessel for Dumbledore’s death. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, on the other hand, served as an excellent introduction into the Wizarding World. Comparatively though, this movie lacked the overall dark and mysterious themes of the other movies. 

Moving up we see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire released in 2002 and 2005. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets clocks in as the longest movie on our list. This causes the plot to feel slow in places and oftentimes it becomes boring or uninteresting. Besides all this, this movie is very enjoyable to watch and begins to introduce the darker themes that the rest of the movies will later follow. Next, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This movie was very different from the others because it gets rid of the main mysterious focus of the other movies. I thoroughly enjoy the concept of the Triwizard Tournament and how it built this fantasy world overall. It provided a fun and upbeat mood compared to the other movies. 

Starting our countdown at number three is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This movie was an emotional one for many fans of the series. This movie takes place back at Hogwarts under control of Voldemort and his death eaters. This movie brings back many beloved characters and features the ending battle scene of the series. The constant fast paced nature and ominous setting helped move the story along wonderfully. My only critique of this movie was our antagonist, Voldemort. He was generally lacking as a villain throughout most of this movie. The main antagonist felt as though they were his Death Eaters instead of him. In conclusion, I felt this movie could have done more with Voldemort’s character considering this is the last movie.

Coming in at second place is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This masterpiece was an exciting and excellently portrayed movie. The fight scene at the end was one of the most memorable of all the movies. This movie also explained in further detail about Harry and his prophecy as The Chosen One. All in all, this movie was a needed addition to the series for its use in furthering the plot while also providing a mysterious storyline that readers can effectively follow.

Finally at the top of our list is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. By far a fan favorite, and for good reason. The overall mystery is excellently portrayed with Sirius Back as well as Peter Petigrew’s character. It’s a rush of emotions throughout the whole movie and the excellent climax leads to a fun, twisting end. While other movies tried and failed to fit every detail from the books, this movie found a way to creatively show the plot without the need to include everything. This movie deserves top spot because it is well put together, elevates the overall plot of the entire series as a whole, and introduces many well developed characters. 

My  final ranking is:

8 – Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1, 

7 – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 

6 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 

5 – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 

4 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 

3 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,

2 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

1 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

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