All 8 "Harry Potter" Movies, Ranked
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Arguably the most relevant entry in the series, this is the identifier as the one where Harry, his friends, and the franchise as a whole, embrace the young adult audience. From the disturbing injuries of Arthur Weasley to the dramatic death of Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, the series does not look back after this point.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The point where the series evolves from family entertainment to blockbuster, this entry finds Harry entering the teen years. As he grows over the movie, he finds that things aren't as simple or as clean-cut as he thought when he was younger.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The one that started it all! Alongside the tropes of children's literature and the handmade quality of the old-school special effects, this also does an excellent job of setting up themes that continue to be important throughout the franchise. From the discovery of a greater world to the Hogwarts dynamics, to even the establishment of death as a theme, it is difficult to imagine a better beginning to the franchise.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The epic conclusion to the decade-spanning, generation-defining franchise. This does not miss the mark. From everyone gathering together for the last time to fight off the common enemy, to Harry seeing things in a different way for the last time in regard to Snape, to the class clown Neville destroying the snake horcrux, all knots are tied and no loose ends as Harry takes his son to the train at Kings Cross as an adult. All is well.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Mostly the setup to the finale, this plays out as a weird bottle episode-esque blockbuster. Not to say that it's bad. The scene where Harry and Hermione dance together is a warm light amidst the darkness that has enveloped the series at this point. The Deathly Hallows are established through an animated sequence that is a bottle episode within the movie. Finally, the death of Dobby gives this movie the gut punch that it needs to get to the conclusion.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The slow point of the later Harry Potter movies establishes the fact that even in times of crises, life goes on. Love goes on. Milestones happen. Even amidst all this, incidents from the outside world seep through the bubble of Hogwarts. All of it culminating in the death of the beloved headmaster, Dumbledore. Getting rid of Harry's protector establishes to Harry and the audience that he is now on his own.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Teenage years are awkward. Perhaps someone should have warned Harry before he grew out his hair like that? This is probably the awkward high school movie of the franchise, where Harry has to dance with a girl for the first time and learn to swim. This is a fantasy John Hughes movie if someone had died in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The tricky second album of the franchise treads on a lot of the same territory as the first movie. However, it's not without its charms. Lockhart is a very entertaining character, and we are introduced to the best house elf, Dobby. Even with its flaws, it's still quite fun.
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