Harry Potter film with 96% rating dubbed 'perfect as entire franchise ranked

The Harry Potter films are a mix of fantasy and adventure, and we've ranked all 10 of them from best to worst, according to their Rotten Tomatoes scores - so you can see how they stack up
Author J.K. Rowling is in the spotlight once more for her controversial views on the trans community, this time drawing criticism from Stephen Fry – the voice behind all seven Harry Potter audiobooks – who has labelled her a "lost cause".
Despite the controversy surrounding its creator, the Harry Potter film series has continued to fare well. And now all the movies, including the less-celebrated Fantastic Beasts spin-offs, have been ranked by Rotten Tomatoes, with some doing better than others.
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Topping the list as the most acclaimed adaptation is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hailed as a fitting adieu to the cherished magical realm by both critics and fans alike.
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At the opposite end of the spectrum sits the 2018 release, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which failed to win over many viewers, reports the Express.
Below is the Rotten Tomatoes ranking of the Harry Potter films, from the highest to lowest rated
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Helmed by director David Yates
One critic perfectly captured the sentiment towards the final instalment, stating: "For a grand finale to a truly epic, good-natured franchise, this is a perfect goodbye that's very hard to beat."
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
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Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
The third instalment in the Harry Potter film series garnered effusive accolades from reviewers, particularly lauding Cuarón's contribution: "Prisoner of Azkaban is a standout entry in the Harry Potter franchise - it establishes an effective tone under Alfonso Cuarón's stellar direction."
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Directed by Mike Newell
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Describing the fourth film, a succinct Wall Street Journal critique exclaimed: "It's downright scary how good this movie is."
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%
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In the directorial hands of David Yates
One reviewer's insight into the penultimate Harry Potter chapter spoke volumes: "The strangest thing about the new Harry Potter movie is not that it's unusually good, which it is, but that it unequivocally illustrates just how poorly we've been served by the previous five instalments in the franchise."
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
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Rotten Tomatoes rating: 82%
Helmed by Chris Columbus
Columbus' second venture into the wizarding world was met with observations of progress: "Director Chris Columbus has pushed the envelope farther, made a sequel that is pacier and more swashbuckling. Yet it still feels cautious and reined-in."
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 80%
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The first foray with Chris Columbus at the helm.
Critics were unanimously taken by Harry Potter's initial cinematic adventure, noting: "The quickest, zappiest two and a half hours of entertainment you'll ever see."
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
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Rotten Tomatoes rating: 78%
Directed by David Yates, the fifth instalment in the Potter series didn't quite live up to expectations, with one critic bluntly stating: "Brought me straight back to one of the most enduring of childhood feelings: boredom."
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) also saw Yates at the helm
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 77%
The seventh film received its fair share of criticism as one reviewer observed: "The trouble with Harry, as becomes clear from this seventh and penultimate installment, is not that we have lost the plot -- the film is as tangled and as corkscrewed as Bonham Carter's hair -- but that we are in danger of losing everything else."
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), another Yates-directed venture, struggled to impress, with a commentator noting: "The film strains considerably under the weight of all its plot lines-it's never fun to be the movie with the origin story."
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 74%
The subsequent Fantastic Beasts instalment, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022), directed by Yates too, faced similar critique. Rotten Tomatoes rating: 46%
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A disappointed reviewer remarked: "Even taken on its own merits, it's a case of a sequel too far. There's no getting away from the fact that, without Harry Potter, this (movie) doesn't seem to know where to go."
Furthermore, the prior Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) had also seen Yates in the director's chair.
With a disappointing 36% rating, The Crimes of Grindelwald sits at the bottom of the Harry Potter series, receiving a drubbing from both critics and cinema-goers alike. One reviewer described it as: "About as exciting as a trip to Hogwarts's most neglected lavatory."
For those in the UK looking for a magical fix, the complete Harry Potter collection is now on Netflix, ready for streaming.
Across the pond, US folks can find all the Harry Potter films up for rent on Amazon Prime Video.

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