Movies

Is it strange that with the most popular book and film franchise in history, there isn’t one movie that everyone can agree upon that makes it all so much fun? At the end of Harry’s long run, we figured now would be a better time than ever to put it all in its place.

1. “The Goblet of Fire”
The fourth installment of the Harry Potter franchise was a turning point in the series. The movies had already ditched Chris Columbus and the children’s film angle, but “Goblet of Fire” evolved Harry and crew into adult characters with sex on the mind. The visuals of director Mike Newell’s dragons and underwater kingdom are the best they’ve ever been, and Ralph Fiennes proves in one scarily good scene why he’s the baddest villain of them all.  

2. “The Sorcerer’s Stone”
None of the Harry Potter sequels have been able to match the original in sheer whimsy and charm. “The Sorcerer’s Stone” told Harry’s origin story quite delicately. It’s one of the lesser-acclaimed films but is the most financially successful. It’s a delightful childlike fantasy. It served as a terrific opener to any audience, fan of the novels or not.

3. “The Prisoner of Azkaban”
Director Alfonso Cuaron might have done something to alienate the most mainstream of audiences, but he shed a lot of what had been holding the series back following “The Chamber of Secrets.” He took J.K. Rowling’s story and made it into a more complex, character-driven narrative, complete with lush visuals and cinematography. And Hermione punching Draco in the face; nice.

4. “The Half-Blood Prince”
Here’s where the movies start to lose us. Daniel Radcliffe plays a more angst-ridden Harry than ever, Rupert Grint turned into a pathetic oaf as he slobbers all over Lavender Brown, the gravity of Snape’s reputation as the Half-Blood Prince is turned into an afterthought and some fight scenes, even if well-staged, are unnecessarily tacked on. That is, minus the epic final battle of course.  

5. “The Chamber of Secrets”
If you thought the first Harry Potter movie was lame, “The Chamber of Secrets” is even more cheesified. Make way for Colin Creevey, Gilderoy Lockhart and Dobby, three of the most annoying, forgettable characters in all of Harry Potter lore. This film has the lowest critical ratings of all, and it was proof that Columbus’s style was too soft and that these kids were just a little too young.

6. “The Order of the Phoenix”
The fifth film came from the longest book and was the shortest movie, but that was the least of its problems. As David Yates’s first, he turned the much-hated but well-written Dolores Umbridge into a cliché. He amped up the teen romance gush, and he turned the fight at the Ministry of Magic into a long and boring flashing lights show.