Top 10 Movies in the Harry Potter Franchise
Top 10 Wizarding World Movies
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Do we still love all these films? Always. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Wizarding World Movies. For this list, we’re ranking the films that take place in the magical world created by J. K. Rowling, according to both the quality of the films by themselves, and how well they adapted their source material.
#10: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018)
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In the second entry of the “Fantastic Beasts” series, we got to take a deeper dive into the history and lore of the Wizarding World. Expanding on its predecessor, the film showed Grindelwald’s rise to power, and brought us a bevy of new magical beasts. Johnny Depp played the dark wizard with typical panache, and was joined on screen by a younger version of everyone’s favorite Hogwarts headmaster, courtesy of Jude Law. The stakes were raised much higher than in the first film, and it left us on the edge of our seats waiting to see what would happen next.
#9: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (2016)
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After a five-year hiatus on the heels of “Deathly Hallows - Part 2”, fans were eager for more content from the Wizarding World. J. K. Rowling actually penned the screenplay for this prequel movie, which brought viewers back in time to 1920s New York. While the movie’s protagonist - the reserved, mumbling Newt Scamander - didn’t have quite the same charm as wide-eyed Harry Potter, the film treated viewers to new aspects of the world we’ve come to know and love. Sure, we might all know the antagonist’s final fate, but it didn’t take away from the fun, and the fantastic beasts themselves made it well worth watching.
#8: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” (2010)
It’s become something of a trend to split the last book in a young adult novel series into two films, and the results have varied, to say the least. In a lot of ways, “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (Part 1)” is actually a great standalone film which adapts the source material faithfully, offering fan service to the most serious Potter devotees. On the other hand, the movie may feel a little too meandering for many viewers who really just want to reach the conclusion of the saga. Much of the action is to be found in “Deathly Hallows (Part 2)” while this film focuses more on character development and building tension.
#7: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)
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The “Harry Potter” series is split between the relatively lighthearted tone of the earlier films and the darker nature of the later ones. “Order Of The Phoenix” is placed decidedly in the latter half, after Voldemort’s revival. Many complain about Harry’s grouchy attitude in this film, conveniently forgetting about the fact that his mind is being influenced by Voldemort’s own. But the end result is a movie that feels less magical than the ones that came before it. On the plus side, the political undertones are moved into the foreground here, making it a movie with striking real world parallels that broaden its appeal.
#6: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009)
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There is a lot going on in “Half-Blood Prince”, from the budding romances to the exploration of Voldemort’s past to the mystery of the Half-Blood Prince himself. It’s tough to fit all of this into one normal length movie, and on top of that the tone of this film is perhaps more somber than it needs to be, considering the elements of fun that exist in the book. Some of the creative changes did however add to the film, like the portrayal of Harry being “high” on Felix Felicis and the decision to omit Dumbledore’s funeral in favor of a poignant moment where the students of Hogwarts raise their wands in his honor.
#5:“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (Part 2) (2011)
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It’s tough to decide where to place this film on our list because on one hand, it took numerous creative liberties with the material of the book, some of which worked better than others; but on the other hand it was the culmination of the story so many of us had waited to see. Despite this book being split into two films, the second installment feels somewhat rushed and the action sequences sometimes devolve into a spectacle of visual effects. Despite all this, we can’t help but love the emotional moments packed into the saga’s epic conclusion, and the beautiful epilogue that brings us, in a sense, full circle.
#4: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002)
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After our first introduction to Hogwarts in “The Philosopher’s Stone”, “Chamber of Secrets” was an excellent follow up that fleshed out the characters and world we’d already fallen in love with. The stakes are raised in this film when the students of Hogwarts begin being “petrified” by an unknown monster prowling the castle, and Harry is accused of being involved in the terror. Because the story is a shorter one, it’s easy for this movie to be faithful to the source material, which fans appreciate, and seeing Dobby, Lockhart, Aragog, and of course the flying Ford Anglia brought to life is a ton of fun.
#3: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004)
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There is probably no film in this franchise more divisive than “Prisoner of Azkaban”. If you didn’t read the book, it would be easy for this movie to be your favorite of the bunch, since Alphonso Cuarón's direction brought a stylistic edge to the story that makes it stand out and feel distinctly modern. Serious Potter fans however found the deviations from the plot of the book to be upsetting, and were especially outraged when major plot points were essentially omitted completely, like the explanation of who exactly was behind the Marauder's Map. But even if we had a Time Turner, we wouldn't change a thing about this thrilling addition to the Wizarding World.
#2: “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005)
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Many people consider this book and movie to be the heart of the series, as well as a turning point in the narrative where things inevitably become more serious thanks to Voldemort’s return. Because of the structure of the Triwizard Tournament, viewers get to watch three exciting tasks, and be taken outside of the scope of the world we know by attending the Quidditch World Cup. Though there has been death in the series before this, it has largely taken place off screen, so when one of Harry’s peers is killed, we knew that things would never be the same again.
#1: “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone” (2001)
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Though so many great films were to follow, we’ll never be able to recapture the magic of watching the first “Harry Potter” movie in theatres when it was released. For fans of the books, being able to see the world that had only existed in their heads on the big screen was an unparalleled experience. The creators of the film knew how closely those fans would be watching, so they stuck to the plot as faithfully as possible and in the process provided us with some of the most iconic moments in the entire series.
