Which One Is The Chosen One?
With all the buzz surrounding the recent release of the newest installation in the infamous Wizarding World, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”, we decided to take a look at the franchise as a whole and figure out which magical film reigns supreme, although we’ll always love them all. With the help of our Suggest Page that received a TON of votes thanks to you guys, for this list we’ll be ranking the top 5 films that take place in this 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. If your favorite Wizarding World movie didn’t make the top 5, make sure to head over to WatchMojo HERE or down below to check out the full list of the Top 10 Wizarding World Movies!
#5: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows†(Part 2) (2011)
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 instalment 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)
After our first introduction to Hogwarts in “The Philosopher’s Stoneâ€, “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)
There is probably no film in this franchise more divisive than “Prisoner of Azkabanâ€. 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)
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)
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.
If you’re a true Potterhead, you should check out this playlist we’ve created with all of the videos released during our Harry Potter Week last week over at WatchMojo, MsMojo and WatchMojoUK!
And make sure to find out all of our top Wizarding World movie picks, including where we ranked the Fantastic Beasts films on our list, right here:
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