Every Harry Potter Movie RANKED (From Best to Worst)

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re going to be ranking MY favourite Harry Potter movies from BEST to WORST. I think one point of distinction that needs to be made right away here is that these are NOT reflective of my BOOK rankings.

Over the course of a decade, the beloved book series was adapted into eight spellbinding films, captivating audiences worldwide and bringing the Wizarding World to life on the big screen. However, In the process of adapting the complex and intricate world of the books into a more visually-driven medium, many aspects of the books were omitted. Because the films are a ‘less complete’ package, and because of filmmakers' decisions to prioritize certain scenes over others, they make for quite a different experience- each possessing their own unique charms and quirks. The best way to describe the films would be a ‘diluted’ version of the books. HOWEVER, with that said, I’m still a HUGE fan of the Harry Potter films (yes all of them), and I have many positive comments about the way that each film was constructed. As we dive into this cinematic realm, we'll explore the highs and lows of each movie, taking into account the storytelling, visual effects, and the ways in which they either stayed true to or deviated from the original source material.

I’ll try my best to rationalize WHY I ranked them the way that I did, but forgive me if in some instances I’m unable to articulate myself properly and limited to explaining things with just a ‘feeling’. I know that a LOT of you are going to deviate from my choices here, so before we get started be sure to comment YOUR best to worst in the comment section down below.

Let’s dive in.

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[Ascension]

Feel like I’m the only one that REALLY enjoyed chamber of secrets🤷🏾‍♂️I love all the movies but chamber of secrets to this day is my most rewatched. Especially when it’s holiday time and the mood is just right. It’s just my go to Harry Potter movie 🍿

[ONLYALEXISOMAR]

I feel bad for people that didn’t grow up watching Harry Potter those first two movies bring such a magically nostalgia that I don’t feel with anything else

[TEMPESTUS]

My favourite is The Chamber Of Secrets. So underrated, I think it's the mystery concept that does it for me

[Loganberry]

Half-blood Prince would have EASILY been my favorite if they included scenes from the chapter "The Other Minister" and also scenes with Bob Ogden and the House of Gaunt. That being said, I find Philosopher's Stone and Prisoner of Azkaban the most rewatchable.

[alanchamberlain]

I think Chamber Of Secrets is so underrated, Harry was growing up in that one and he encountered his first Horcrux the diary which ends up playing a role, Ron and Hermoine go back to the Chamber to use the Basilisk fang again. They learn about Polyjuice Potion and met Lucius Malfoy, who turned out to be a major Death Eater. I loved Richard Harris as Dumbledore as well. The Basilisk was one of Harry's toughest battles ever. Chamber was quite dark and scary for a kids movie, Chris done an amazing job. I think Chris nailed it with the first 2 films Philosopher and Chamber are both so underrated by fans. My least favorites are the David Yates movies. They still had good moments but Chris, Alfonso and Newell all done a better job. After Goblet being such a high, OOTP and HBP were very meh, I think Yates made some mistakes. The films were too black imo, in the previous films there was a magic and old school vibe. Some of the later films were a bit boring. I didn’t like when Harry cut his hair so short in Order either.

[rvnr]

Philosopher's stone is the legendary one, even my parents rewatch it every year when it plays on local tv

[MadCaril]

First and second one to me. They really captured the essence of a magic world and was really well made. The 4th should have been the best one if it really followed the books but it didn't.

[Overhemd]

Apparently I'm the only one who has Order of the Phoenix as his favorite :(

+ Umbridge, I know people hate her character but I just absolutely love the way she's portrayed perfectly by Imelda Staunton
+ They were actually able to fit 668 pages (by far the biggest book) into a movie with some awesome editing, like the newspaper scenes when Umbridge takes over Hogwards.
+ The end fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort is easily the best duel scene of the entire series, possibly also the best fight scene
+ Badass Dumbledore moments, like the court scene in the beginning, and the one where he saves Trelawny from being banned from Hogwards
+ It had great humor and character moments, like the "emotional equivalent of a teaspoon" scene after Harry kissed Cho
+ It touches upon very serious adult lessons/themes, like losing Sirius
+ I love Prizoner of Azkaban too it's my second favorite probably, but compared to that movie, Order of the Phoenix has more mature / better acting from Harry Ron and Hermoine and the CGI effects are ofc way better too. I know that's not PoA's fault, but it's still a factor for me. Just look at the scene where Harry and Hermoine fight the Whomping Willow in PoA, it has aged pretty poorly.

I could go on and on about this movie, it's fantastic

[deserabailey]

I LOVED half-blood prince movie!!! I think Daniel did AMAZING and its one of my faves to re-watch!

[robinsmith]

I wish they had used the book version of Harry and Voldemort's duel. It built more tension I think.

[emielthysebaert]

I love to see that everyone's list is different, that's the power of harry potter.

[DaxstersDangerZone]

My favorite is actually Goblet of Fire (not popular, I know haha).
In my opinion, I think Goblet of Fire provides the best mix of magic and fantasy, and realistic middleschool/highschool life and drama, which makes it extremely relatable and grounded, despite also having dragons, merpeople etc. It is also the first movie to introduce us to other wizarding schools around the world, which always consumes my mind with "I wonder how a school in [insert country of choice] would function?" or "what other ways can magic and culture be expressed?". On a technical level, there are several movies in the franchise that goes beyond Goblet of Fire, but no other movie rattles my brain more than the 4th installment.
The worst part of the movie, is Durmstrang. It just feels weird to have Durmstrang located in northern Scandinavia, but ONLY housing Bulgarians (in the movie). It is like having an ONLY Chinese cast to represent Uagadou in Africa. Although possible (I guess), it is just feels weird. Not sure why they didn't just have a mix of different people.

However, I know my view on the franchise is not popular considering that, despite having grown up with the films, I ALWAYS skip the first movie when doing a "marathon".
Although the 1st installment is a great entry, the slow pace and lackluster storyline just doesn't do it for me anymore. Plus, I like DARKNESS.

[plumo]

Deathly Hallows Part 1 is in my top 3 movies specifically because of the slow-burn drawn-out focus on the relationship between the trio. I wouldn't want any other movies to follow it's format, but to me it is the perfect film representation of the moment before the end. We know terrible things are coming, in the way that we know the end of the series is coming -- but we just want to hold onto what we know a little bit longer. After spending so much time throughout the series going on crazy adventures, we are reminded that at the centre of it all are these three teenagers who are still coming to terms with themselves, who love each other very much, and who are given a task which seems impossible but neccessary. If Part 1 was any different, I would have hated Part 2 for not having any emotional gravity and just whipping through plot and action, but it allows us to time getting closure with the characters we know best.


My other two faves are POA and OOTP :)

[JoshuaWillis]

I’m glad we can at least agree that Goblet of Fire is the worst of the films. Skipping the entire Quidditch World Cup is frankly unforgivable, but the rest of the movie doesn’t do much to make up for it, either. Directors should be required to read the source material. They’re certainly paid enough to do a little homework.

[alwacesasmas]

Putting Half blood Prince over Chamber of Secrets is a crime.

[riffdex]

Is anyone really surprised that Goblet of Fire got last place? I think the most flagrant issue was the scene when a unhinged Dumbledore angrily asked Harry if he put his name in the Goblet. It was so out of character for Dumbledore, who is supposed to be calm and methodical in his behavior.

[Rb]

Harry Potter is unique in that each persons Best to Worst list are always so unique! Whereas something like Star wars the order of ranking would be similar for most people, I think that's a testament to how consistent the movies are across 8 films. For me personally Goblet is my #1 and Chamber my #2

[jeffreyguyot]

I was a father of three young kids when this film series came out and I might be the biggest HP fan in our family. They are like my second round of movie addiction, the first being Star Wars from my childhood.

My list:

1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Half-blood Prince
3. Prisoner of Azkaban 
4. Deathly Hallows Pt.2
5. Sorcerer's Stone
6. Deathly Hallows Pt.1
7. Chamber of Secrets 
8. Goblet of Fire

I'm a 54 year old Grandfather and I find myself sorting people into the four houses and having zero tolerance for the Karens and Kevins of the world or as I classify them (Republicans, Bigots or Racists), Umbridge(s).

[lindabenny]

My best to worst are: Philosopher's stone, Goblet of fire, Azkaban, Chamber of secrets, Order of the Phoenix, Half blood prince, the last two. I don't know if it because of my age (I was almost 40 when the first book came out) but the films lost all their magic for me after Order of the Phoenix. So much was miss out & replaced with utter rubbish (the start of the half blood prince & the ending of Hallows
part 2 ) that I have never watched them again (I have tried but get so annoyed I can't finish them) I still listen to the books (read by Stephen Fry) which if you haven't done that you really should . I've listened to it hundreds of times & still love it.

[LyleFrancisDelp]

For me, the first three spots are occupied by Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban. The first two, because of the wonderful sense of discovery of this world, and the third, for the introduction of Lupin and Black. All three, due to the wondrous music of John Williams. None of the other films match this.

After that, my order would be:

Deathly Hallows
Half Blood Prince
Order of the Phoenix (although the introduction of Luna was a real treat)
Goblet of Fire (which is almost universally considered the worst of the lot)