11 Years Later: An Untimely Ranking of the “Harry Potter” Films

My older brother, Hunter, had been asking me to watch the Harry Potter films with him for quite a while now. During the lull of a mid-January winter break, I figured I might as well take him up on it. After all, it had been 11 years since the release of the final film, and in the words of Lizzo, it was “about damn time.” 

We watched the movies in the evening when he was free after work. Watching each one went something like this:

Me: Who is [insert character here]?

Hunter: Just watch the movie. 

Me: Is [insert character here] a bad guy?

Hunter: You’ll find out if you just keep watching.

Me: Ron has got to be the greatest ginger of all time. 

Hunter: Are you ever going to stop talking?

Hunter was committed to not spoiling the films for me, despite the fact that I kept pestering him with questions. Such discipline was admirable. Only one couch pillow was hucked my way, and I probably deserved it. 

Without further ado, here is my ranking of all the Harry Potter films from my least favorite to my favorite. 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

This film wasn’t terrible by any means; it was just a tad forgettable. After watching all the movies, this was the only one I had to look up a plot summary of to refresh my memory. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)

It felt like this film stopped in the middle of a sentence, which I know was intended, but it was definitely frustrating. This storyline definitely set up the second film well, and I’m only ranking it so low because the ending left a bitter taste in my mouth. 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

This film hurt to watch because I felt like it was difficult to hold onto any goodness. There has always been a good vs. evil type of conflict in these stories, and up until this point, it seemed to always end up teetering on the side of good. I didn’t feel that here, and it was unsettling. 

The romance wasn’t fleshed out as much as I would have liked for it to have been (Ron and Hermione, Ron and Lavender, Hermione and Cormac, or Harry and Ginny), and I while get that romance is not the focus of this story, it does make a film enjoyable for me. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

I loved watching Harry teach spells to all of his classmates like the true #academicweapon that he was. The little romance between him and Cho was a sweet addition. Professor Umbridge was the actual worst, but her sickly-sweet facade of a character was played incredibly well. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)

As the blueprint, this film has to be ranked near the top. There is so much to love in Harry’s transition from a scummy home life to his lively one at Hogwarts. Talk about thriving. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

After this movie ended, I sat on my couch motionless. The flashbacks in this film were expertly executed and finally provided some long-awaited answers. Neville and Luna proved themselves to be the absolute realest. In this way, friendship and bravery prevailed when the stakes were at their highest. I think it can be hard to wrap a series like this in a satisfying way, but this film delivered. It was simply fantastic to watch. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

I came for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but I stayed because of the Yule Ball (and Robert Pattinson). Harry’s true colors absolutely shined. This one cut deep, but with good reason. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Scabbers! He had such a presence in this film (for reasons I later learned), and I kept repeating the pet rat’s name whenever he appeared on the screen simply because it was fun to say. Needless to say, the plot twist was rattling. I loved the Marauders map (OG Snap Maps), Sirius Black’s complex character, and Buckbeak. To me, this film had the perfect balance of established characters and new ones, and the unpredictability of it was really what made it a worthwhile watch. 

There’s definitely a lot more to dissect within each one of these films, but I’ll save that for a later debate with my brother. For now, I’m just glad to be caught up on the franchise’s well-deserved hype. 

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