Harry Potter Movies – Worst to Best

The best of the whole country: the three main characters — Watson, Radcliffe and Grint — in «Prisoner of Azkaban» Photo: Murray Close/AP

Harry Potter had already become a significant cultural phenomenon in 1998 when JK Rowling sold the film rights to Warner Bros for a seven-figure sum. The huge success of the first adaptation just before Christmas 2001, grossing nearly $1 billion worldwide, opened the door to a whole new level of international Wizard fandom.

Childhood will be depicted in between each installment: as Harry and his friends entered adolescence, embarking on a journey that grew increasingly darker, so did the series' most avid fans. At the same time, the franchise kept the British film industry more or less afloat, and also provided paid work for dozens of our most beloved stars — some in cameos, others in roles that would define their future careers.

It would be crazy to say that all films are equally good. Their quality varies almost as much as the 007 series, thanks to directors who came and went, actors who wavered and then found their way, and an overall storyline with ups and downs. Here's our breakdown of how the eight films stack up, from weakest to strongest. Warning: Contains opinions and spoilers.

8. «Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire» (Mike Newell, 2005)

Plot: Harry is mysteriously chosen to compete in the ancient Triwizard Tournament, causing a rift with Ron until Hogwarts hosts Yule Ball. During the tournament, Voldemort is resurrected in the Dream Realm, kills Cedric Diggory, and attempts to kill Harry, who escapes.

The problems started with the book, midway through the series, when no one else dared to edit Rowling. Condensing its 636 bloated pages into less than three hours — albeit only — was a task that couldn't be neatly handled by screenwriter Steve Kloves, who saddled it with lumpen premise and an unwieldy structure while interfering with the plot in questionable ways. The presence of Mike Newell under Mike Newell's direction compounded the problem: This is where the hormones kick in and the teenage flirting begins, but under his direction the young ensemble has never seemed more out of time. Michael Gambon basically roars a lot. (Read our original review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (David Yates, 2009)

Plot: Harry stumbles upon on a potions textbook that once belonged to a certain “Half-Blood Prince.” He uses one of the book's curses in a duel against Draco Malfoy, who is saved by Severus Snape, reversing it, but the pair team up to kill Dumbledore. 

Daniel Radcliffe isn't a fan of his performance in the film — «I hate it,» he admitted, cringing at how «one-note» and «smug» it is. Luckily for him, forgetting everything is surprisingly easy. Aside from the very predictable death of Dumbledore and the very twilight suspenseful romance between Ron and Hermione, can you honestly remember much of what happened? The film suffers from a lack of fresh villains for the first time, relying as always on the reliably wily Alan Rickman, but there's a lot of cave-hopping, a lot of ominous foreshadowing and little spark. (Read our original review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)

Not a fan: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall in Half-Blood Prince Credits: Jaap Buitendijk/Film Stills 6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I (David Yates, 2010)

Plot: Harry, Ron and Hermione go into hiding after Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic. Using the clues Dumbledore gave them, they try to decipher where the Horcruxes are, steal one from Dolores Umbridge, and are rescued from the Malfoy dungeon by Dobby, who is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. 

Splitting the last book into two parts had both pros (second half) and cons (first half). We have to wait for the Battle of Hogwarts and all the remaining plot points to be resolved, but the wait — mostly for the sake of extra money, let's be real — was just endless. This, with its camping fun for Harry, Ron and Hermione, really separates the sincere Potter fanatics from the restless viewers who don't want to spend several hours dealing with emotional crises in an icy tent. «Bear With Us Here» should have been the title. (Read our original review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I)

Infinity: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger in the first Deathly Hallows film Posted by Jaap Buytendijk/Movie Stills 5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002)

Plot:Dobby warns Harry against returning to Hogwarts, but he ignores the advice. Returning to school, suspicious of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, he hears of a secret room guarded by the young Lord Voldemort, Tom Riddle. 

Chris Columbus's second of two attempts doesn't exactly pick up the pace, but he certainly takes it up a notch — at 161 minutes, even without the deleted scenes, it's the longest running time in the series. Figuring out why is a little tricky: the book is the second longest and feels like a side quest? There's an indulgent generosity to the film, squeezing out all the established characters while also bringing in newcomers — especially Dobby, Jason Isaacs' mischievous Lucius Malfoy and Kenneth Branagh's pompous Gilderoy Lockhart. At least the ending in the chamber itself is unforgettably whimsical, before the code of the purest cheese is served in the Great Hall. (Read our original review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

Fan favorite: We Meet the Malfoys. house elf Dobby for the first time in the Chamber of Secrets Photo: HO/Reuters 4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (David Yates, 2007)

Plot: Harry encounters Dolores Umbridge, a new interfering Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who is part of a conspiracy determined to overthrow Dumbledore while ignoring Voldemort's imminent return. Much of the Atrium is destroyed in the wizard battle, and Sirius Black is killed. 

One word for David Yates, who took control and never let go of the reins: he quickly gained the trust of the series' young stars and convinced them to perform much better. The rise in stature from Goblet of Fire to this one has a lot to do with Radcliffe, Watson and Grint confidently coming of age. It's one of the more radical cuts yet — goodbye to all Quidditch — but it pays off with solid pacing and a growing sense of how the villains are gathering against them. New and glibly evil among them is the brilliantly named Dolores Umbridge, played in fuzzy pink by the very wholesome Imelda Staunton. (Read our original review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Poison in Pink: Imelda Staunton has joined the Order of the Phoenix series to play Dolores Umbridge. Credit: Allstar/Warner Bros/Allstar Picture Library 3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001)

Plot: One night, the senior professors of Hogwarts deliver the orphaned infant wizard Harry Potter to his Muggle relatives, the Dursleys. Ten years later, he enters school, meets his fellow first-year students, and begins to suspect that Severus Snape plans to resurrect his nemesis, Lord Voldemort. 

There are clunky aspects to the world-building, but there's a sense of spirit and fun of the enterprise here — it's hard not to hear the first ringing notes of John Williams' Privet Drive score and be tempted to stick around. The introductions to many of the Hogwarts staff are excellent — both Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman instantly earn their keep — and the plot has a satisfying clarity that many of the later installments, for all their ghostly complexity, won't be able to replicate. The youth are endearingly awkward; we make a discount. For obvious reasons, this is the most nostalgic watch right now. (Read our original review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)

Where it all began: Our first look at Hogwarts in Philosopher's Stone Authors: Pennsylvania 2. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II” (David Yates, 2011)

Plot: The Hogwarts community prepares for an all-out battle as Harry and his friends try to destroy the remaining Horcruxes that contain Voldemort's soul. It is revealed posthumously that Severus Snape was a double agent all along, working with Dumbledore to protect Harry, who ultimately destroys Voldemort.