Ranking: The Harry Potter Films

With Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them coming in a not too distant future, I thought I might as well take a trip down the flawed but consistently entertaining Boy Who Lived franchise. 

8. The Goblet of Fire 

I guess I might be being a bit unfair on Mike Newell's singular venture into the Harry Potter universe, since it's easily my favourite out of all the novels. It wouldn't have been at all possible I suppose to insert all the novel's fascinating different subplots which build up to a particularly deep conclusion, but it leads to the film as a whole having less of an impact. Where the book allowed such a fascinating insight into the machinations of the Triwizard Tournament, the film fails to really dig deep into it at all. I will admit that two of the three Tasks are well-directed in terms of the visual aesthetic, the Maze in particular is quite an impressive tension-building sequence. The dragon scene, though, deviates way too far from the book for my liking. I like spectacle, but they could have kept it more in line with the book, and actually made it even more thrilling.

My problem comes with the writing and direction in between these tasks. There's simply too much to pack into one film here as the complex relationships blossoming between rivals, as well as the burgeoning hormones of our young heroes, and the rise of the Dark Lord, all feel underwritten and result in certain character arcs, Ron's in particular, feeling rushed and rather inconsequential. Having said that, I might be a bit too harsh, it would be impossible to properly adapt even half of The Goblet of Fire's content, but it remains a lesser entry into the series - though I admit I enjoyed watching most of it, it always feels like it could go an extra mile or so further.

Pros: Mad Eye Moody and Brendan Gleeson's performance; the Maze; Voldemort's entrance has quite the impact; 'That's my son!' (an extremely effective use of soundtrack dissonance); the direction of the Three Tasks. the Maze.

Cons: David Tenant, or the writing behind Barty Crouch Jr., I still can't decide; the Hungarian Horntail scene, also I kind of hate that they kill it off (Hagrid would be displeased too); the writing behind Ron and Hermione; whatever the direction and Michael Gambon were going for with Dumbledore (DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE HARRY); the Yule Ball is fun but feels like needless filler if you think about it, whereas in the book it actually pushed the plot forward extremely well while being a fun little addition to the novel, as well as setting up The Order of the Phoenix with a throwaway little moment.

Best scene(s): (by best I mean best directed, obviously I hate what happens to Cedric)

Worst scene (s): (I couldn't resist, I could nitpick at the dragon scene but this one always cracks me up)

7. The Deathly Hallows Part I 

The whole mid-section with the trio in the wilderness in search of the Horcruxes was engaging and fun to read in the books, unfortuantely in the films it feels a bit tedious, and relies a great deal on the performances of the lead trio. They have very good moments in the third act, at the Malfoy Manor, and Rupert Grint easily gives his best performance in the series. Unfortunately they also have some extremely dull scenes. I guess this film does show that cinematically, Hogwarts is very important to a Harry Potter film working properly, even if a novel can handle it. I love a slow burn as much as anyone else, but this one felt like a slog.

Having gotten that major issue out of the way, Having said that it does contain one of the most fantastic sequences in the whole series, in the form of the trio sneaking into the Ministry of Magic under the disguise of officials, a la Polyjuice Potion. That sequence is thrilling, funny and in parts quite moving, as well as providing a welcome return for the despicably cheery Dolores Umbridge. There's also a heartbreaking exit for arguably the series' most kind-hearted, lovable characters which could've had no impact whatsoever, given the lack of buildup in the previous installments, but here is executed perfectly. And yes, that final showdown at Malfoy Manor is well-done, in fact the whole set-up of the Snatchers and Bellatrix Lestrange is well-done. There are parts of this film I really love, it's just the rest is a bit forgettable...though I really could use a re-watch, since I haven't seen it again since 2011.

Pros: Dobby's Death; Retrieving the locket from the Ministry of Magic; Malfoy Manor

Cons: Feels like a slog, could've used some more editing; the ending to Petter Pettigrew's arc (the book's version of his demise would've probably been too brutal, but really it's the only way to make Dumbledore's declaration at the end of The Prisoner of Azkaban that Harry would one day be grateful he had spared Peter Pettigrew, work)

Best Scene (s):

7. The Chamber of Secrets 

There's technically nothing wrong at all with this film in terms of being an adaptation of the novel, it maintains all of the key elements and segments I enjoyed in it, and the final showdown between Harry and the Baslisk is always engaging no matter how many times I watch it. The main issues I have with it are some of the acting. The adult actors are uniformly fine, and Kenneth Branagh and Jason Issacs make for some delightfully hammy entrants to the series. It's the child actors, however, who are put in a rather odd position as they're not quite cute and little enough any more to get away with exaggerated facial expressions/delivering their lines to the camera. This makes several pivotal moments in the film feel severely undercut by the performances, for example Ron discovering that Ginny has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, which not only extend to the leads but also the supporting kids, who play a considerable role in this installment. Also the Baslisk aside, some of the special effects in this installment feel a wee bit dated like the slugs, the pixies, the spiders. Dobby and the CGI utilized for him is enjoyable though, I do like it, and the ending in particular is rather heartwarming and poignant as Richard Harris' departure from the series coalescing with Hagrid's return.

Pros: The Baslisk; the daffiness of Dobby and Gilderoy Lockhart; the whole 'Tom Riddle' set-up.

Cons: The child acting is at its worst (particularly in the scene where Harry and Ron are discussing how the Baslisk could've slipped around the schoolgrounds); Some of the special effects; Lucius Malfoy trying to inflict an Unforgiveable Curse on Hogwarts grounds (okay, this is really a nitpick, I should probably re-watch the film, it might go higher)

Best Scene:

5. Order of the Phoenix 

It might not quite live up to the greatness of the source material, but unlike The Goblet of Fire which feels underwhelming because of that, David Yates proves far more competent in masking the inevtiable cutting-down of the plot complexities by essentially picking out the highlights of the novel, and doing his very best to capitalize on them. He's aided by a masterful performance by Imelda Staunton as the hatefully 'sweet' Dolores Umbridge, and one example of how effectively Yates handles this character can be seen in the montage where she inspects the Hogwarts teachers one by one which emphasize her comical elements in a quick, concise manner, contrasting well with her more incisive and menacing scenes. Sirius Black finally gets something to do here, the previous two films hadn't really built up the relationship between him and Harry as well as the books did but no problem, Gary Oldman is at hand to pick up the pieces. The Order of the Phoenix scenes are enjoyable if a bit cheesy at points (but it works with the Goonies-esque vibe), and I particularly enjoyed the expanded role of Neville Longbottom, and the introductions of Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Lestrange. It's not perfect, with extraneous characters, and some awkwardly acted love scenes, the prophecy's important to the overall arc of the series is depleted to an extent, and I've always felt the films never really gave Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin their due in terms of the onscreen chemistry of the characters, The last act, the battle in the Ministry of Magic, is fairly, and makes for a fitting transition for Harry from young teenager to young man.

Pros: Umbridge and Imelda Staunton; scenes between Sirius and Harry, with some of Daniel Radcliffe's best acting in the series; introductions of other new characters; exciting action set-pieces.

Cons: Grawp really is one of the more pointless characters to be introduced; not enough Kreacher involvement in the plot; not enough Snape (The Goblet of Fire suffers a bit from this too); the Harry-Cho Chang scenes.

Best Scene:

4. The Philosopher's Stone 

The franchise's baby steps into cinematic territory was always going to be beset by tricky hurdles, and Christopher Colombus' efforts must be praised even if his directorial approach is a bit bog-standard. In retrospect, the film is all the more impressive in regards to casting. I've discussed my reservations with the younger cast members before but in view of the whole series, they work well enough, and I think in this first installment, awkward line readings and some weird expressions a la Grint aside, they have a nice little chemistry that works well. Also how perfectly cast were Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, and Richard Harris as the crucial bedrocks to the series? The film also has an air of constant enthusiasm and youthful energy that works extremely well for this first entrance into the wizarding world, everything feels particularly fresh here. Having said that the film is perhaps a bit slight in contrast to the others, and one never really feels a palatable sense of threat through it. It's a thoroughly enjoyable film though, adapting pretty much everything from the novels, the Quidditch match is a particular joy to behold here in all its glory, and if the final act is much like the book itself, not quite as good as the first two, it doesn't matter all that much.

Pros: A true sense of mystery and adventure missing in some of the other installments; Quidditch; Excellent universe set-up; Relaxing, non-rushed pace

Cons: Slight (like the book); Final act veers into slightly cheesy territory (the chess match could've been handled a bit better, same for Quirrell's reveal); Direction is perhaps a bit workman-like.

Best Scene:

3. The Deathly Hallows Part II 

I think watching The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies has made me appreciate this film all the more. Both films centre upon a climactic battle on pretty much 70% of the film, but where Battle of the Five Armies faltered in finding any sort of focus or investment in the final battle, here we have a fairly compact, well-executed series of combats and conflicts, and well-directed action set-pieces within Hogwarts grounds. There are several highlights like Professor McGonagall v.s. Snape, McGonagall rousing the statues, Seamus Finnegans' explosives, obtaining the Baslisk's teeth, and the Room of Requirement being particularly exciting, and Molly Weasley v.s. Bellatrix Lestrange particularly satisfying besides the stupid CGI that involves the latter exploding into black specks (we get it, she's evil and she died).

Of course there's always going to be problems with a film of this nature, several very important deaths occur offscreen (I'm still pissed we were denied the scene of Fred's death, and Percy's reaction to it) or don't have the impact they should (again, a moment's silence for the wasting of Tonks and Lupin as characters overall). These flaws however, are more than rectified by the excellence of several key moments. Neville's defiant speech to Voldemort and the killing of Nagini is a brilliantly done moment which acts as a great statement on the development of Neville overall as a character, the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort, though more understated and effective in the books, is nevertheless very watchable here too. Then of course there's the ending to Snape's storyline. J.K. Rowling told Alan Rickman from the very start which direction where his character was going and the payoff is brilliantly done. Overall it acts as a fitting conclusion to a series that was always far from perfect, but had some great highlights amidst the general competence.

Pros: Fitting conclusion to the series; Neville's big speech; 'Always'; Excellent direction of setpieces from the dragon to the duels.

Cons: Too many onscreen deaths of important characters; Battle does feel a bit stretched out

Best Scene (s):

2. The Prisoner of Azkaban 

Probably the most distinctive in the series, as it marks itself apart from the other installments by its very individualistic directorial flair by none other than Alfonso Cuarón, he of Children of Men, Gravity and Y Tu Mamá También (that last one had parents particularly worried, I'd think) fame. Cuarón takes on a much darker approach to the material overall than Columbus, His rather daring choices in many regards, from the merging of the magical and muggle world styles in the opening scenes, to the depiction of scenes involving the Marauder's Map (Harry sneaking into Hogsmeade is a particularly enjoyable sequence), and of course the Dementors who are every bit as creepy as the books promised, all create a much tenser, stylized atmosphere that matches the darker content of the book well. The elements of horror, from the aforementioned Dementors to the werewolf subplot, are done very well, as is the portrayal of Sirius Black as a murderer slowly gaining on Harry, all till the scene where he actually comes face to face with Harry where odd writing choices means Gary Oldman has to veer from unhinged psychopathy to kindly uncle in a matter of seconds, with no obvious reason why - one of the few obvious flaws of the film. The highlight, of course, is the Time-Turner scene which brings the sequence in the book marvellously to life, and I'd argue also Buckbeak, who is probably one of the top 5 most impressive CGI creations of the series.

Pros: Darker atmosphere tinged with delightful black comedy; Remus Lupin and David Thewlis' performance; Buckbeak; the Time-Turner scene

Cons: Strange decision to turn Sirius into a momentarily full-blown psychopath instead of the angry but still intelligent and thoughtful presence he immediately appeared to be in the books; Radcliffe's acting in the scene where he finds out who betrayed his parents lets the power of the scene down a bit; really I'm nitpicking here, it's a well-made film all in all, the only reservations I really have were probably due to the nature of not being able to fit everything in seamlessly via adaptation.

Best Scene (s):

(excellent series of film comparisons by this channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0jjpME5FCBw4kaH0mPTKag)

1. The Half-Blood Prince 

Odd choice for the favourite, I know, but I'll stick with it for now. The book I remember when first reading it (I was SO excited for it) was surprisingly dark and harrowing, even more so than the already dark and brooding Order of the Phoenix. You get a colder, more incisive and less lovable Dumbledore, you get a Malfoy who's no longer just some harmless idiotic prat but a young man with some serious issues disturbing his psyche, you get strained romantic relationships between characters and affections causing conflicts, you get probably the first genuine Gryffindor asshole in the form of Cormac McLaggen. David Yates, whose directorial work on the films I've generally been a bit mixed about, though more veering to positive than negative, does a great job in capturing the bleak tone of the book, encapsulated by the opening scenes of a flashback to The Order of the Phoenix, an attack by Death Eaters on London, the Unbreakable Vow, and Harry and Dumbledore's little trip to see Horace Slughorn, in such an efficient fashion while cutting out some of the slower bits of the novel Yates brings us into a decidedly more adult world with the tone of his approach.

The film could be said to be a bit of a 'cat-and-mouse' thriller with the main crux being a parallel plot of Harry trying to find out what Malfoy's scheming up to, and Dumbledore and him making repeated trips into the Penseive to uncover secrets about Voldemort. The film  merges the two together well, alongside all the other 'young adult', lovey-dovey stuff and nothing ever really distracts from the other, though I will say, the whole Harry-Ginny romance is seriously underdeveloped (though that's the fault of all the films really).  Harry and Dumbeldore's trips down memory lane to examine how Tom Riddle became Voldemort are particularly effective, as well as their climactic trip to obtain a Horcrux and are forced to confront Inferi, which is extremely harrowing. Gambon's rough and rugged approach to Dumbledore works extremely well here and the dynamic he and Radcliffe share in this one actually makes the ending resonate all the more. It's not all about the serious dark stuff, though the ending in this case is particularly downbeat, as there's fun to be had in the character of Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent, who also gets a deeply moving scene where Harry confronts him about past demons), the Potions lessons, and sweet if brief sights of the more lighthearted, fun side of Hogwarts fun and games. Overall this is one of the more atmospheric, less action-packed installments in the series, but it is my personal favourite because it's just really well-made.

Pros: Snape's subtly handled arc (extremely well done by Rickman, and makes the quiet ending actually work very well); Gambon's approach to Dumbledore; the Inferi scene; the cinematography (especially in the Death Eaters attack scenes) is extremely well done; the build-up of Voldemort as a villain

Cons: Lack of chemistry between Harry and Ginny; relatively understated, less action-packed atmosphere (I personally loved it, but I can see how many may dislike it); scenes of torture/suffering which makes this one of the least suitable of the Potter films for family viewing.

Best Scene (I'll choose a few here):

This scene is fantastic. It's weird how it takes Gambon till the final film to finally nail the whimsical side of Dumbledore, and how he almost uses it as a front to try and coerce Draco away from doing a deed that will doom him forever. Gambon, Felton and Rickman are FANTASTIC in this scene. 

Ranking of the Harry Potter novels (should note I really like to love them all):

1. The Goblet of Fire
2. Order of the Phoenix
3. The Prisoner of Azkaban
4. The Chamber of Secrets
5. The Half-Blood Prince
6. The Deathly Hallows
7. The Philosopher's Stone