Now that Harry Potter is over, I’ve made a little list of the films from my least-favorite to most favorite (as of now…it tends to change), listing some of the pros and cons of each. I wrote this just for fun, and I’d like to hear your thoughts as well. This is just my humble opinion, and I’m sure it will be different from yours, but no rude comments please :)



#8. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2004) Mike Newell
The fourth Harry Potter movie, whilst not being exactly the longest, feels like it’s the longest. The special effects are great, but in my point of view they hardly make up for what I felt as the loss of ‘magic’ the previous films had, and that the following ones would fortunately get back.
Pros:     
-The tasks are sort of exciting to watch. Harry's round with the Hungarian Horntail is pretty amazing. The second task in the Black Lake is almost as good as it is in the book, the lake was impressive.
-Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort = genius. He’s as scary as Voldemort should be.
Cons:
-Dumbledore. It seems to me as if Michael Gambon completely ignored the endearing, all-knowing, serene nature our headmaster’s loved for, going for a more erratic, commanding Dumbledore. Yet this is something I only saw in this movie, I liked him in the other ones.
-I don’t know, but there’s something else about this film that bothers me. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s why this movie’s number eight on my list.



#7. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009) David Yates
I had real high expectations for this movie, and in the end it disappointed me a bit. Though it was visually-stunning, so many things were left out.
Pros:
-The film has a good opening, with the Death Eaters attacking London. It gives a dangerous feel to the movie; something I feel was lost along the way.
-Nice score.
-Tom Felton. He’s the only reason why this movie isn’t last place.
-Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop was incredible.
Cons:
-No. Battle. of. The. Astronomy. Tower.
-The title of this movie is “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. I’m sorry, what??
There was like, no Snape in the movie! Ohhh, maybe there was no room for Snape because there were a lot of details about Voldemort’s past in the movie. Ha, NOT EVEN! I feel like this movie was more about the Hermione-Ron-Lavender love-triangle than about anything else. I absolutely love Ron, and Romione, but perhaps “Harry Potter and the Hunky Weasley King” would’ve been more like it.



#6. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: 1 (2010) David Yates
Part 1 of the much anticipated finale is a beautiful film, loyal to the books; still, I love some of the other ones more, hence it not being so high on my list.
Pros:
-The Tale of the Three Brothers animated sequence is just striking and breath-taking. I had never seen that kind of animation before in any other movie, and I loved it. Plus, Emma’s narration makes it even more perfect, if that’s possible. It’s wonderful to both watch and listen.
-The moviemakers not only manage to capture the gloomy mood this first half is characterized by, but at the same time they add some light humor to the film when it needs it.
-Ministry scene is very amusing; the actors portraying the trio were excellent.
-Emma Watson’s acting was superb.
-Final scene and music are so epic. Talk about a splendid cliff-hanger.

Cons:
-Misses out on a few interesting details, for example Harry and Dudley’s good-bye, Tonks' pregnancy, Wormtail’s death.



#5. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007) David Yates
Fifth film, number five on my list. So many things were left out in this one, but did you guys see the size of that book? Yeah. I’m more than happy with this movie. For that reason I think, the movie is much underrated. Or maybe it’s the nargles.
Pros:
-Evanna Lynch. Luna is just how I pictured her in the books. And with her being one of my favorite characters, I was ecstatic with her portrayal.
-The scenes in the Room of Requirement were really great. I especially like the one where Harry is teaching the Patronus Charm.
-Amazing effects on Fred and George’s flight from Hogwarts. My little brother always begs me to replay that scene whenever we’re watching.
-Helena-Bonham Carter. Nuff’ said.

Cons:
-No quidditch in this one, sadly. But considering everything else that had to be put in the movie, I forgive you David Yates.
-I feel a slight pacing problem in this movie; I thought it was a bit rushed.



#4. HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002) Chris Columbus
The last film Columbus contributes to the series makes it to my favorite half of the movies. I guess I have a real soft spot for the earlier ones. Even though this movie scared the crap out of me whenever I watched it as a little kid, call me crazy but, there’s something that I find very endearing about it.
Pros:
-Perfect. Weasley. Casting. The scenes at the burrow are so cute.
-Jason Isaacs. Ahhh, I love this man. He IS Lucius Malfoy.
-Kenneth Branagh. Okay, maybe he wasn’t as handsome as Lockhart is portrayed in the books, but he was charming and very amusing. I think he was excellent.
-After going to a Harry Potter marathon at the cinema along with a group of other Harry Potter nerds as myself *sits up straight in a proud manner* and watching all movies back-to-back, I noticed that out of all, this movie got the most laughs. It is a really humorous movie. I mainly hold the Weasleys and Lockhart responsible for this.
Cons:
This movie is so super-mega-frightening. Now I don’t consider this a con, but my ten-year-old self definitely did.



#3. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (2011) David Yates
The most bittersweet movie of all, the ‘epic conclusion’ of the series just had to make the top three. Maybe two weeks ago this was my number one, but after watching it several times and going to therapy more than once, I think I am ready to compare this movie to the others without being biased by the hype it has recently been creating in my head .
Pros:
-Alan Rickman. Snape’s memories. I’m not even going to rant about this one. I think you all know what I’m talking about here.
-McGonagall, Seamus, and their genius lines. I wasn’t expecting them to be the ones to steal most of the laughs. Not that I need to say this, but, Maggie Smith was epic.
-Since this was the last movie, we were all hoping that it remained loyal to the book. And it did. Sure some big things were missing, but overall it was a great, great screenplay. Many props to Steve Kloves! I can’t imagine having to take 350 pages and turn them into a two-hour screenplay with millions of mad, obsessive muggles ready to avada-kedavra your head off if you don’t do a good job.
-Alexandre Desplat. His music is incredible. It adds so much emotion to the movie. It surely made me shed a tear here and there the first time I watched the movie.
And speaking of music, incorporating the very-much familiar melodies of the first movie to the final 19 years later scene was so cruel. Cruel because they got me even more sentimental than I already was watching the scene.

Cons:
- A very vital part of this movie was the special effects. And they were amazing, of course. But on certain parts it seems to me as if the director got a little too carried away with them. Some parts sort of bothered me, for example making Bellatrix explode into pieces and having Voldemort disintegrate into thin air. On Nagini I think it was cool, but I kind of wanted to see Voldemort just laying there dead for everyone to see. Also, the fiery Voldy head things in the Room of Requirement totally freaked me out. But not in a good way.
-Fred’s death felt disappointing. In the books it was just such a huge, heart-breaking moment, and in the movie, you couldn’t even tell which twin had died; it felt like it didn’t do Fred justice. However, that little Fred/George moment before the battle made up for it a bit.



#2. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001) Chris Columbus
From its enchanting music to its brilliant cast, this movie is truly, truly magical. The memory of my six-year-old self watching this for the first time is still fresh on my mind. I still find myself in a state of utter fascination whenever I go back to this film, just like I did ten years ago.
Pros:
-All-around prefect cast. Dan, Rupert, and Emma proved to us from the very beginning that they were more than deserving to play our beloved trio with their amazing talent. From Alan Rickman to Tom Felton, Fiona Shaw to Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris to Maggie Smith, I can really say that the casting, from the smaller roles to the bigger ones, could not have been any better.
-Special Effects. Undoubtedly fantastic, but believable. Same goes to most of the other movies as well.
-Music. John William’s compositions are truly bewitching. It’s those songs that will dwell in our hearts forever, those songs that we will always recognize no matter where we go.
- I really love how this movie successfully captures that magical essence and spirit of the books and gives a loyal and accurate representation of J.K’s story in two hours, those two hours having not one dull minute in them.

Cons:
-No Peeves.
-I'm sad link scene didn't make it through the final cut. I find it really adorable and think it would've added a nice touch to the movie.



#1. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004) Alfonso Cuarón
Third of the franchise, Prisoner of Azkaban ranks number one on my list. This movie is a master piece. It’s impossible for me to tell you how much I love this movie. I mean, siriusly…I can’t even…
Pros:
-Alfonso Cuarón. This man’s vision is incredible. After the two great movies directed by Chris, this new director came in and proved equal, if not better, to the task. His laid-back, imaginative style fits the Harry Potter films perfectly, in my opinion.
-For me, out of all the movies, this one is the most visually beautiful. The time transition scenes with the Whomping Willow are lovely, all of Hogsmeade is stunning, the symbolism Cuarón incorporates into the screen is fascinating…heck, even the dementors are looking good.
- It doesn’t matter from what angle I look at it, this film is very refreshing, for a lack of a better word. Like it has a different, funky vibe about it that the others don’t. A new director meant a new approach; the new music fit the darker atmosphere of this movie perfectly, and new faces such as Gary Oldman, David Thewlis and Timothy Spall felt like icing on the cake.
- The maturity of the three leading actors was reflected in their amazing acting skills. Dan really stood out for me here, as we really got him to portray Harry’s sense of longing that he has in the books, something I really had not caught in the previous movies.

Cons:
- No more Richard Harris as Dumbledore. His loss was upsetting, as I think he was the ideal Dumbledore. However I really didn’t have a problem with Michael in this movie.
-Not much background on the Marauders.






Sources: IMDB.