1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The Philosopher’s / Sorcerer’s Stone is the movie where it all started from. The actors weren’t much mature at the time and the movie had not been produced quite well. However, one cannot ignore the first pangs of longing when Hagrid was seen taking the children for their Sorting Ceremony in Hogwarts castle. This is the classic movie that made their names into the cult of being one of the best of their time. It took time for the actors to get used to each other. It started fueling our fantasy of receiving our own Hogwarts letter and daydreaming about being wizards. The movie holds the magical powers to create our memories!
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Chamber of Secrets is said to not have done quite well because of several reasons. It was the second movie in the franchise and could have done a better job of holding itself. Some readers complained about the story being quite weak as well. The Chamber of Secrets did not fare well in the minds of the readers and the eyes of the viewers (movie-watchers) alike!
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This is the best Harry Potter movie, chosen by 90% of the viewers. Devoid of the shadow of Lord Voldemort, Harry finally got an opportunity to live his life like a normal teenager. His best friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley were however worried about the criminal at loose, Sirius Black. Sirius Black was the one who killed Harry’s parents. We get to see the much-loved Remus Lupin for the first time in this movie.
Spoiler alert! Sirius Black turned out not to be the killer and instead, the only living relative of Harry in the wizarding world. We also get to learn about Peter Pettigrew. The presence of Four Marauders became very much plausible in this movie.
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
This is one of the best movies made in the Harry Potter series. The initial sense of awkwardness that grew between the teenagers when they had to ask someone to a dance, the joyful laughter at the international tournament, the rivalry between the two groups, and the devastating death at the end of the Triwizard Tournament! Could it get any better?
The stakes of this movie were quite high and the audience is requested to take anything that happens “very calmly” as suggested by Prof. Dumbledore himself!
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This was probably the very first time J. K. Rowling thought of siding away from the student life aspect and focusing on the entire state of education and state politics in the wizarding world. We get to see the most hated character of the entire franchise, Dolores Umbridge.
Harry loses his chance of a real family with Sirius. Sirius moves behind the veils and we see his cousin Bellatrix take over the evil side. Bella is played by Helena Bonham Carter and as usual, she did a splendid job. The wizarding world was under siege by a fascist state and this was made very apparent in the movie.
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This movie lowered in ranks as it was the most heart-breaking movie in the entire series. Can you imagine Dumbledore being killed? No one could get this straight while watching the movie. The film started with the soft charm of parties and the favorite students of Professor Slughorn. Draco suffers from severe pressure of expectations and Prof. Snape is asked to do the impossible. In the end, it’s the 1 single line that gets us – “Dumbledore is Dead”
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
The first part of the Deathly Hallows turned out to be more interesting than the second part. No one imagined that the Golden Trio could be broken and Hermione would have any kind of interest in Harry. Even as the hunt for Lord Voldemort began to unravel, the teenagers got lost in the decision of sticking together or not. The amount of turmoil shown in the movie and the gradual reconciliation is something you can enjoy on screen.
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Deathly Hallows Part 1 may have been produced better but the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is said to be executed in better terms. The details of the movie turned out to be too much for anyone to take in.
Spoiler Alert! The later part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
include deaths that are to break hearts into millions of pieces. Dobby, Fred, Colin, Remus, Tonks, and several others join the list.
We learn the shocking news about Prof. Severus Snape and develop mixed feelings towards him. The entire movie is very wholesome and brings a proper closure to the series. After all, who would have thought that the Golden Trio would send off their children to Hogwarts at the same time?
Spoiler alert! Again. Lord Voldemort indeed dies in this movie and is defeated through the power of love, as predicted by Prof. Dumbledore.
Where to watch Harry Potter movies?
HBOMax is the best place to watch Harry Potter movies. You do have to get a subscription. If you are not ready to spend money, you can also try some of the torrent sites like YTS that will get you the HD versions of the movies. The movies are also available in some of the localized Amazon Prime versions.
Warner Bros has done a great job of making these movies popular over time. The spin-off series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them have been great as well.
Make it a point to binge-watch all these movies as they are bound to steal your heart!
