A Definitive Ranking Of The "Harry Potter" Films From Obliviate Me To Please Let Me Into Hogwarts

Which film deserves to win the Hogwarts House Cup?

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If you're a Harry Potter fan, I'm sure you're more than aware that the cast recently reunited for a 20th anniversary special, which naturally, was truly magical.

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It also marked the 20th anniversary of the dream of getting that Hogwart’s acceptance letter – I can’t believe I’m still waiting.

In my opinion, it’s normally easy to choose the best film in a series, but that's not the case when it comes to Harry Potter.

Some of us prefer the nostalgia of earlier films and their loyalty to the books, while others like the grittier, darker tones of the later ones.

So, I decided to rank all eight films and see where they stand.

8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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Characters

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We were introduced to quite a few new characters in the second instalment – Gilderoy Lockhart, Tom Riddle, and Moaning Myrtle, to name a few. All of them are very well cast, especially Kenneth Branagh as insufferable Lockhart. And let's not forget Dobby, who, in hindsight, is actually pretty unlikable. 

8/10

Visuals

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The special effects aren't the most realistic looking (ahem, flying car). The actual set of the Chamber of Secrets looks amazing but in general, the CGI is pretty bad.

6/10

Tone

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The tone is considerably darker than the first film but still retains its innocence. Even if you hadn't read the books, you could definitely feel that Harry’s life was just going to get worse from here.

9/10

Fun

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The beginning of the film is pretty fun, with Dobby ‘Thanos’ clicking and causing mayhem. It has that entertaining early Hogwarts feel, and before things got really dark there were loads of great moments – who can forget Mrs Weasley's Howler?! It didn't take long for things to get pretty miserable though.

7/10

Best moment

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Between Ron's snapped wand and Lockhart's memory loss, there are loads of moments that I could mention here. But who can forget when Lucius Malfoy went rogue and attempted to casually use the KILLING curse in the middle of Hogwarts?! Wild. 

Total points: 30/40

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

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Characters

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We mainly stick with the core three here, examining the dynamic between the trio in a way we'd never really seen before. To me, the Malfoys were the most interesting part of the Deathly Hallows – we all felt their conflict of loyalty whenever Voldemort was hanging around, ruining their days out. The character development between Harry and co is very good though.

I'm gonna be honest: I really don’t like this one. Deathly Hallows Part I just has too much setup, so it gets tedious. I'm not a fan of the whole 'part one and two' thing that they do now, but I get it.

 7/10   

Visuals

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It definitely looked amazing on the big screen and the CGI is often flawless. How stunning does the Peverell Brother’s animation look?!

9/10

Tone

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It's one of the darker movies in the series and it was even genuinely scary in parts – the Bathilda-Nagini scene is absolutely terrifying. But I can’t be the only one who got bored of the arguing between the three?!

8/10

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Fun

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What fun? Let's be honest, this film was Dementor-kiss dark. There are a few light moments – the seven Harrys are my personal favourite though.

7/10

Best part

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The dance scene between Harry and Hermione was surprisingly touching, especially with that Nick Cave song playing, and the ending was pretty emotional. 

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Total points: 31/40

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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Characters

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We all felt Draco’s pain in the Half-Blood Prince – even now, I can’t help but feel for him. We were introduced to the quirky and slightly weird Slughorn, but I'm sorry, Ginny felt like a one-dimensional character. This one gave us the most Dumbledore, and everyone loves a bit of Snape backstory, so all in all, pretty good.

8/10

Visuals

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This is the only Potter film to get an Oscar nomination for cinematography, and it's clear to see one – it looks brilliant. It’s one of the most realistic-looking instalments, it's also the last one we properly spend in Hogwarts.

10/10

Tone

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The tone was *almost* perfect, as it balanced the light-hearted relationships with the darker search for the Horcruxes. I do think that far too many great details and plot points from the book were cut out though (see: Ginny Weasley).

8/10

Fun

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Fred and George’s joke shop, romance, and a dash of Felix Felicis are all part of what makes this movie so memory. Unfortunately, Hogwarts often felt like any other regular muggle school at times – relatable, but not the magical vibe we want.

7/10

Best part

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Seeing the Dumbelore death scene on the big screen was amazing and so emotional, even though it wasn't completely faithful to the book. The truth is, apart from the ending, not all that much actually happens. Also, who can forget when Harry made Dumbledore drink like it was his birthday? What a scene.

Total: 33/40

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Characters

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This film gets so much right. We get to see the other wizarding schools, Dragons, and the proper return of Lord Voldemort. Cedric Diggory was introduced, we all got attached, and then he was swiftly taken from us – truly one of the saddest moments in the entire series. Ralph Fiennes stole the show with his inaugural Voldemort performance though, closely followed by ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody.

10/10

Visuals

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Confession: I’ve always thought the Merpeople looked awful. The maze scene was exceptionally well shot though, so I'm willing to look past the aesthetic shortcomings of the other challenges. You have to agree that the duel between Harry and Voldemort in that scene looked incredible.

9/10

Tone

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Romance is the theme of Goblet of Fire, and it’s a very coming-of-age film. To be honest, it was all fun and games until Cedric died, then it just became considerably darker – the gang went from arguing about Yule Ball dates to mourning in less than a term.

8/10

Fun

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The Goblet of Fire has dragons, dances, and way more action than some of the previously mentioned ones. Some of the dialogue detracts from the enjoyment of the film, and loads of our usual faves had some very bad moods (hello, Ron and Dumbledore). But still, it’s a solid entry.

8/10

Total: 35/40

Best part

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Harry dribbling water at Cho – relatable. Most WTF moment? 100% Dumbledore screaming at Harry for something he didn’t do. I miss the nice Dumbledore.  

4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

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Characters

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Richard Harris IS Dumbledore, he was truly brilliant. Every character was perfectly cast, from McGonagall to Snape – everyone seemed pretty faithful to the books. We also get to see Voldemort chilling on the back of Quirrell’s head, which was really something.

10/10

Visuals

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It doesn’t look great really, and there are a fair few scenes that are straight up painful – there's no defending that Quidditch match. I guess we do have to take the era it was made into consideration, but yeah, it’s not amazing.

7/10

Tone

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The Philospher's Stone perfectly captures that wonder and awe of seeing magic for the first time. Hogwarts is exciting and new, and it truly feels like we apparated into the wizarding world. Although you can feel the kids are still in the midst of getting used to acting.

9/10

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Fun

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I’ll be honest, nostalgia propels this film higher than it should actually be – it's a *nice* fun family film. It’s a classic, and nothing really matches the first hour of The Philosopher’s Stone. The ending is so warm too, you can’t help but think ‘‘this boy is going to have a lovely time at this school’’. 

10/10

Best Part

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The first time we see Diagon Alley and Hogwarts is incredible. The soundtrack also makes this film amazing. And there are also so many quotable lines.

Total points: 36/40

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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Characters

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We were introduced to Umbridge and Luna – two very different characters, both played to perfection. I feel like this is the best portrayal of Harry, and his relationship with Sirius also so develops well, with that fatherly bond showing through. Bellatrix stole the show for me though. She was wild.

9/10

Visuals

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If you ignore Grawp, The Order of the Phoenix has flawless effects. Even a Harry Potter hater couldn’t deny that the battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort looked unreal.

9/10

Tone

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Tonally, it's one of the best in the series because it isn’t as dark as the later three – I know the end is devastating but up until then we hadn’t really lost any character's whose stories we followed through the films. 

9/10

Fun

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The fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort is really something, and probably one of the best action scenes in the whole series, but the book did just have that little bit more. Harry training Dumbledore’s Army is also one of the coolest parts of this one. 

9/10

Best part

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The final fight between the Order and the Death Eaters – I just love it when Mad-Eye rolls up to the party. 

Total: 36/40

2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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Characters

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We got Lupin!! The character development is brilliant in this one, plus there was the introduction of so many amazing characters. We meet Sirius as well as Peter Pettigrew, and there were no signs of Voldemort. Sirius' redemption arc was iconic, but for Lupin alone, it has to be 10.

10/10

Visuals

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The CGI came a long way since the first two films – the Patronus charm looks pretty natural. Does anyone else think Lupin’s werewolf looks like a sad, hungry dog though?

8/10

Tone

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This film found such a perfect way to shift the tone to a darker, constantly tense one. The dementors definitely add the fear factor into Prisoner of Azkaban. I can’t be the only one that still finds the train scene stupidly scary.

10/10

Fun

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Prisoner of Azkaban still retains that early fun from the first two. Lupin's classes were the perfect example of how learning can be fun, and the time-turner gave the film a unique angle. That being said, I still think that Lupin shouldn’t have been teaching there. They hired a werewolf?! 

9/10

Best Part

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 Harry’s Titanic moment with Buckbeak. True love.  

Total: 37/40

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

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Characters

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Lots of people die, so it’s an emotional film, but we also got lots of amazing character development. Neville started chopping up snakes, Molly failed to mind her language and Snape made everyone do a 180. All in all, a very satisfying conclusion.

10/10

Visuals

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Part II had a wildly high amount of CGI, but that final battle scene is exceptionally well-shot. I don't know about you, but I felt like I was basically on the Hogwarts grounds in those last few moments.

10/10

Tone

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You could feel this film was different, as we were watching so many years of development finally end. It was really emotional and perfect for a franchise-ending film, which is especially notable as so many others get this element wrong.

10/10

Fun

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There are just so many memorable scenes in this film, there's non-stop action and we get so much payoff here. No matter who your favourite character in the series was, they had their special moment, and that battle was truly hypnotising.

10/10

Best part

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When Voldemort showed us that he was just misunderstood and gives Draco the warmest hug. And his weird laugh. Or Voldemort backhanding Harry. There was a lot going on here.

And of course when McGonagall used Piertotum Locomotor and everyone started casting shield charms. Chills.

Total points: 40/40

If it could, Deathly Hallows Part II would win the Hogwarts House Cup. 

Do you agree with my ranking? Before you let me know in the comments, it's time to have your say on which film you think takes the top spot!