Best Harry Potter film in the franchise

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Ranking the films for the Harry Potter franchise which movie out of the 7 films do you think is the best and why?

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)
 
I voted for Half Blood Prince (2009) and why? Because this is where the series went really dark with not only delving into Lord Voldemort's past but also the fact that there was Dumbledore's death which at the time for me was really emotional especially given how he died falling off the Astronomy Tower after Snape hit him with the Killing Curse

Then there was Snape revealing to Harry that he was the Half Blood Prince

And then Ron & Hermione's back and forth with each other once Ron and Lavender started dating but also seeing Hermione getting all jealous
 
Everyone is going to vote for prisoner of Azkaban

Goblet of fire is really enjoyable
 
Goblet of Fire because that was the first real death in the Harry Potter universe as far as innocent people who had to die that being Cedric Diggory because his death was really emotional but also because of the fact that Lord Voldemort his return was pretty much imminent regardless
 
I voted for The Deathly Hallows (part II is my favorite of them) Now I'm going to be that person.

I think Prisoner of Azkaban is severely overrated and I think Cuaron gets way too much credit for "taking the series to a darker place" when it was always going to do that. Yes, it's cloudier, the Hogwarts outfits are black instead of grey, that looks nice but I it was pretty clear that Cuaron had zero understanding of the Harry Potter universe. He played favorites with the characters even more than Steve Kloves did. He also got terrible performances out of an alarming amount of his actors.

I'm baffled that this is considered the best HP movie. Especially from book fans, this one was butchered just as much as GoF or HBP. Why exactly are we giving this a pass? Because it came right after Columbus?
 
Been awhile since I'v seen them but I remember liking Azkaban and Halfblood Prince the most, never read the books.
 
I love all HP movies almost equally, but prefer later movies starting with the Order. Bellatrix, Umbridge, death and darkness.
 
Prisoner of Azkaban for the simple fact that it's the only movie that successfully married both the lighter and fun wonderment tones of the first 2 films with the darker tones and themes of the later movies. The cinematography and filter were excellent, John Williams killed it with such an amazing score (Buckbeak's flight is a standout) and contrary to what someone said earlier, the acting was fine and it was here the 3 main leads really stepped up their game.

I'm a huge fan of all 8 movies but the first 3 are my favourites simply because there's a timeless wonderment to all the magic that's on display and being experienced. I personally feel a lot of the magic and spells got lazy and lacklustre as the films went on and as enjoyable s the films are, the fun factor really diminished but I suppose that's appropriate given the events that were transpiring. On a side note, McGonagal (sp?) was wasted post Chamber of Secrets.

My ranking:

PoA
CoS
SS
GoF
OoTp
HbP
Dh2
Dh1
 
Azkaban and both DH are tied for me. As I've gotten older, I enjoy the stylistic touches in Azkaban whereas I didn;t like it much when I was younger.
 
I think Prisoner of Azkaban is easily the best. It's also the only one without an appearance by Voldemort. I'd say Sorcerer's Stone is 2nd for me because it was the one that opened up the entire world. I liked them all, but Chamber of Secrets is the one I like least.
 
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As someone who's not read the books, I like the first four movies better. They're cheesy, fun, colorful and are full of likable characters. If I had to pick my favorite it'd probably be Goblet of Fire though, because dragons, but objectively speaking Azkaban is probably the best.

The Yates-directed ones, on the other hand... *insert raspberry noise here* Can't stand them. They're confusing, they look awful and wtf is the seventh movie even about?
 
Azkaban is easily the best imo.

Prisoner of Azkaban
Order of the Phoenix
Deathly Hallows Part 1
Sorcerer's Stone
Chamber of Secrets
Goblet of Fire
Deathly Hallows Part 2
Half-Blood Prince
 
Just completed the full set of films for first time watch, never saw them at the cinema or had read the books. Had seen 1-3 in quite quick succession a few years back then watched 4 through to 7 these past few evenings. Having no reference from the books but knowing a fair bit of the structure & history due to knowledge of the 'world & universe' as such, the balance of 'cuteness & darkness' felt very well done, if, though Rowling has nabbed from Tolkien, C.S. Lewis & Pullman and put into a blender, but heh, it's children's literature, it's what happens.

I think on reflection, my order of favourite would be...

Goblet of Fire
Half-Blood Prince
Prisoner of Azkaban
Order of the Phoenix
DH Part 2
DH Part 1
Chamber of Secrets
Sorcerer's Stone
 
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Azkaban is easily the best imo.

Prisoner of Azkaban
Order of the Phoenix
Deathly Hallows Part 1
Sorcerer's Stone
Chamber of Secrets
Goblet of Fire
Deathly Hallows Part 2
Half-Blood Prince
Azkaban is also easily my favourite with Phoenix no.2. I love the magic battle at the end of Phoenix.
 
I think Prisoner of Azkaban is easily the best. It's also the only one without an appearance by Voldemort. I'd say Sorcerer's Stone is 2nd for me because it was the one that opened up the entire world. I liked them all, but Chamber of Secrets is the one I like least.
Azkaban is definitely my favourite but Sorceror's Stone is my least favourite.
 
For me it’s either Prisoner or Goblet.
 
Whilst it has problems as an adaptation, PoA is the best film IMO and is probably my favourite. I think it has the best aesthetic..

GoF is alright but it feels rushed and that Dumbledore shouting scene spoils it.

The Yates films are probably better in terms of adapting/writing and performances but IMO there is no energy or fun.. Yes the books get "darker" but that's no reason to suck the colour (literally) out of the films.. It's a look he continued in Fantastic Beasts and it's just so bland and boring.

I feel like, purely aesthetically speaking, Cuaron/PoA is the best of both worlds between Collumbus and Yates and PoA is all the better for it.
 
I think the first two are clearly the worst. They are really lacking the whimsy and magic that drives the series. The cinematography and art direction makes it look like a theme park version of the books. Also, the "Monster of the Week" style storytelling wasn't as interesting, although that was an issue with the first two books as well. They just seem less important. If I rewatch the series these days, I often just skip the first two completely.

The others are all comparable in quality, but I'll draw special attention to the next three.

Prisoner of Azkaban is the one the re-invented the series and I really appreciate Cuaron for that. After the bland first two films, this one was a massive improvement in terms of aesthetic and the one that the following films copied. It isn't my favorite because I think Radcliffe didn't give his best performance here and I was never a big fan of the time travel stuff, but this is many ways is where Harry Potter became Harry Potter. It reminds me a lot of Dr. No in the James Bond series where it established the foundation, but was improved upon later.

Goblet of Fire is my personal favorite. That's the one which sets up the rest of the series with Voldemort's return and the first major defeat for the good guys. The tournament is a lot of fun and Moody is maybe my favorite teacher (besides Snape) in the series. It is also the one where I feel the leads start really transitioning from kids to teenagers and then adults. There is a real sense of growth and that the times are changing in this film. A lot of this is true in the book as well, and it is my personal favorite of the books too, so this film does have a big advantage in that regard.

Order of the Phoenix is interesting because unlike GoF which was my favorite of the books, this one was one of my least favorites. It was overly long and mostly felt like filler with Voldemort having a minor role after his big return in the previous book. It really felt un-needed and that the series could have easily transitioned from GoF directly to HBP. That said, I rather like the film adaptation which cut a lot of the fat from the bloated novel and did a great job bringing Umbridge to life as the major antagonist for most of the film. It isn't quite my favorite of the films, but it is one of the better ones and the one that I think was easily the biggest improvement from the book.
 
I think the first two are clearly the worst. They are really lacking the whimsy and magic that drives the series. The cinematography and art direction makes it look like a theme park version of the books. Also, the "Monster of the Week" style storytelling wasn't as interesting, although that was an issue with the first two books as well. They just seem less important. If I rewatch the series these days, I often just skip the first two completely.

The others are all comparable in quality, but I'll draw special attention to the next three.

Prisoner of Azkaban is the one the re-invented the series and I really appreciate Cuaron for that. After the bland first two films, this one was a massive improvement in terms of aesthetic and the one that the following films copied. It isn't my favorite because I think Radcliffe didn't give his best performance here and I was never a big fan of the time travel stuff, but this is many ways is where Harry Potter became Harry Potter. It reminds me a lot of Dr. No in the James Bond series where it established the foundation, but was improved upon later.

Goblet of Fire is my personal favorite. That's the one which sets up the rest of the series with Voldemort's return and the first major defeat for the good guys. The tournament is a lot of fun and Moody is maybe my favorite teacher (besides Snape) in the series. It is also the one where I feel the leads start really transitioning from kids to teenagers and then adults. There is a real sense of growth and that the times are changing in this film. A lot of this is true in the book as well, and it is my personal favorite of the books too, so this film does have a big advantage in that regard.

Order of the Phoenix is interesting because unlike GoF which was my favorite of the books, this one was one of my least favorites. It was overly long and mostly felt like filler with Voldemort having a minor role after his big return in the previous book. It really felt un-needed and that the series could have easily transitioned from GoF directly to HBP. That said, I rather like the film adaptation which cut a lot of the fat from the bloated novel and did a great job bringing Umbridge to life as the major antagonist for most of the film. It isn't quite my favorite of the films, but it is one of the better ones and the one that I think was easily the biggest improvement from the book.
I find it interesting you say this. I rather love both, and find the first especially important to the overall story. A very good origin. I personally find the first two films the be the most obviously whimsical and magical. They have a 80s Speilberg quality to them, combined with the more classic children story magical presentation. One aspect I really like about the first two movies is how massive the castle feels, without feeling empty. It's warm and inviting, while still being dark and threatening. The later films just kind of lose that. The castle doesn't feel alive in the same way, and the magic itself is kind of reduced to an after thought. Just flick your wrist and light will come out of your wand. Actually it is kind of interesting, as the latter films post Goblet kind of feel more high tech, with varying filters, then necessarily overtly magical.

Perhaps most important however, is Williams score. It establish the sound of the series, and did so in the most whimsical and magical way possible imo.
 
Azkaban is also easily my favourite with Phoenix no.2. I love the magic battle at the end of Phoenix.
The Department of Mysteries, even while super reduced, is still a fantastic final act. Dumbledore vs. Voldemort is what Yoda vs. Palpatine should have been.
 
The Department of Mysteries, even while super reduced, is still a fantastic final act. Dumbledore vs. Voldemort is what Yoda vs. Palpatine should have been.
Good point. You need something epic like that when the grandmasters and arch-villains engage.
 
Azkaban all day, every day.

They're all fairly well made but Azkaban has the best story and the best director.
 
Just completed the full set of films for first time watch, never saw them at the cinema or had read the books. Had seen 1-3 in quite quick succession a few years back then watched 4 through to 7 these past few evenings. Having no reference from the books but knowing a fair bit of the structure & history due to knowledge of the 'world & universe' as such, the balance of 'cuteness & darkness' felt very well done, if, though Rowling has nabbed from Tolkien, C.S. Lewis & Pullman and put into a blender, but heh, it's children's literature, it's what happens.

I think on reflection, my order of favourite would be...

Goblet of Fire
Half-Blood Prince
Prisoner of Azkaban
Order of the Phoenix
DH Part 2
DH Part 1
Chamber of Secrets
Sorcerer's Stone
I haven't seen them all but of the ones I have Goblet of Fire was my favourite, but I do agree with @DarthSkywalker regarding the charm of the first 2 films.
 
Best to worst:
Prisoner of Azkaban by far, probably the simplest story but probably because of that the most emotionally intense and involving.
Order of the Phoenix
Deathly Hallows Part 2
Chamber of Secrets
Sorcerer's Stone
/Half-Blood Prince
Goblet of Fire
Deathly Hallows Part 1
 
I am in the minority I think. Half Blood Prince is my favorite. Though upon rewatches, I'd likely go PoA and GoF as my next 2.
 

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