normaloctagon: Harry Potter Movies Ranked

TheSpaceMan 01.05.22	quality drops every movie and around the 4th one its just like bad imo
Gyromania 01.05.22	Weird, I thought deathly hallows pt2 was noticeably weaker than most of the movies. Still some damn good moments, but certainly not better than azkaban and maybe not better than chamber of secrets. I think chamber is underrated both as a book and as a movie, with the former having probably the most intricate plot and mystery solving elements. Cool list though, def agreed that order was the weakest movie by far
JDubb 01.05.22	Would move 7 up to 5, but can stand behind this ranking
Rowan5215 01.05.22	Prisoner of Azkaban is the only legitimately good/rewatchable one. also the Half Blood Prince is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen in a cinema lmao, so so bad
Trebor. 01.05.22	chambers is worse than the first except for the flying car stuff Lockheart is so fucking lame and all the stuff with the chamber kinda sucks
JohnnyoftheWell 01.05.22	Cannot remember anything from the last two (three) films apart from the indeed good not great battle and the Nick Cave scene, but if we forget they exist, you have a perfect ranking well done Goblet and Phoenix are the best books tbh, shame they fluffed them up so badly
EoinCofa 01.05.22	Ginny Weasley stunk in the movies, but was good in the books.
Gyromania 01.05.22	It's weird how much they changed for goblet and order in the movies, agreed. Down to the smallest details. And just how much was omitted in general. Not sure why so many itt are shitting on hp, I always thought the books were fantastic and the movies were a good time. Of course there's a lot of nostalgia that plays into that, and after azkaban they certainly could have handled things better, but still
JohnnyoftheWell 01.05.22	yeah um Lockhart is just a funny sideplot vs. the first one's main villain was Quirrel?? lameness is out of alignment here
Gyromania 01.05.22	Fantastic beasts, on the other hand, I can't get into at all
conesmoke 01.05.22	My house is hufflepuff and my patronus is a winged horse and I like the goblet
Rowan5215 01.05.22	Chamber gets ups for me for a decent mystery (when you're a kid and can't figure it out immediately lol) and some pretty solid horror vibes, but David Thewlis as Lupin is supreme and the werewolf transformation is very easily the best scene in the entire franchise. also having Alfonso mf Cuaron direct the movie instead of some boring british dude was a massive bonus, shame they never did that again
Gyromania 01.05.22	I've gotta be real though, I was ploughing through the books at a rapid pace until I hit order of the phoenix. I appreciate all that that book does and ultimately came to like it, but holy shit that book was a brick wall for me. It's just way longer than it needs to be. Been a while though and I've been meaning to re-read them but might read through wheel of time first
Winesburgohio 01.05.22	chamber is so good lol
evilford 01.05.22	Never seen em, should I check?
Gyromania 01.05.22	Yeah idk about that Rowan, that scene hasn't aged very gracefully lmao. Like, it's a cool reveal, but best scene in the franchise? I don't even think it's the best scene in that movie. The patronus warding off the dementors was so much cooler I thought
Winesburgohio 01.05.22	Growing up with it was cool - even when I was a late teen and (incorrectly) thought the whole thing was kind of lame ('I read MURAKAMI and FOSTER WALLACE now!!') I diligently bought it on the release day, devoured it, was suitably moved. I don't like the way the series has been appropriated by the terminally online but I really fuck w/ it! I think Order of the Phoenix was the most special book for me though. I still have my copy and it is in taaaaaatters
Rowan5215 01.05.22	"also rowan if you really think that C-tier werewolf transformation scene in HP3 was the best scene in the whole franchise i really just dont know what to say lol" I do - the buildup whips, David Thewlis and Alan Rickman whip, and tbh it still looks better today than the innumerable scenes of various actors pointing wands at each other and yelling ridiculous shit for some bad CGI lights to go brrrr. I have trouble believing anyone thinks the werewolf transformation is significantly worse than any other effects-heavy scene in this franchise lol (if not massively better purely from a directorial standpoint)
Gyromania 01.05.22	I think the reason it sticks out more is because the wand effects while not always great, are usually just small bursts of CGI, whereas the entirety of the wolf is CGI and decently well lit which reveals a lot of its flaws. Any time something is entirely composed of CGI, it runs the risk of looking bad. Even at the highest level of production, it can look noticeably fake, which is why it's usually best to mix it with practical effects, or adjust the lighting accordingly to only reveal key features
SteakByrnes 01.05.22	Very strange ranking! Azkaban is easily the best and I don't think it's even close really! I'd go 3 > 4 > 2 > 1 > 7 pt1 > 7 pt2 > 6 > 5 half blood prince is super duper boring but order of phoenix is like legit bad!
samwise2000 01.05.22	HP7 part 1 is better than part 2, agreed. Always loved the scene where Harry and Hermione dance to Nick Cave, a scene added just for the movie that really speaks to them being kids trapped in a war
Rowan5215 01.05.22	steak's ranking is pretty much based and handsome, although I might bump Goblet after Chamber idk, I find the first 1/3 of Goblet a massive slog to sit thru
JohnnyoftheWell 01.05.22	Did steak just deadass call Goblet the second best movie
SteakByrnes 01.05.22	based rowan, and ya I could swap chamber and goblet depending on the day. Chamber has giant snake but goblet has dragons hmm
widowslaugh123 01.05.22	Phoenix Chamber First one Goblet Hbp First last Last last Prisoner
Rowan5215 01.05.22	Goblet def gets a bump for David Tennant doing batshit crazy + the last 30 minutes. rest is give and take but at least the challenge shit is a bit more engaging than anything in the snoozy grimdark last 3 movies
MrSirLordGentleman 01.05.22	Prisoner and Half-Blood are the best ones Phoenix and Chamber are the weakest
markjamie 01.05.22	1 Azkaban 2 Deathly Hallows 2 3 Phoenix 4 Half Blood Prince 5 Philosopher's Stone 6 Deathly Hallows 1 7 Goblet 8 Chamber
JohnnyoftheWell 01.05.22	Yeah, the Triwizard stuff in the books was awesome because of all the sideplots and character dynamics building up for each challenge, safe to say the film butchered that The David Tennant bit was cool, but it went from being maybe the best holy-shit plotline in the books to an abrupt reveal that immediately got brushed under the carpet
MrSirLordGentleman 01.05.22	"Triwizard tournament is laughably boring plotline but it’s exciting because the action scenes are sick" a literal classic shonen tournament arc lol
combustion07 01.05.22	My ex had.me marathon this whole series when lockdown started and prior to that I had not seen any of the movies and I had only read about 2/3rds of the first book before it was stolen from me in grade school. I enjoyed the series a whole lot more than I expected to honestly. I'm gonna have to give it another marathon to give it an honest ranking but I do recall agreeing with you on your weakest. I remember thinking Azkaban was the second weakest though so I was shocked to see all of the high praise in this thread. Maybe I was burnt out by the point of watching that one though or maybe my lack of knowledge on the books changes my take. I loved Hollow's 1 and Half Blood. I gotta say I thoroughly enjoyed Goblet of Fire also though
Sinternet 01.05.22	im gonna be honest, this might be the worst ranking i've ever seen
Purpl3Spartan 01.05.22	I just like them all Good series 👍
fogza 01.05.22	combustion's take tracks with me, perhaps people who haven't read the books have a different experience. I don't get the massive fan love for Azkaban and the dislike for goblet
neekafat 01.05.22	Honestly not that bad
fogza 01.05.22	zim zala bim
rockarollacola 01.05.22	1. Azkaban 2. Stone 3. Secrets 4. Hallows 2 5. Goblet 6. Prince 7. Hallows 1 8. Phoenix Not a huge fan of the post-Azkaban films. They just don't capture the charming whimsy of the first two, or the more serious tone of the 3rd. Everything from Goblet onward feel kinda dry and boring.
Purpl3Spartan 01.05.22	The goblet is pretty fire
fogza 01.05.22	goblet is my fave of the first four. hallows 1 is the best of next 4, and best overall
AdoreSwancore 01.05.22	I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who legitimately liked hallows being split in two (or at least liked the way they went about it) even if you view it as one collective piece the pacing of part 1 in particular just isn’t that engaging, with the middle hour of the film is just a whole load of nothing, with the whole Ron leaving part never really feeling at all high stakes as before you know it he is back again. Contrast that with part 2 when stuff is actually happening for the duration of the entire runtime (and yet somehow ends up a shorter film than the first) and it kind of makes you wonder why other than wanting to end part 1 on the tale of the deathly hallows that they decided to split them up that way (even if admittedly it probably made the most sense as an ‘ending’ to part 1, but to me that just highlights that what we got was 1 book that was never designed to be split in 2)
AdoreSwancore 01.05.22	Oh and of course for what it’s worth RIP Dobby
Tundra 01.05.22	Was on board until I saw 3 and 1 up that high
alamo 01.05.22	chamber > goblet > azkaban = philosopher's >>>>>>>>>>>>> the rest
alamo 01.05.22	can someone ban the guy that ranked chamber last please
Sinternet 01.05.22	yeah half blood prince and dh1 are easily the weakest in the series, order of phoenix is close but mostly for the fact they cut so much of the humanising dialogue and comedic moments out from what is easily the funniest book in the series rather than being near that level in quality
fogza 01.05.22	i'm actually totally on board with dh1 being top of this list, movie is one of the most amazing entries in a blockbuster franchise i've seen
Icebloom 01.05.22	3 > 1 = 2 > 4 > the rest, although I haven't watched them in a long time. Never cared for the later movies, I felt like they dealt with the books pretty poorly. Completely lost the humorous tone and just put a dark filter over every scene. Like there's really almost no colours in the last films, it's all black and grey and darkish blue.
anarchistfish 01.05.22	azkaban is 1
Keyblade 01.05.22	^ came to say this
bloc 01.05.22	Hallows Pt. 2 particularly stands out as weak because Voldemort finally dies and 5 minutes later the credits are already rolling
rabidfish 01.05.22	i only have vivid memories of the movie 1-4. 5-8 are just a blob in my mind.
Trifolium 01.05.22	Ranking is all wrong to me, sorry occy. Film #3-5-6 are my faves, and 7.1.-7.2 were super disappointing to me, they're in my bottom three together with film #2. Especially the final stand off with Voldy totally sucks in the movie adaptation of book seven, robbed of all of its power because of the way they did it. No bystanders to hear Harry was right and they were wrong for all those years, he was not humiliated, not made human, Dumbledore/Harry were not clear of all charges because everything happened with nobody to see... And perhaps worst of all: dead Voldemort disappeared in tiny flakes of nothingness (for the sake of 3D) whereas an actual normal dead body would have robbed him of all invincibleness and made him human in the end, which was the exact point (destroy the horcruxes, make him mortal and 'just like the rest of us') and why the book scenes are 10,000,000 times better. I hate those changes!
maxer 01.05.22	Great to see some love for DH1. Most depressing HP movie by far, but it's so good
Trifolium 01.05.22	I loved how they turned the longest, most angsty book (number 5) into the shortest movie, which flows superbly well and always does more than one thing at a time. Love that one! Ah, opinions 💞
protokute 01.05.22	The Harry Potter series might be the only one I actually prefer the film adaptations than the books, and not because of J.K. Rowling's bullshit, but because Harry can be so frustratingly boring and uninteresting on them. If I had to pick the best book it would be Order of The Pheonix though, and I really don't think the film adaptation is really that bad. Prisoner of Azkaban might be one of my favorite movies ever, and I have no shame in saying that, I still hold a lot of affective memories of that one, love the atmosphere, the forest scenes, the time travel, that bird thing I forgot its name.
anarchistfish 01.05.22	"Harry can be so frustratingly boring and uninteresting on them" facts
foxblood 01.05.22	the Deathly Hallows parts are terrible twilight-esque abominations. the first few films are adorable though.
protokute 01.05.22	cmon man, say you didn't have the chills when they were preparing the castle for the attack on the last film?
twlight 01.05.22	I've been rewatching them and honestly they all kind of suck except for 3. I remember seeing 5 in theaters and being so disappointed. They completely botched that adaptation
Floofus 01.05.22	5 is there with 4 as the lamest movie, but it does have one of my favorite seems aesthetically with Dumbledore and Voldemort fighting at the ministry, with all the glass and sand everywhere. Harry being possessed still remains one of the most memorable scenes, even if the dialogue of "muh friends" is super hacky.
foxblood 01.05.22	hm well I've been rewatching them again too and I'm only on the third film so I will see if my opinion has changed but I find that so far I'm much more charmed by the introduction lore and fantasy of the earlier films, rather than the character drama and voldemort story that really ramps up later on. I prefer the color palettes of the first two movies too.
Floofus 01.05.22	I'll never forgive the movies for allowing everyone to just fucking fly. That was a huge thing in the books was that Voldemort didn't need to apparate. Made him a scary mf
Emim 01.05.22	Watched them all on opening night since one of my buddies birthday was usually around the release date so it kinda became a tradition. Haven't had a desire to ever watch then again. Not bad (well some are), I just don't have a connection to the franchise.
Gyromania 01.05.22	One of the most jarring things when binging the entire series is the differences in Hogwarts castle and Hagrid's hut between films. I've never been clear on why they changed the landscape so drastically from movie to movie, but it really spoils the immersion. The difference in colour palette and tone between films is an issue too when watching them all back to back. You guys see there's a new Harry Potter coming out? I wonder if it'll be good
Keyblade 01.05.22	"I've been rewatching them and honestly they all kind of suck except for 3. I remember seeing 5 in theaters and being so disappointed. They completely botched that adaptation" agreed, 5 was my favourite book when I was a kid but easily my least favourite movie. but tbf the last time I watched that movie was like 2007
Gyromania 01.05.22	Also I get that it's a dumb criticism because the books/movies wouldn't exist without plot conveniences, but how fucking stupid is Voldemort for not making super generic horcruxes that nobody in a million years would be able to find? Just had to let his ego be his undoing
neekafat 01.05.22	man it really is kinda bonkers how similar our rankings are lol
protokute 01.05.22	I used to daydream a lot about going down those mountains to Hagrid's Hut from 3 when I was a kid, absolutely loved that chilly autumny forest landscape
protokute 01.05.22	I'd be totally up for that ride < 3
MO 01.05.22	lol half blood prince top 3 i'd go azkhaban, order, two hallows, philosopher, chamber, half blood, goblet
zakalwe 01.05.22	Were Harry Potter based in reality and was actually representative of a UK school of the late 70s to early 90s the following would happen. Harry - Potential ruined by having their head in a bag of glue by year 9 Ron - Head kicked in at least three times a year for being ginge Hermione - Up the duff by the substitute PE teacher who used to play football for some league 2 sack of shite. Hagrid - Called out for being a nonce, motor keyed at least, home arsoned at worst Snape - Lad who was a cunt and rightly called out as such by ‘Snape’ would’ve called their dad in who’d turn up at the gates with a staf saying how someone would die by the end of the day Dumbledore - On the take from the board of governors, probably do himself in come the late 50s
Gyromania 01.05.22	Octagon: yeah that's all well and fine and I agree that's a fair assessment. But my issue is you have the first two movies which have warm colours, then the third which is noticeably much darker and creepier, but then in the fourth movie it goes back to vibrant colours. Like it seems a bit all over the place. It does work the way you're suggesting if you just cut out azkaban tho
Gyromania 01.05.22	"lol half blood prince top 3" I don't get the hate for this movie. I think it's easily top 3 material. It isn't as good as the book but still, it has the same "holy shit" factor and some of the coolest scenes in the franchise. Harry and Dumbledore going to that cave to destroy the horcrux was PERFECT. Like, 100% exactly how I imagined it when I was reading it. It's a very rare thing for an adaptation to resemble the imagery of the book so flawlessly
zakalwe 01.05.22	To be fair I’ve modernised it to the early 2000s with a staffie. More like a Rottweiler but more often than not, Alsatian.
nash1311 01.05.22	Not sure of my personal ranking but what I can say is... 1, 3, 5 and 7.1 are awesome, 4 and 6 are average (6 is my favorite book btw), 2 and 7.2 suck I personally like 5 if not only because we get a Dumbledore Voldy wand fight. But they did shit the bed with the prophecy
BallsToTheWall 01.05.22	After watching that HBO special, Helena Bonham Carter still fine AF!
nash1311 01.05.22	Yessssss @octa
alamo 01.05.22	personally i'm a big sucker for the 4th movie i love everything about it the challenges the dragons the mermaids the ball the maze the final fight baby voldemort harry taking a bath. but i 100% get that some people dont like it because i also dont think it does a very good job on being a movie? in a sense of having something going on throughout, a story unfolding really there's nothing besides mad-eye and the final fight idk it feels like filler though i couldnt care less
maxer 01.06.22	I love all of these movies. I know there's nostalgia there, but upon every re-watch I notice new elements too love. I still always change my ranking, but guess this is it for now: 1. Prisoner of Azkaban 2. Deathly Hallows Part 1 3. Deathly Hallows Part 2 4. Half Blood Prince 5. Goblet of Fire 6. Philosopher's Stone 7. Order of the Phoenix 8. Chamber of Secrets
hal1ax 01.06.22	3 is 1 4 is 2
fogza 01.06.22	I honestly don't get the hate for goblet. The other schools are fun, the growing pains are suitably embarrassing, the tournament gives it a plot structure, spectacle and action, important shit happens at the end, it introduces real tragedy and stakes, and it has a twist. What more do you want?
fogza 01.06.22	Meanwhile everyone digs Azkaban with the tired old "let's repeat the same shit from a slightly different aspect" stuff inherent in a time travel movie which isn't really a time travel movie. If memory serves the ending is pretty silly, everyone disarming everyone like a farce, and everyone just randomly ending up in the shrieking shack without really solving the mystery, it just sort of transpires because Ron chases his rat.
porcupinetheater 01.06.22	Is this an appropriate forum for shitposting?
twlight 01.06.22	Yeah 4 is a actually pretty entertaining. That lake scene is awesome. The movies really took a turn for the worst when David Yates took over as director starting with 5. He's just such a drab filmmaker and those last 4 movies are terribly dull
porcupinetheater 01.06.22	Lol Harry Potter
Jasdevi087 01.06.22	what i've learned from seeing people talk about these movies is that they're super-interchangeable for some reason (even though they absolutely should not be)
Jasdevi087 01.06.22	"3 is 1" that's literally the worst one, I need you to sell me this take
porcupinetheater 01.06.22	Comin’ to you live from normaloctagonally
TheSonomaDude 01.06.22	interesting. HP movies arent really that good imo, but my ranking from best to worst is: 3 7p1 1 2 7p2 4 6 5
EoinCofa 01.06.22	Anul Doogevol
Sinternet 01.06.22	the darker tonal shift in the later movies really isn't good at all, this was a series written for children and while the books do somewhat a decent job breaking it up with moments of levity amidst the moody teen angst, the films just completely lose any sense of real magic or fantasy just to become moody teenagers with unlikeable personalities, just look at the character of hermione for example and how she changes from somewhat charmingly condescending but serious and loyal when she needs to be into a shrieking banshee who sounds perpetually winded and somehow knows absolutely everything but doesn't get any real moments to demonstrate this outside of throwaway dialogue see the thing is the books always had humour in them that cut through a lot of the more gritty aspects and it's a dynamic that works. by the time you get to the end of goblet of fire that's all but disappeared from the films, leaving harry and his misery porn and his two friends who don't get to do much but comfort harry and tell him how special he is.
porcupinetheater 01.06.22	I judge the movies on setting multiple scenes in all Hogwarts' plentiful bathrooms when wizards and witches damn well obviously have a spell to automatically clean their underwear. Guarantee you these people would be saving time pissing and shitting themselves on the daily with 0 consequence. Total failure of imagination
fogza 01.06.22	"HP4 is a fun movie foggy, but it is not a good movie." "You should rewatch HP3. It’s not my favorite either, but the way you write about it makes me think you didn’t really understand what was going on, no offense of course." Lol, I love ya Norma but I've seen HP3 a few times. It's ok and visually some aspects are strong, but the ending is a mess. HP4 hangs together better structurally imo.
TheSonomaDude 01.06.22	I agree that the films worked better when they were consciously aimed at kids. first two films are no masterpieces, but they are really fun and captivating for young audiences. Third film is pretty much a perfect balance between childhood wonder and edgier seriousness. but yes, the films did lose their fun when they got "darker".
fogza 01.06.22	"Either way I’ll take our hallows alignment and cherish it ; )" it's a special moment no doubt
nash1311 01.06.22	I actually very heavily agree with fog, the time travel makes the 30 minute repeat such a chore. Especially when you’ve read the books and know what’s gonna Happen. Always been my biggest gripe with 3 as a movie. Not that they could change the plot it’s just boring
fogza 01.06.22	knew i couldn't be the only one!
twlight 01.08.22	sin - you nailed it
twlight 01.08.22	farting is this: 3 1 2 4 7 6 5