As we reach the final Harry Potter movie, I thought that it would be nice to reflect on the past films and my thoughts on them. It is amazing to think how big this franchise has gotten. What started as a small book released by a then unknown author, now has become an phenomenon with 8 movies, a theme park, and billions of dollars in profit. Harry Potter will always be an icon to people in my generation because we grew up reading and watching this story grow and become what it is today. I have friends who have told me they are forcing their kids to read and watch the movies when they grow up. It is no doubt that the final release of this film will be a big deal to a lot of people. It is not everyday that people will dress up, spend late hours at book stores and movie theaters, and even form bands all in the name of a book. Harry Potter has accomplished something that is undeniably rare. Even if you do not enjoy the books or movies you cannot deny it's impact and power over audiences world wide, remind you it has been translated into over 67 languages. So now I will look back at the past 7 films to remember the magic and to relieve the journey and story of The Boy Who Lived.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The movie that started it all. At first J.K. Rowling was nervous and worried about a film adaptation. And she had every right to be. It wasn't going to be able to capture the magic world of Harry Potter while also capturing the characters and heart behind the story. Thankfully this movie started off the series with a solid film. The film follows Harry as he discovers his wizard blood, starts his time at Hogwarts, and comes face to face with his nemesis Voldemort. The story is a wonderful set up to the rest of the films and brought millions of audience members to the magical world. It felt real and the effects were utilized perfectly to make the world work. At the same time the characters were all cast perfectly and the costume, make up, and production sets as well all came together to create Hogwarts and the world of magic. The story is simple but necessary for the first film. I will admit it is funny to see how young Radcliffe and Watson are compared to where they are today. Overall this is one of the best in the series and a great start to a wonderful series. 3.5/5
Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets
The second in the series is just as good as the first. Our favorite characters return including a few new faces including Dolby, who returns to play a huge role in the story. This movie flopped between humor and dark as the film explores more about "He Who Shall Not Be Named" and Harry's connection to him. The story though follows Harry as he tries to discover the Chamber of Secrets, the meaning behind the strange black book, and who is attacking and threatening muggles across the school. While this film doesn't stand out from the rest of films as anyone's favorite it is still a solid effort and definitely not the worst. The fight between the basilisk and Harry is one of my favorites and don't forget this was also the movie that introduced Ginny's crush on Harry. So overall this film was one that I always enjoy and another solid slate in the 8 part story. 3.5/5
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This film, in my opinion, is tied for the best of the series. This one is definitely one of the darkest of the series which is one reason why I like it. We get to learn a lot more about Harry's past and even get to meet his godfather, Sirius. This film has an awesome plot and includes one of my favorite sequences when Harry and Hermione use the Time-Turner. The story follows Harry who learns that Sirius Black, his godfather, has escaped and is after him. Harry must discover the secrets behind Black, learn more from Lupin about Defense against the Dark Arts, and face off against Dementors. The film includes the lovable Buckbeak and ends on a very hopeful note that things are starting to turn around for Harry. The film has some great CGI in it and was directed by the awesome Alfonso Cuaron. One of my personal favorites and one of the best of the series. 4/5
Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire
Probably one of the most magical of the films. We get to meet the different magics schools from around the country as they comes to Hogwarts to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry somehow slips into the contest as the 4th in a 3 person tournament and he must survive and find out who is behind the trickery. This film was the first in the series to start showing signs of weakness. While Chambers does has its problems, they stand out more here in Goblet. First off there was a lot of stuff left out from the book including the Sphinx scene and some of the drama felt unnecessary. Nevertheless this film was still solid and another wonderful adventure at Hogwarts. More importantly we finally get introduced to Voldemort, played by the awesome Ralph Fiennes. This ending seems more dark and hopeless but in a good way. The film was another good notch and a huge part in the rest of the story. 2.5/5
Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix
When this came out Rowling said it was the best one yet and she had good reason. This movie had some great fight scenes and had a lot of important parts to the final 3 films. More importantly we finally get to see Dumbledore in action! The film follows Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they form a secret rebellion against Umbridge's new rules at Hogwarts. The gang must discover learn to fight against Death Eaters, discover a prophecy that Voldemort is after, and try to escape before Voldemort kills them. The film definitely has the most annoying character ever (Umbridge) who tries to take over Hogwarts. Unfortunately the Cho-Harry thing was not only short but felt entirely worthless. And sadly, this includes the death of Sirius and really makes Harry feel alone in the world. Luckily this is a flick that also empowers Harry who is able to repeal Voldemort from attempt at possession. Overall in my opinion this is not a great film, but it is solid. 3/5
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The worst of the whole series this movie was a hard one to sit through. I almost didn't see Deathly Hallows because of this movie. The movie explores Dumbledore's past as he tries to prepare Harry for his inevitable confrontation with Voldemort. Harry also must discover who the Half Blood Prince is and discover what Draco is up to. It was too bad because the scenes of Dumbledore and Voldemort's past are some of the best of the series. Still this movie is fill with teenage awkwardness and stupid necessary plot that could have been replaced with a much missed fight scene at the end with Snape. That was its biggest problem, it missed a lot of stuff from the book. Especially Ginny and Harry's first kiss which was totally different from the book. I will give credit as Tom Watson does better here than any other film he was in as Draco. Sadly this movie contains the death of Dumbledore which was heart breaking for some. Unfortunately this movie just felt wrong throughout and is hard to watch. My least favorite and probably one I will never watch again. 1.5/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1
Up there with Prisoner as my favorite of the series...so far. I was worried about this one walking in after seeing the last one but this one took me by surprise. It was action packed, suspenseful, funny, emotional, dark, and over fit a lot of plot into about 2 hours and didn't get confusing. A good first part of the finale of the series and after seeing this I was glad that they split the film into two parts. The film follows Harry and the gang as they try to prepare themselves for the war with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. They learn of Voldemort's Horcrux and set out to destroy them. At the same time, Voldemort is building his forces and his own power in his big plan to kill Harry. The story has a nice fluid motion with it and is very emotional. This was a film the fans were hoping for and hopefully Part 2 will meet this one's level. The film is highly enjoyable and re-watchable and I would suggest it to someone who doesn't even like the Potter Series. 4.5/5
So are you ready for Part 2? The big finale? The final goodbye to Harry? I know I am excited.
And now a nice Harry Potter montage to get you ready for Part 2:
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