The Harry Potter films – ranked, from worst to best

With the entire franchise on Netflix and there for the binging, here’s the ultimate guide to the best (and worst) of JK Rowling’s hit series

In 1998, Harry Potter was already a cultural phenomenon of some significance, when JK Rowling sold the film rights to Warner Bros for a seven-figure sum. The wild success of the first adaptation just before Christmas 2001, which took nearly $1bn worldwide, opened the doors to a whole new level of international wizarding fandom.

Childhoods would be charted in the gaps between each instalment: as Harry and his friends entered adolescence, braving a journey that kept getting darker, so did the series’ most avid fans. At the same time, the franchise kept the British film industry more or less afloat, while also providing gainful employment to dozens of our most beloved stars – some in fleeting cameos, others in roles that would define their later careers.

It would be mad to argue the films are all equally good. They range in quality almost as much as the 007 series does, thanks to directors who came and went, actors who wobbled then found their way, and an overall story arc with peaks and troughs. Here, from weakest to strongest, is our breakdown of how the eight films stack up. Beware: contains opinions, and also spoilers.

8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mike Newell, 2005)
The plot: Harry is mysteriously selected to compete in the ancient “Triwizard” tournament, causing a rift with Ron until Hogwarts hosts the Yule Ball. During the tournament, Voldemort is resurrected in a dream dimension, murders Cedric Diggory, and tries to kill Harry, who escapes.

The problems originate with the book – at the midway point in the series when no one dared edit Rowling any more. Compressing its 636 bloated pages into under three hours – though only just – was a task that couldn’t be tidily managed by screenwriter Steve Kloves, who saddled this with a lumpen opening and unwieldy structure, while meddling with the plot in iffy ways. Having Mike Newell direct compounded the problem: this is the one where hormones fly and teenage flirtations begin, but under him, the young ensemble never seemed more out of their depth. Michael Gambon mainly bellows a lot. (Read our original Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire review)