Let’s settle the debate once and for all: Which is the best Harry Potter film? (Image: Publicity Picture)
With author J.K. Rowling under fire once again over her views regarding the trans community — this time by author, comedian, and narrator of all seven audiobooks of the Harry Potter novels, Stephen Fry, who has called her a “lost cause” — the films adapted from her books have fared slightly better over time.
Rotten Tomatoes has ranked all the films in the Harry Potter franchise, including the Fantastic Beasts spin-offs (which have fared the worst, no surprises there).
Coming in hot at number one is the last and final movie that was adapted from the books, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with critics and audiences agreeing it was a befitting farewell to the beloved wizarding world.
Ranking last is the 2018 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which had very few takers across the board.
Here’s a ranked list of the Harry Potter films, from best to worst, according to Rotten Tomatoes ratings.
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Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban ranks second on the overall list (Image: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Directed by: David Yates
A critic’s review summed up the film’s reception aptly: “For a grand finale to a truly epic, good-natured franchise, this is a perfect goodbye that’s very hard to beat.”
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
The third film in the Harry Potter franchise received high praise from critics, especially for Cuarón’s direction: “Prisoner of Azkaban is a standout entry in the Harry Potter franchise – it establishes an effective tone under Alfonso Cuarón’s stellar direction.”
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Directed by: Mike Newell
A Wall Street Journal review of the film put it simply: “It’s downright scary how good this movie is.”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ranks sixth in the Rotten Tomatoes round-up (Image: Publicity Picture)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 83%
Directed by: David Yates
A critic’s revelation about the sixth film in the series said it all: “The strangest thing about the new Harry Potter movie is not that it’s unusually good, which it is, but that it unequivocally illustrates just how poorly we’ve been served by the previous five instalments in the franchise.”
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
Directed by: Chris Columbus
The second of the Harry Potter movies, Chris Columbus’ offering seemed to have improved upon its predecessor: “Director Chris Columbus has pushed the envelope farther, made a sequel that is pacier and more swashbuckling. Yet it still feels cautious and reined-in.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Harry Potter’s debut into the world of muggles was off to a smashing start, and critics agreed: “The quickest, zappiest two and a half hours of entertainment you’ll ever see.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the worst ranked Harry Potter movie (Image: Publicity Picture)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 78%
Directed by: David Yates
There was much left to be desired from the fifth film in the Potter franchise, with one critic commenting: “Brought me straight back to one of the most enduring of childhood feelings: boredom.”
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77%
Directed by: David Yates
A critic gave a detailed explanation as to why the seventh Harry Potter film just didn’t quite hit the mark: “The trouble with Harry, as becomes clear from this seventh and penultimate installment, is not that we have lost the plot — the film is as tangled and as corkscrewed as Bonham Carter’s hair — but that we are in danger of losing everything else.”
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
Directed by: David Yates
Unsurprisingly, the Fantastic Beasts spin-offs ranks the lowest in the Harry Potter catalogue, with one reviewer writing: “The film strains considerably under the weight of all its plot lines-it’s never fun to be the movie with the origin story.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 46%
Directed by: David Yates
Critics were left unimpressed with the film, as one said: “Even taken on its own merits, its a case of a sequel too far. There’s no getting away from the fact that, without Harry Potter, this (movie) doesn’t seem to know where to go.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 36%
Directed by: David Yates
The lowest ranked film in the Harry Potter franchise with a dismal 36 per cent rating, The Crimes of Grindelwald was unanimously panned by critics and audiences, with a review calling it: “About as exciting as a trip to Hogwarts’s most neglected lavatory.”
For UK copies – The entire Harry Potter catalogue is currently available to stream on Netflix.
For US copies – The Harry Potter films are available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.