Every 'Harry Potter' and 'Fantastic Beasts' movie, ranked

In the fantastical world of Harry Potter, there's a convenient Sorting Hat to determine which student goes into what house. In the real world, however, fans don't have such an oracle for the most pressing question of all: What are the best Harry Potter movies, and which ones are nastier than a vomit-twinged Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean?

These kinds of fan debates can make you feel madder than the average Azkaban inmate, so EW decided to step in. We revisited every Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movie and sorted them all into a definitive ranking. Did your favorite film come out on top? Grab your broomstick and come find out!

01 of 11

11. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

JOHNNY DEPP as Gellert Grindelwald — Warner Bros. Pictures

Yes, it's official... Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Harry Potter movies. And not for innovating any new ways to disappoint us, but rather by phoning in the weakest plot of the bunch. Though in terms of visuals, "there might not be a more gorgeous-looking movie" released in 2022, writes EW's critic. Sadly, that doesn't change the fact that instead of focusing on Grindelwald (as the title promises), co-writer J.K. Rowling should have worked some magic to conjure a "fantastic plot and where to find it."

This film reveals Rowling's present limitations as a storyteller in several distinct and frustrating ways. You could basically sum this movie up in one sentence: "Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) has escaped, and we need to stop him." But that simple concept plays out across 134 minutes that feel like a lifetime, as every other scene is crammed with things that add some lore but do absolutely nothing to move the narrative forward. It genuinely seems as if Rowling thought fans would be more interested in confusing world-building and magical trivia than… you know… interesting characters and engaging stories. But the true magic of the original Harry Potter movies is the dynamic between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) — and the Fantastic Beasts films have nothing similar to offer. Worst of all, we never see Grindelwald face justice for the worst crime of all: that ugly haircut that Depp rocks throughout the entire film.

Where to watch Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: Max

02 of 11

10. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the most recent (and probably final) entry in the spinoff franchise. The film seemingly exists to answer an unfortunate question: What if a movie had all the seriousness of The Prisoner of Azkaban but none of the intrigue? As EW's critic points out in her review, director David Yates ended up giving us a "disconcertingly adult" movie that improves upon its predecessor while greatly suffering from that problem that has plagued this spinoff franchise from the beginning: It's "born from a fantastic universe, but still searching for a magic of its own."

If you appreciate the series for the sumptuous scenery and actors who know how to chew it, there is certainly some enjoyment to be had here. The costuming and set design is on point, and returning actor Jude Law is redeemable here as Dumbledore. Then there's the creepy energy of Grindelwald courtesy of newbie Mads Mikkelsen (who replaced Johnny Depp from the previous films following Depp's libel lawsuit). Unfortunately, these two are brought down by the same problem that star Eddie Redmayne keeps facing. Simply put, the script and direction don't match the talent of the actors, and though we wish it weren't so, there is no magic spell to fix bad storytelling.

Where to watch Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Max

03 of 11

9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Back before Warner Bros. Discovery threw their hands in the air and decided to simply reboot the Harry Potter films as a television series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the first real effort to expand the franchise. The good news is that it's easily the best of the Fantastic Beasts films — but the bad news is that the bar is astoundingly low. As EW's critic remarks, the movie feels "oddly lifeless" in part due to everyone besides Eddie Redmayne giving "surprisingly flat" performances, and partly because the director (returning veteran David Yates) had to deal with "the thinness of the source material."

Ironically, though, the rest of the Fantastic Beasts franchise would likely have been more successful if it followed in this movie's footsteps. Many modern Harry Potter fans enjoy its simple concept: A shy wizard must collect wayward beasts as if they are Pokémon, which provides a convenient narrative excuse to travel to new locations (America, for example) and meet new people. If its sequels had focused on Newt Scamander's (Redmayne) misadventures, they might have been more fun. However, later chapters are bogged down by the focus shifting to the rise of Grindelwald (who has confusingly been played by three actors) and the involvement of Credence Barebone, a troubled young man played by Ezra Miller, whose talents are not enough to keep their every scene from slowing the movie to a crawl.

Where to watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Max

04 of 11

8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, Tom Felton, Daniel Radcliffe, 2001. — Everett Collection

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is most certainly not a bad film, but when you rewatch it without the beneficial lens of nostalgia, it's clear this freshman effort isn't quite up to snuff compared to the later movies. We can partially blame the limitations of the source material — the first Harry Potter book is the shortest, giving director Chris Columbus relatively less to go on. And as EW's critic noted, we end up with a "long, dense, special-effects-laden movie, crammed with subplots" that offer "many charms, but few surprises."

Fortunately, the cast manages to outweigh the shortcomings of the story, visuals, and even the subject material. It's clear from the start that pairing young performers with older stars such as Robbie Coltrane (a.k.a. Hagrid) is pure magic on the screen, and by the time Rowling's concepts get appropriately more complex, stars young and old deftly share the task of bringing them to life. In the meantime, it's a joy to revisit the film that kicked off a franchise for all of its simple charms, including the sublime performance of Richard Harris as Dumbledore.

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Max

05 of 11

7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) — Warner Bros.

It feels a tad churlish to place Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets so low on this list, but the simple fact is that this movie (which is still worth a rewatch for any Muggle looking for a fun evening) is exactly what it appears to be: A more assured follow-up film from young actors and returning director Chris Columbus, all of whom are learning more about the best ways to bring Hogwarts and its residents to life. EW's critic put it best: This is a film that "still doesn't quite trust itself as a freestanding cinematic creation." With that said, it nevertheless manages to improve upon its predecessor, "not only because the director and his team are more confident about what they can do, but also because they're less uptight and defensive about what they can't."

And for everything that seems a bit dodgy (let's face it, Dobby suffers from some very iffy CGI), there's something equally or exceedingly charming. At the top of that list is seasoned actor and director Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart, a fraudulent fop who lights up every scene he's in. It's also fun to see the Hogwarts cast grow, even if it sometimes goes in odd directions (we love Moaning Myrtle, but did anyone have "toilet ghost" on their bingo card?). More importantly, this is the first film that begins to point Harry and his friends toward a more sinister plot, laying the groundwork for Voldemort's lore and the eventual final confrontation between He Who Shall Not Be Named and The Boy Who Lived.

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Max

06 of 11

6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid in Harry Potter — Warner Bros. Pictures

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a middle-of-the-road film that ironically suffers from being a little too faithful to the book (the longest and least-loved of the series). As EW's critic noted, there's much "busyness and waiting," as "the most important stuff is what takes place in Harry's head, where troubling visions, intensifying in clarity and dread, attest to the young man's foretold connection to the evildoer most safely referred to as You-Know-Who." In other words, your enjoyment may hinge on whether you're digging the psychic weirdness or in a hurry to get back to the real world (or at least, as real as the Wizarding World ever gets).

Things are increasingly unreal at Hogwarts, though, thanks to a new addition to the school's staff. Imelda Staunton plays Dolores Umbridge, a scheming snake and latest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who (barely) hides her evil intentions with a frosty smile and the pinkest wardrobe outside of Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Staunton steals every scene she is in and inspires the other older actors to (for better or for worse) bring their own performances to her supremely arch level. The end result is a film in which Umbridge is clearly the most compelling character, and it's no surprise that some fans still consider her a more nefarious franchise villain than Voldemort ever was.

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Max

07 of 11

5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has proven to be somewhat divisive among fans. Tonally, the movie is caught in two directions: It wants to simultaneously show the growing darkness in Hogwarts and the moral complexity of the antagonists while also juggling the often-trivial school-age drama. As EW's critic points out, the Greek tragedy brewing between characters like Snape (Alan Rickman, who is as dazzling as ever) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) can be hard to process because "all the while, the teenage wizards-in-training have enough to handle just being regular teens under the spell of raging hormones."

As a result, the film never finds the tighter stride of its successors (which ditch the melodrama in favor of dystopian drama) while undercutting major events like the funeral of someone very significant. Still, Half-Blood Prince is a serviceable gear shift for the franchise, harnessing the sobering climax of the fifth film and turning the tension up as Voldemort takes bolder steps out of the shadows. And it's genuinely difficult to not get chills when you realize that, on almost every level, the characters you know and love are now on their own in a fight for their lives and, quite possibly, for their entire world.

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Max

08 of 11

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I — Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.

These films have been getting darker (visually and stylistically) since The Prisoner of Azkaban, but it's notable how much dread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 trudges up. In scene after bleakly beautiful scene, it's hard to shake the feeling that director David Yates isn't simply setting up the end of a major franchise, but perhaps the end of the life itself. EW's critic put it best: "The look of the movie is apocalyptically desolate too — when it's not baroquely sepulchral," effectively selling the idea that this is the end of the Wizarding World as we know it.

For all the aesthetic gloom, what really keeps us glued to the screen is watching how Harry, Ron, and Hermione deal with being cut off from all support systems — friends, family, and faculty — as they embark on a quest for Horcruxes and lay the groundwork to defeat Voldemort once and for all. While Hogwarts has always been dangerous, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 sees the trio at so much of a risk that they're forced on the run from the Death Eaters, taking the viewer almost entirely out of familiar environments and into the unknown of the wild. We're left watching these characters with a mixture of pride and fear as they prove how resilient and resourceful they've become. For many older fans, this care is nearly parental. (But how else can we view them after spending nearly a decade watching them grow up?)

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: Max

09 of 11

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2, Ralph Fiennes, 2011. ©2011 Warner Bros. Ent. Harry Pot — Everett Collection

With the final Harry Potter film, Warner Bros. achieved what Disney failed to do with the Star Wars sequel trilogy: bring everything to a satisfying conclusion. All of the long-simmering plotlines come to incredible climaxes as Harry desperately searches for the last Horcruxes, faces Voldemort in a final showdown, and successfully completes his hero's journey. As EW's critic said in her review, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 "leaves us with the dawning, awesome recognition that the world is huge, fraught, enigmatic, magical, dangerous, delightful, and, ultimately, the responsibility of young people who must first find their own footing."

While we should give plenty of credit to Yates's direction, the core trio of Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint should be commended for carrying this fantastical struggle of the old world against the new to completion. It was surreal to see them grow up onscreen and even more rewarding to watch them blossom into truly talented actors. Together, they give a performance that is (yes, we have to say it) magical, and it's what holds the fandom together to this day.

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: Max

10 of 11

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

While it's not the very best of these magical movies, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is definitely the most fun (up until its conclusion, that is…). The fourth film places a proto-Hunger Games-style student tournament at the narrative's center, making stakes feel higher than ever before as Harry (because of course he'd be thrust into this) tackles one killer set piece after another between awkward adolescent interludes, making for a very compelling installment.

This film deserves props for accurately adapting much of the book (with a notable exception of Dumbledore screaming his question about Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire, so you can stop writing that comment). It's also a trip to see our teenage heroes complicate their relationships and begin new ones, such as Ron's growing jealousy over Harry constantly being at the center of attention, or Hermione getting a taste of real romance with the fetching Bulgarian student Viktor Krum. And by the time you see what happens to Robert Pattinson's Cedric Diggory (hint: it involves Ralph Fiennes' chilling introduction as series Big Bad Voldemort), you'll know that none of our beloved characters are safe from the growing reach of the Death Eaters.

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Max

11 of 11

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanDANIEL RADCLIFFE as Harry Potter — ILM/Warner Bros.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban immediately stood out in the franchise for being tonally different from what had come before. Those first two works had been pleasing children's movies with some charming characters and world-building at their core. But as EW's critic points out, director Alfonso Cuarón delivers something much more grown-up, with a film that was "shot in spooky gradations of silver and shadow" and quickly established itself as "the first movie in the series with fear and wonder in its bones, and genuine fun, too."

This was a perfect balance that the franchise would arguably never achieve again. Later films delivered on both spectacle and spookiness, but no other movie gave us scenes as captivating as the first arrival of the Dementors, with the Hogwarts Express windows frosting as they move ever closer, or the threat of a mad killer (turned father figure) on the hunt for Harry. And death never seemed quite so close in the series as it was when the hippogriff (later saved thanks to Time-Turner shenanigans) gets executed. The message is clear: Innocence is rapidly being replaced in the Wizarding World with something dark and unforgiving. But Cuarón never lets that darkness triumph, showing us a Harry who quite literally learns to fight back the shadows with the abundant light and love hidden deep inside of him.

Where to watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Max

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