The Best Harry Potter Movies: A List

As a cohesive film I like this HP is the best, with all the big events like the Quidditch World Cup, the Yule Ball and the Triwizard Tornament there's plenty going on. I think Mike Newell's past experience as director contributed to making this the best Potter. I really love the art direction too, the costumes and setting really suit the mood. Key scene: Where Professor McGonnagall announces the Yule Ball and makes Ron dance with her to Harry and the Weasley twins' delight.

Number two and three on my list are pretty equal, it's hard to pick which is second best of the movies but I think HP1 deserves it. It's perfect, innocent and fresh. It's when we experience all the magic for the first time and it does justice to the book. Key scene: All of it! Harry's first Quidditch game and Richard Harris as Dumbledore visiting Harry in the hospital wing at the end.

I was suprised and so glad at how good DH turned out, I think the opportunity to get away from the usual Hogwarts setting and run of events (Dursley's, Express, Hogwarts...) was embraced and it made a completely different movie from the others. Getting to see the characters without the usual setting was refreshing and new ideas such as the animated sequence for the Three Brothers story, Harry and Hermione dancing and the locket-horcrux scene complemented the arty feel of the film. Key scene: The Seven Potters, when George slinks into the kitchen interupting a tender moment between Harry and Ginny before the wedding and the Ministry.

This one is rather different from the movie it follows and movie that follows this one, but it plays a large role in keeping the series new which is why I like this take. I also think the Dursley's are always a great inclusion to the movies and I love that they are in this one a bit more. Key scene: The Knight Bus, Hogsmeade with Harry under the invisibility cloak scaring Malfoy and friends.

Not too different from HP1: great screenplay and just perfect adaption. I think Chris Columbus did a great job starting off the series. The whole end part in the Chamber is great, it's funny with Lockhart, mysterious with the young Tom Riddle and exciting with the Basalisk hunt and happy with Hagrid's return at the end, even if it is a bit corny! Key scene: When Harry is rescued from Privet Drive and taken to the Burrow.

HP6 is to HP5, as HP2 is to HP1: in the same style as the film before without much new in terms of style or mood. It's fine for the first two because they are great, but I didn't find Half Blood Prince particularly amazing. Slughorn was good and his party's were a good change from the usual events. The return of Quidditch was good, but a couple of funny moments didn't make up for the overall lack of direction. Key scene: Harry drugged on Felix Felicis is terrific!

HP5 was my least favourite movie, I'm not sure what exactly it was. The addition of Luna Lovegood saved this movie otherwise it's kind of dull. So much was left out and the costumes, performances and visual editing (the newspaper transitions) I wasn't much a fan of. A new screenwriter was bought in for this film, so maybe that impacted the flow? I feel as though the highlights of No 5 & 6 aren't as plentiful and they are were monotonous. Key scene: The DA in the Room of Requirement