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Friday, July 17, 2009
My new ranking of the Harry Potter films
To carry Pottermania going over the weekend, I present my new ranking of the Harry Potter films.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban A
Potter fans like to complain about this one because it dared to muss their beloved text, but I think that’s exactly why this is the best film of the series by far: it lives and breathes on own without being shackled to the words of J.K. Rowling (who, it must be said, had no problem with the changes). Everything, from the direction to the performances to the digital effects, is greatly improved from the first two films. The time travel scenes at the end of the movie, which double back on themselves, are outstanding, thanks to director Alfonso Cuaron’s clever eye.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince A
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire A-
The series gets its first British director, Mike Newell, and having someone who knows what a British school is like goes a long way toward making the film feel authentic. Contains some breathtaking scenes, like the opening World Cup of Quidditch, and the truly terrifying climax with he who shall not be named. Debits: the pace goes slack in a few places, and some characters, like Rita Skeeter, feel like window dressing.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone A-
This was my introduction to the Potter world, because I hadn’t read the books at the time, and I was quite enthralled. The pacing is a bit sleepy at times, but that’s a result of having to spend so much time on exposition. (Too bad about the dodgy Quidditch effects, though.) Too many people like to crack on director Chris Columbus for not being a visionary aritste. However, he deserves a great deal of credit for establishing the template for the series, and especially for his role in finding Radcliffe, Watson and Grint.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix B+
When the film works, it works very well, particularly during the action scenes, and whenever the deliciously nasty Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) is onscreen, but on the whole, the movie feels too rushed, trying to cram too much into too little time. Full review.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets B+ This tends to be the film I remember the least well, maybe because the thrill of discovery was gone for me. I read the book before seeing the film, and the film follows the novel so slavishly, there was no sense of surprise. On the plus side, it’s much better paced than the first film. Kenneth Branagh is a hoot as the stuck-up but really rather hapless Professor Lockheart.
That’s my ranking of the films now. What’s yours?
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