TheHarry Potterfilm franchise recently turned 20 years old, and celebrated with a popularHBO Max retrospective and reunion. Between the anniversary, and the upcoming blockbusterFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, there’s as much attention as ever onJ.K. Rowling’s beloved Wizarding World universe, and the perennially popularHarry Pottermovie series.
Ever-bingeable and widely beloved, the eightHarry Potterfilms are a marvel of quality control; there’s not a bad film in the lot (not counting the less warmly-receivedFantastic Beastsfilms, that is). Their cumulative worth and impact is staggering. ThePotterfilms are highly entertaining—and there’s no shortage of emotionally charged, even devastating moments that linger in filmgoers' memories.
10. “Expecto Patronum,“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(2004)
Alfonso Cuarón’sHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanisthe most artistically accomplished of the series, breaking from a conventional (though admirably commanding) tone set inSorcerer’s StoneandThe Chamber of Secrets.
Time travel is weaved into the exciting third act, where ultimately Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) saves himself, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Sirius (Gary Oldman) from finally mastering the powerful Patronus charm. It’s a stunning sequence, a moment of pure payoff in a film that’s denser and more mysterious than the two that preceded it. This is a moment for Harry to stand on his own two feet, taking a leap into a larger world. This is fantasy filmmaking at its finest.
9. The Mirror of Erised,Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone(2001)
Chris Columbus' critically underrated—if slightly cutesy at times—inaugural and sophomorePotter Films, did a truly fine job of setting up the Wizarding World. In addition to world-building, the early films deserve credit for getting to the heart of the matter.
RELATED:All 8 ‘Harry Potter’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best
In an early marker of the emotional riches to come, Harry sees his murdered parents in the Mirror of Erised. This is also a touching moment of bonding between Harry and mentor Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris), a relationship that will be greatly expanded upon in the following films.
8. The Death of Cedric Diggory,Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(2005)
The first major death at Hogwarts in the series is none other than Hufflepuff’s most popular boy, Prefect, Quidditch captain and even Triwizard champion: Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson). He’s murdered with the killing spell by Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) under the orders of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).
The murder of a student (and a main character) was a key moment of stakes-raising in the series. The scene in the film is highly effective thanks to chaotic mis-en-scène and the tearful wailings of Cedric’s father (Jeff Rawle).
7. King’s Cross Station,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II(2011)
The non-stop action of the final entry takes a pivotal pause in a sort of limbo. It seems Harry and his friends have all but lost the Battle of Hogwarts, when Harry has a meaningful visit with Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), for a course-correcting talk through a crisis of faith.
Also present is a pathetic, dead part of Voldemort that makes the dark side seem more pitiful than ever. The scene ends with Dumbledore’s quote that sums up so much of the series thematically: “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living. And above all, those who live without love.”
6. The Death of Sirius Black,Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(2007)
The only family Harry has is callously murdered in cold blood by the ruthless Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter). Harry has a rage and angst boiling throughout this installment, and it all comes to a head here. It’s a crash-course in forgiveness and serenity that makes our hero who he is.
RELATED:Every ‘Harry Potter’ Movie Opening, Ranked
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is arguably the weakest film in the series due to some uneven pacing (these movies are all quite good), but this scene is emotionally potent and well-acted, leading into a spectacular magic showdown between Voldemort and Dumbledore, shot for IMAX.
5. The Battle of Hogwarts,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II(2011)
Surely the producers and filmmakers of theHarry Potterseries knew they were sitting on a powder keg with the final film; it’s hard to imagineDavid Yates' film turning out better, or more emotionally robust, than it did.
The Battle of Hogwarts sees many deaths on the light and dark side: Voldemort, Bellatrix, Fred, Tonks, Remus, Lavender… the list goes on. A carefully crafted series has all led to this, reaping maximum impact with explosive spectacle.
4. The Death of Albus Dumbledore,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(2009)
Nominated for a cinematography Academy Award, sixth installmentHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Princeis the best-looking film in the series. No sequence is more breathtaking to look at than the devastating, effectively quiet death of Albus Dumbledore.
TheHalf-Blood Princenovel ends with a battle in the immediate wake of Dumbledore’s death. It was a keen move to remove this, for the movie to end on a note of understatement. This is the most purely haunting film of the series, foreboding silence beforeDeathly Hallowspulls out all the stops.
3. The Truth About Snape,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II(2011)
The finalHarry Potterfilm (which in its time broke numerous box-office records, and remains the onlyPotterfilm in the billion-dollar club) is the most viscerally powerful, after seven films of buildup, it’s non-stop payoff (and a dazzling fireworks show to boot).
RELATED:Strongest Patronuses in ‘Harry Potter,’ Ranked
Toward the end of the second act, the truth about Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) is revealed in haunting montage. After witnessing the professor’s brutal death, Harry mines Snape’s memories in the Pensieve, discovering the chilly teacher’s bravery, and most of all, his love of Lily. “Always.”
2. Neville’s Speech,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II(2011)
The journey of the saga’s unlikeliest hero comes full circle in the series' top stand-up-and-cheer moment. When Harry is returned to Hogwarts (and presumed dead), Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) gives the survivors of the Battle of Hogwarts a most rousing speech.
It looks like the end of hope for Hogwarts for a tick, but Neville raises spirits, echoing the best of what Harry hears from Dumbledore at King’s Cross—mortality, sacrifice, the greater good, honoring and remembering the dead. Longbottom’s retrieval of Godric Gryffindor’s sword from the Sorting Hat raises the pulse every time.
1. The Death of Dobby,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I(2010)
This one is just painful. Has anyHarry Potterfan out therenotsobbed uncontrollably over the death of the “free elf,” after sacrificing himself to save Harry, Hermione and Ron (Rupert Grint) from the Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor?Deathly Hallows Part Iopens with other gut-punch deaths (Hedwig the owl,Brendan Gleeson’s Mad-Eye Moody), but this one borders on traumatic. Rowlinghas even apologized for it.
The division of Rowling’s final novel into two big-screen halves proved to be keen, with enough story to justify paying for two tickets several months apart (the same couldn’t be said about theHunger Games,TwilightandDivergentseries copying the move to redundant effect):Deathly Hallows I’s finale of heartbreaking sacrifice on the light side, and rising threat from the dark (Voldemort commandeers the Elder Wand from Dumbledore’s grave) sets up the final, most relentlessly dramatic installment.
KEEP READING:‘Peaky Blinders’ Character and Their ‘Harry Potter’ Counterparts
