Oh, lord! I've never disagreed with RopeofSilicon more.

I thought Order of the Phoenix was BY FAR the worst. I'll forgive the first 2 for being a little childish, as the story was only being set in place, and the books weren't much to go on. But my god, even after reading the book, I found Order of the Pheonix's action sequences much too haphazard, without a clue as to what actually happened. The death of Sirius Black for instace, What the fuck was that?!

c'mon rope of silicon…

brett, i believe this may be the second consecutive questionable showing that you've had.

order of the phoenix isn't on the same level as half-blood. in terms of falling back into the pitfalls of the normal harry potter film narrative, half-blood really does the opposite because it's really the first film of the series to truly allow the story to take over and mature. because the pacing and tone doesn't cater to the audience in the way that all the other harry potter films do. that's partly attributed to the story and the narrative because it's much darker and mature but you can't suggest that it's only because of the story.

and in terms of performances, daniel's radcliffe best performance throughout the entire series is in this film after he's taken the felix felices. i've hardly heard the audience react that way in a harry potter film for just one particular scene. It really opens people up to seeing how rounded and talented daniel actually is as an actor. also, i think it should be said that alan rickman's performance though brief, I feel was perfect for the character. His mannerisms and attitude were subtle and it's clear that the character was very different than from the other films. The inner conflict was definitely apparent.

1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Order of the Phoenix
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Sorcerer's Stone
5. Chamber of Secrets

gonna watch Half-Blood Prince tomorrow…

@osterbotten: Yes… that Sirius Black death scene was a WTF moment… But excluding that scene, everything else was really good in the movie.

I have not yet seen HP6. Will be going on Friday. As far as the list is concerned, for me Goblet of Fire is the best YET. As you already pointed out it was the best in the action department. But i believe the story and pacing in this one were good as well. As for Prisoner of Azkaban, that movie nearly made me turn away from the Potter franchise. It used to be my favourite book and when i saw the movie, i was hugely DISAPPOINTED. If not for Goblet Of Fire, i wouldnt even have cared about this Franchise.

Here's my ranking of the first 5 films-
1.) Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire
2.) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Highly Underrated… Yes the Action did seem a little confusing… Sirius Blacks death scene was the moment which nearly ruined the whole movie, but barring that scene, everything else was amazing)
3.) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
4.) Harry Potter and the Sorceres Stone
5.) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I am hoping that the 6th movie becomes my no.1 pick of the series

1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2.order of the Phoenix
3.Goblet of Fire
4. Stone
5. Chamber

I am a huge fan of the books and the movies fall exactly in the same order as I rank the books. Yes, because I love the books Prisoner of Azkaban and The Order did disapoint in some ways, but most movies do when you love the literature. I don't know how much I would like the movies if I didn't read the books.

I saw HP6 on Monday and after thinking about it; i would place it about the same as Phoenix, but maybe Phoenix was a bit better as its plot was stronger. I did love the pacing and visuals of HP6, which has done its job by getting me excited for the finale.

So with only a few days to think about it, I would go:

1. Goblet of Fire
2. Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Sorcerer's Stone
4. Order of the Phoenix
5. Half Blood Prince
6. Chamber of Secrets

Personally, I don't think this franchise has suffered a single true dud – all of the installments are hugely entertaining, and highly consistent in terms of quality. However, there are, now, two major standouts: Prisoner of Azkaban, and Half-Blood Prince, just for the sheer chutzpah behind the way in which they are told and presented. I enjoyed Order of the Phoenix, but Yates has really, truly come into his own with Half-Blood Prince.

I love how in a discussion about kid friendly movies based on kid friendly books, the very first comment throws down an f-bomb. That's a pure Michael Bay move. I'm not against strong language but, come on, it's a little unnecessary given the subject matter.

@Nick & Kristina: My list is the same. I read Stone before seeing any of the films and it's the only book of the series I've read. To be honest I had no interest in the series till after I saw Prisoner of Azkaban. I found Goblet of Fire rather anticlimactic but did enjoy Phoenix.

@osterbotten: I agree. RoS is totally off. Here are my rankings:

1. Chamber of Secrets
2. Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Sorcerer's Stone
4. Goblet of Fire
5. Order of the Phoenix

To me these are the rankings to how much I enjoyed the movies compared to the novels. Also it ranks how well the novels stayed faithful to the books. I don't know if HBP will do better than CoS, but I'll see today after I watch it.

I'm not a huge Potter fan… I've only seen the movies, and then only on cable. I would say they've all been entertaining, with a lot of imaginative elements that make it easy to understand why the series is so beloved. I would say, however, that *all* of them suffer from lackluster endings… Perhaps in the books these magic duels work better, but to the average viewer like me I can't really discern why an all-powerful evil like Voldemort has any trouble with a kid, or why sometimes people get thrown across a room by a magic wand, and other times they apparently dissolve into ghosts and die like Sirius. I don't know why there was a sword in a hat, or any of the other deus ex machina bits that resolve things. That's the problem with magic, at least in the movie format… it's very hard to discern the rules that would make the danger comprehensible and get me invested in the finales.

That said, in no particular order: I really liked the look and feel of Prisoner of Azkaban, I admire the first half of Sorcerer's Stone for making the world seem charming and interesting (although once the plot started up, it kind of went off the rails a bit), Goblet of Fire was good except for the "point sticks at each other" duel ending, which made little or no sense to me, Order of the Pheonix also had a nice look and feel, and really held up pretty well as an overall tale, though the Voldemort stuff felt tacked onto the story (as it usually has in all of these movies), and Chamber of Secrets I barely remember at all.

1. Goblet Of Fire

2. Prisinor Of Azkaban

3. Order Of The Phoenix

4. Chamber Of Secrets

5. Sorceror's Stone

I am seeing THBP later today, so I will come back here an rank it among the list.

Peace Out !

Big fan of Order of the Phoenix as a movie. Phoenix is my least favorite of the Harry Potter books because it is so long and rambles so much. Yates streamlined it and made it probably the most thrilling and fastest paced movie of the series. I think that's the one that I had the lowest expectations going into. The first two I felt that they were trying to be uberfaithful to the books and it just felt plodding in movie format. I think Prisoner of Azkaban is where that all changed and Goblet of Fire definitely felt more like a movie as opposed to an adaptation, but man, Phoenix was so much better than the book. With that said, here is my top five. I won't be seeing Half Blood Prince until next week, but I'm sure it doesn't matter since no one can spoil the ending for me, right?

1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Order of the Phoenix
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Chamber of Secrets
5. Sorceror's Stone

@GregM: I'm fairly new to the site, but I have to say that "that's a pure Michael Bay move." is the funniest thing I've read on a thread. I think I'll use that when someone does something I don't like.

It's hard to decide between Half-Blood Prince and Azkaban… Azkaban definitely had better direction and cinematography, but Half-Blood Prince has better performances and a better screenplay… but the fact that Prince is less dependant on the book makes it feel like a more independent and audacious effort. So…

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I just didn't like how this one was directed…)
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

1. Prisoner of Azkaban

the other movies, I will be forced to rate as to which one is least bad..

2. Goblet of fire

3. Sorceror´s stone

4. Chamber of Secrets

5. Order of the Phoenix

have not seen Half-Blood Prince yet

1.Azkaban/Half-blood prince
going to a 2nd viewing of Prince so I can come closer to a conclusion on which is my no.1

3.Goblet of Fire
4.Order of the Phoenix
5.Chamber of Secrets
6.Sorceror's Stone

1) Prisoner of Azkaban
2) Half-Blood Prince
3) Chamber of Secrets
4) Order of the Phoenix
5) Goblet of Fire
6) Sorcerer's Stone

That being said, they're all great films, even the first two. Chris Colombus may be a pedestrian director, but the story was so good that not even that could ruin it.

1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Half Blood Prince
3. Order of the Phoenix
4. Chamber of Secrets
5. Goblet Of Fire
6. Sorcerer's Stone

I've enjoyed all of the films. CoS, GoF, and SS were kind of boring but I still loved them. Order of the Phoenix was great and is the darkest yet in my opinion. Half Blood Prince was wonderfully directed and hilarious, and glad malfoy finally had a big part unlike the others. Prizoner of Azkaban has always been my favorite and was entertaining from the beginning

1. Sorcerer's Stone
2. Order of the Phoenix
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Chamber of Secrets
6. Goblet of Fire

honestly, no they´re not good films,,they´re all bad except Azkaban..as said, have not seen Prince yet though

Without a doubt, Prisoner of Azkaban takes home the #1 spot in this category. I wish they would bring back Alfonso Cuarón to direct the 7th installment of the Potter franchise. After Columbus left the scene after the first 2, Cuaron stepped in and turned Harry potter into something darker and, in my opinion, much much better! I think David Yates did a good job in Order of the Phoenix, but dropped the ball big time in Half Blood Prince!

Alright I just got back from seeing HBP and while I liked it alot it still ain't my favorite, but it my grow on me with repeat viewings

1. Goblet Of Fire

2. Half Blood Prince

3. Prisoner Of Azkaban

4. Order Of The Phoenix

5. Chamber Of Secrets

6. Sorcer'ers Stone

Peace Out !

1. Prisoner Of Azakban (Gary Oldman as Sirius Black wins me over, his plot is the best)
2. Order Of The Phoenix (Gary Oldman again as Sirius black, plot with action)
3. Chamber Of Secrets (best story with giant snake)
4. Sorcerer's Stone (introduces the world, but not very exciting)
5. Goblet Of Fire (in my opinion, a pointless movie with no real plot at all)

I expect Half-Blood Prince to sit somewhere between 3 and 4, but possibly higher if Helena Bonham Carter is actually given a part, unllike Pheonix which for me bumped it down from being the best.

Saw Half-Blood Prince a 2nd time and here's my personal rankings through 6 films.

1.Prisoner of Azkaban: No disrespect to Yates and Newell, but I would've loved it had Cuaron remained director for the rest of the films.
2.Half-Blood Prince: Good film, but a 2nd time seeing it showed-at least from my pt. of view-that it's still not better or even on par with Azkaban.
3.Goblet of Fire
4.Chamber of Secrets
5.Order of the Phoenix: Imelda Staunton was the saving grace of this one imho, but it wasn't enough.
6.Sorcerors Stone

in my opinion, Mike Newell shouldnt have directed the 4th or any potter film for that matter. yes he is good with action and adventure, but what about the pacing? horribly paced, it felt too rushed. i won't talk about the things that were "cut" because we're talking about the movie not the book. he was bad because he made a MESS of a movie, not because he left so many things out. Newell shouldn't have directed a Potter film, i felt Heyman just hired him cause there isnt many choices left and they have to hire a director fast for HP4. i think it was also like this with Yates, gladlly, it paid off.

but Newell was just not right for Goblet. i always dreamed that Cuaron should have Directed the fourth, with Williams Scoring, and Lubezski as the new DP. we will have action that are paced, a story that is focused, a very dark movie that has a BIG HEART(like Azkaban). even if he won't come back for the 5th, atleast we will get the greatest Director for Potter for one last time, with Lubezski in the Camera.

to be honest, i hated PoA at first, and Hated Cuaron for disorganizing the book for the movie. but i was young at the time and it was hard for me to separate the book from the film. after repeated watchings(which i watched over 25 times, no kidding), i can safely say that i was wrong because it IS the best Potter film. Yes things were cut down, but it was for the best. plus the emotional punch of this movie hasnt been match. the Williams score is more poetic and less-Hollywood. if this wasnt a Harry Potter film, screened it in Cannes and it will get the "pans labyrinth" reception.

after i understood PoA and learned that it is the best, GoF was already released. still, at that time, i thought Cuaron won't a good fit for GoF because he isnt really an action director. i thought he was great at Azkaban because he was a good fit for PoA. then Children of Men came out, BOOM! i was shocked! who knew Cuaron could do GREAT action set pieces. up until Today, the idea of Cuaron doing GoF still haunts me, the idea of what could have been jsut won't leave my mind

the only thing that Newell did for GoF that was above average is the Graveyard Scene, but i think, we have to thank Ralph Fiennes for that.

to sum up

Newell in GoF=a funny, action packed, fast-paced hollywood entertainment movie

Cuaron in GoF=a dark, emotional, and often times funny film with Great Action Scenes that are beautifully staged. shot Inventively and Gorgeusly by Lubezski and told with amazing strength and confidence by Cuaron.

@Brad: I thought I was the only one who thought "Order of the Phoenix" was by far the best Potter Film. I guess there are two of us. It was, in my humble opinion, the most grown up of the Potter films. Its dark ominous tone was very refreshing and the humor wasn't distracting (as it was in "Goblet of Fire" & "Half-Blood Prince").

I'm surprised that so many postings have talked about the childishness of "The Sorcerer's Stone." That is what still makes it a cinematic gem to me. It was like watching E.T. for the first time. I embrace the childishness that's deep within us all – which is why "Wall-E" is a masterpiece in my opinion.

Also, I was very disappointed by "Half-Blood Prince." It was my favorite book and I was shocked with how poorly the screenwriters adhered to it. It has to be the film least faithful to the book. I felt like they should have said: "inspired by J.K. Rowling's book." With the exception of Harry & Dumbledore's relationship and the always refreshing Luna Lovegood (and Professor Snape), they really dropped the ball with this one.

1. The Order of the Phoenix
2. The Sorcerer's Stone
3. The Prisoner of Azkaban
4. The Chamber of Secrets
5. The Half-Blood Prince
6. The Goblet of Fire

It is my personal opinion (and hope) that the director toned down the dark nature of this film (which is the reason for all the comedy) so he could really get dark, gritty & mature on the final film (or two films); however, I thought the same thing about The Matrix Revolutions – boy was I wrong.

1. Half-Blood Prince – 10 / 10
2. Goblet of Fire – 9.5 / 10
3. Socere's stone – 9.2 / 10
4. Chamber of Secrets – 9.2 / 10
5. Prisioner of Azkaban – 8.9 / 10
6. Order of the Phoenix – 8.5 / 10

the 'harry potter' movie line completely destroys the story told in the books…..i don't understand why rowling would allow such brutality…..only the first two movies were a bit faithful….
but i liked 'prisoner of azkaban' better of all movies….

@The Jackal: Yup, and we are all alone

Not alone….

The Order of the Phoenix is the best movie in my opinion — it has everything: action packed, a perfect build up to probably one of the most well done wizarding battles, with amazing cinematography from Yates and a great deal of human emotion, development and understanding for the character and story development — it was the movie where i truly felt most strongly the sense of the Dark Side versus Potter and co. that comes though in Rowling's books. The movie got a huge emotional rise out of me for sure, but again, i think they could do that with that story, and not so much with the half blood prince, so movie 6 therefore lost a lot of the epicness that made the 5th one so good….

There was a good reason for the film makers keeping David Yates for the remaining films – the guy is really a gem of a director for sure

@Avanish: I agree that every one of the films have done serious damage to the stories they are supposed to be telling. But these films have taken Rowling from one of the most famous and successul children's writers ever, to legendary status. Why would she complain?

Alot of the little personal moments in these films are self conscious and awkward. Or perhaps that's the fault of the three young leads. Hold your ears if you are a particular fan of Daniel, Rupert, and Emma, but I find their performances stilted. They were young, relatively inexperienced actors when they began. Their youthful enthusiasm overcame many limitations of training and talent. But as the series has progressed, they have not. Rupert has his dumb looks, Emma tightens her lips in disapproval and Daniel screws his face up for dramatic concentration. Their acting is very poorly done with little range of emotions. I invite you to go back and watch the film "Michael Clayton." There is a scene when Michael is talking to his nephew. The boy who plays his nephew is so authentic. His acting is invisible. He just IS the nephew and his lines emerge from lips as if he was creating them on the spot. THAT's a child actor. Not these affected, self-conscious efforts. If this new film proves me wrong, I would ever so happy. But I'm not holding my breath.

@Avanish: To what "brutality" are you refering? I wasn't upset with the film adaptation of "The Half-Blood Prince" (my favorite in the series) because of the brutality. In fact, I was quite shocked when I found out that the film received a PG rating. I've read through every book (thrice) and from "The Goblet of Fire" onwards, J.K. Rowling delved deeper and deeper into dark/ominous and, yes, brutal themes. Do you remember the chapter entitled: "The Battle of Hogwarts" from book 6? It involved adult death eaters attacking schoolchildren. The hallways were strewn with injured and even dead first years. One of the Weasly twins dies (carried in the arms of his twin). Dumbledore is brutally murdered and cast of the tower. Yet, the movie seemed to shy away from the truly horrific nature (except in the scene with Dumbledore in the cave) of the book it was portraying. I don't want an R-Rated Harry Potter. But, brutality must be included in these films (if they are to be faithful in their adaptation).

@Patricia: It is almost impossible to make a film that adheres 100% to the source material. For that, the films would have to be at least 4 hours long. I felt that each film lived up to the "spirit" of J.K. Rowling's landmark work of fiction. The essence and feeling of each book (however severely strained – particularly in film 4 & 6) was adequately illustrated on screen.

I have read all the books, and I am a big fan of the saga even before the first movie came to theaters, so, this is my opinion:

1 – Chamber of Secrets.
I think I´m the only one who thinks this, but I must say that Chamber Of Secrets is BRILLIANT in a lot of ways. Maybe you read the book before seeing the movie, brad, but I think this was the key to expand the Harry Potter universe in levels of history. The book is great, and the film is very loyal…. I read the book at 8 years old, and I saw the film at 10… It was pure magic to me, and it will always be… And other things! I loved the music hahaha!!!

2 – Goblet of Fire.
Not a very good adaptation, but a GREAT movie if we talk about visuals and entertainment.

3 – Prisoner of Azkaban.
The second book was, for me, when Rowling realized the entire history of the saga and how she could transform it…… The third film was the same.

4 – Order of Phoenix.
I just didn´t like the way it was directed… and I will NEVER FORGIVE them for letting out the part when Harry and the others are in the circular room with doors, on the department of mysteries…. The book was a THOUSAND TIMES better…

5 – Sorcerers Stone.
It was very loyal, and a great movie, but I think the others are better.

Well…. This is just my opinion. I have not seen HBP!!!! But the book is one of the best…. I know it doesn´t come to case but my ranking in the books is:

1 – Order of Phoenix.
2 – Half Blood Prince.
3 – Deathly Hallows.
4 – Chamber of Secrets.
5 – Prisoner of Azkaban.
6 – Goblet of Fire.
7 – Sorcerer´s Stone.

See ya!!!

@Brad Brevet: are you ranking the movie in terms of Special effects and advancing storyline???

@MarSnake: I agree with you a lot…my picks are no more different than yours..

1)Chamber of Secrets
2)Scorcerer Stone(Its the first movie and the introduction of Potter series was brilliant)
3)Goblet Of Fire
4)Prisoner of Azkaban
5)Order of the Pheonix
6)Half Blood Prince..