There's no denying it - 'Harry Potter' has a special place in all of our hearts. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the series, or even if you can't stand the movies whereby teenagers get chased around by a bald Ralph Fiennes, we've all got an opinion on the franchise. 

And the majority of us will have seen at least one of the movies, if not all of them (multiple, multiple times!). With eight entries in the original 'Harry Potter' series, and two in the 'Fantastic Beasts' spin-off so far, it's about time we ranked all ten under the Wizarding World moniker in terms of quality.

And yes, we're fully aware of how much our ranked list of the movies may split fans of the series. So, if you don't agree with us - let us know. Here is every movie in the Wizarding World franchise ranked from worst to best.

10 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'

The newest entry in the Wizarding World series is also its worst. With the inclusion of a young Dumbledore and a brief return back to Hogwarts, anticipation was high for the 'Fantastic Beasts' sequel. Alas, it served up nothing memorable, even with the inclusion of some new beasts for Newt to discover.

Wizards being able to walk through walls? Why didn't we ever see this in the 'Harry Potter' franchise in all those years? It all just feels like they're making it up as they go along, shoe-horning a forced prequel where it doesn't really fit. The "fantastic" element of the series failed to arrive, leaving us with a sour taste as to what's to come in the planned three sequel movies.

 

 

9 'Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them'

The first official 'Harry Potter' spin-off series arrived in 2016 to a rather tepid response. Inspired by JK Rowling's fictional guide book of the same name, we were introduced to the curious entity that is Newt Scamander. A champion of discovery, Newt voyages to the United States in order to explore a world which promises many more fantastic beasts.

'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' should be applauded for attempting to bring a fresh approach to the well-known franchise, but it can't be denied that it lacked a certain thing the 'HP' franchise was famed for... magic. Shifting the focus from a group of teenagers to adults meant that we had a much darker premise on our hands. But this darker, unfamiliar setting caused a disconnect with the audience, and the result was a bog-standard fantasy adventure.

 

8 'Half-Blood Prince'

Due to Rowling's sixth book being quite thin in terms of plot (because 'Deathly Hallows' would be the final entry), filmmaker David Yates had to include another element to jazz up its movie counterpart - teenage angst.

While not a bad movie by any means, it is one of the weaker 'Harry Potter' titles, purely because it's all a set-up for what's to come. With Harry and Dumbledore's journey to find a Horcrux, the Death Eaters' brief arrival at Hogwarts, the fall of the headmaster from his tower, and the reveal of Snape being the Half-Blood Prince - it was all left to the end. There was even a forced attack on the Weasley's house (featuring that incredibly awkward Harry and Ginny encounter, part one of two) half-way through the running time to inject some action.

 

7 'Deathly Hallows Part 1'

Our main trio bravely departed their safe surroundings of Hogwarts in order to try and stop Lord Voldemort from destroying the wizarding world as they knew it, and it resulted in lots of failed happenings. Falling into a similar trap as 'Half-Blood Prince', part one of two yet again didn't have all that much occurring during its running time, and also featured that very awkward Harry vs. Ron fight.

Although, that's always bound to happen when you split a 607-page book in half. Highlights of the movie include the return of Professor Umbridge and her annoying pinkness, as well as the Nagini fight in Godric's Hollow, and the unfortunate death of Dobby the House Elf. Oh, and that beautiful animation of 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' by Beedle the Bard.

 

6 'Order of the Phoenix'

Being the longest book of the franchise, coming in at a hefty 766 pages, the struggle to transition everything from the source material proved quite the task for Warner Bros. Originally rumoured to be breaking into two parts ($$$), the decision was made to scrap that idea and instead remove half of the book from the movie. Sounds like your typical adaptation then.

Featuring an angry Harry, the arrival of Bellatrix Lestrange, a duel in the Ministry of Magic, and the death (boo!) of Sirius Black, the biggest takeaway from it all was just how much we hate Professor Umbridge; a rapturous character you just can't help but love to hate.

 

5 'Chamber of Secrets'

Our second return to Hogwarts was just as spellbinding as our first introduction into JK Rowling's magical world. Kicking off in style with Ron nearly falling out of a flying Ford Anglia, more peril awaited the students and teachers (and cats) in the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry this time around.

Gone was the man with two faces on the one head, and in was a full-blown basilisk snake which turned people to stone. 'Chamber of Secrets' was our first clue as to how dark the franchise would be getting with each new movie, and it cemented just how awful those pureblood-loving Malfoys really are.

 

3 'Philosopher's Stone'

We really dread to think of what the inevitable reboot franchise of 'Harry Potter' will look like in years to come, because 'Philosopher's Stone' was a near-perfect introduction to the series. Kids with magic wands running about a sprawling, haunted castle and its grounds which are filled with all sorts of magical creatures, learning spells, flying on broomsticks, and all while trying to stop the biggest, baddest wizard in all the land? Sounds epic.

The only reason as to why it hasn't entered higher on our list is that the acting isn't the best, and the CGI hasn't aged all that well in the past 20 or so years.

 

4 'Deathly Hallows Part 2'

The final entry in the main 'Harry Potter' franchise culminated in the mother of all battles for Hogwarts, resulting in many deaths (RIP Fred at al), and that awkward Voldemort/Draco Malfoy hug that was instantly turned into a meme.

'Part 2' had everything you want in the conclusion to an epic series, and we have to give a special shout-out to Alan Rickman's Professor Snape, who was the turncoat of the wizarding world. After this movie was released in theatres, fans everywhere felt that it truly was the end of an era.

 

2 'Goblet of Fire'

This time around, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the home of the Triwizard Tournament, which was established 700-or-so years previously. And yep, Harry's name manages to get smuggled into the tournament, and yep, you guessed it, there's an element of death involved. This poor kid never catches a break.

With dragons, merpeople, and mazes (oh my!), 'Goblet of Fire' kept us thoroughly entertained throughout, as well as moving along the main plot of the franchise rather nicely. "HARRY! Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?!" will always go down as one of the best Dumbledore scenes of all time.

 

1 'Prisoner of Azkaban'

We just had to. How could we not? Crafted from the mind of Alfonso Cuarón, we got to discover a new side to Hogwarts that we hadn't yet seen before. The introduction of the Dementors was more chilling than you had ever imagined, and Gary Oldman's Sirius Black and David Thewlis' Remus Lupin both added in that extra dimension of great powerful wizards who served as influential figures for the young trio.

While the previous two iterations, both directed by Chris Columbus, were near-perfect adaptations from page to screen, 'Azkaban' had a unique flair, freedom, and artistic vision which the franchise needed to take us to that next level. After all, the actors and the fans were beginning to grow up, and so should their movies.

Let us know if you agree with all 10 of the Wizarding World movies ranked from worst to best.