My time spent with the Harry Potter series has been extraordinary, whether it be the books or the movies. It has been 9 years since the release of the first film, and in less than 8 months, the final chapter of the series will hit the big screen. A bitter sweet moment for many, myself included, but one I am eagerly awaiting.

In a time where there are so many bad sequels and poor book adaptations, the Potter series is a rare beast. Great books turned into great movies. And what’s most important, is they got the magic of what J.K. Rowling wrote on screen. I think fans of the series have been lucky. If the rights to the books fell into the wrong hands, it would be worse than you-know-who regaining his former strength! In this two part retrospective on the series, I’ll talk about my journey with Harry, Ron and Hermione, and go through some of my favorite scenes and moments from this modern fantasy epic. Part one will cover the first film through Goblet of Fire. Part two will take us the rest of the way. If you haven’t bothered to see or read this wonderful series, I’ll probably spoil a lot of it for you. You’ve been warned.

My philosophy for the longest time has been movie first, book second. I stand by that view, even though most people criticize me for it. Let me tell you why. The book a movie is based off of is always leaps and bounds better than the big screen adaptation, with very few exceptions. I have been excited to see movies based on books I’ve read in the past and been burned by sloppy adaptations that oftentimes have little to do with the book other than the title and character names. Why ruin a perfectly good movie just because you read the book? If you read the book after seeing the movie, it’s still better than the movie version. The way I see it, I’m getting a good movie and a great book instead of a great book and a disappointing movie. A win-win. With Harry Potter, I broke my one rule. In part two of my retrospective, I’ll tell you why. For now, the best place to start is from the beginning.

Even though the first film has been out for 9 years, the book for 12, I only saw Sorcerer’s Stone 5 years ago. As my college years of studying film were drawing to a close, in November of 2005 my friend approached me about seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at midnight on a Friday in late November. While I was always eager to see movies, for some reason up to that point, I had shied away from Harry Potter. I agreed to go, only if I had time to see what the first three films were all about. My friend loaned them to me, and I managed to watch them all between class, a job and homework in two days. It was a great two days, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Dir. Chris Columbus, 2001

Sorcerer’s Stone has not aged as well as the other Potter films. The visual effects are dated, the kids are acting for the first time and it lacks some of the emotional punch that carry the films that follow it. That said, it’s still a pretty magical film. It’s filled with great adventure and wonder. One thing they got absolutely right from the very beginning is the cast. While the kids are acting for the first time, what they manage to achieve here is pretty extraordinary. The chemistry between the three leads is fantastic, and something that will drive the rest of the series. If they had miscast even one of the three leads, it could have been disastrous. The supporting cast is where this film really soars, though. Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, the list goes on and on. The entire series has been fortunate enough to see some brilliant British actors play some vital parts.

The real treat from the first film, however, is definitely the score by the incomparable John Williams. Once again he manages to create an iconic soundtrack to the film. What I find really drives home a great movie is a great score. It can elevate a film to a different level.

My Favorite Scene or Moment: (tie) The introduction to Diagon Alley is marvelous. It’s our first real introduction to the wizarding world and it’s a pretty damn good one. The production design for this sequence is phenomenal. My other favorite scene is really just a shot. When the first years are in the boats on their way to Hogwarts for the first time, the score swells and we get a wide shot of the huge castle and John Williams does what only John Williams can do.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dir. Chris Columbus, 2002

I have always considered the first two Potter films to be one and the same. Not because Chamber of Secrets is repeating itself, but because I’ve always sort of lumped them together as the more “kid-friendly” portion of the series. Even though Chamber of Secrets gets pretty dark compared to its predecessor. The more I watch the series, the more I like Chamber of Secrets. It takes the great foundation that was laid by Sorcerer’s Stone and begins to unfold the darker elements of Harry’s world. Sorcerer’s Stone was bright and cheery, and Chamber of Secrets we start to see more of the evil underbelly. What I find works best in Chamber of Secrets is the good old fashioned mystery. Who opened the Chamber of Secrets? What is happening? It’s a riddle (pun intended).

Favorite Scene: The introduction to the entire Weasley family and the scene at the Burrow. It has such whimsey and charm.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Dir. Alfonso Cuarón, 2004

I’m not breaking new ground by saying that Prisoner of Azkaban is where the series really starts to shine. While the first two films in the series are good films in their own right, they pale in comparison to the brilliance of Prisoner of Azkaban. The best decision made by the producers and Chris Columbus was to have someone else direct this film. Not only does Alfonso Cuarón bring a fresh new style to the film, he understands that the most important thing in adapting these books is getting the essence of the book on screen, and a literal adaptation might not work. More changes are made to Prisoner of Azkaban than the two previous films, yet this film works better than Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets. It’s the style and brilliant unfolding of the story that make this film work.

The only thing that bothers me about this film is an unfortunate aspect of life that can’t be avoided. Richard Harris, whose was perfect as Dumbledore the first two films, passed away just prior to the release of Chamber of Secrets. In steps Michael Gambon, who is good in his own way, but Harris was Dumbledore. Gambon has grown on me over the last few films, but I can’t help but think of what the films would be like if Richard Harris was still playing Dumbledore.

Favorite Scene or Moment: There are so many great scenes in this film, but nothing sends chills down my spine like Harry’s flight with Buckbeak. It’s just a moment of pure joy. A close second is the scene inside the shrieking shack where the story gets turned upside down. Everything you thought you knew is actually the opposite. Sirius Black isn’t actually out to kill Harry. He didn’t actually betray his parents. At this point, I hadn’t read the books and I thought it was just another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher gone wrong. It was a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of some of the great story lines the series had yet to explore.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dir. Mike Newell, 2005

As I mentioned previously, one of my friends was going to see this film at midnight and suggested I go as well. So this film was the impetus for me getting into the series. It holds a place in my heart being the first Potter film I saw in the theater. It also was the cause of someone spoiling the end of Half-Blood Prince for me, but I’ll get to that when I talk about that film. Goblet of Fire is a different beast than any of the previous films. The first two films and maybe the third could be viewed by themselves as separate entities. Goblet of Fire is the film that really starts the arc of the entire series. The book is significantly longer than the previous books, which makes for an incredibly rich story, one that balances humor and darkness. Once the Triwizard Tournament gets going, the film has an intensity that rarely lets up until the final confrontation.

Favorite Scene: It really is no contest, my favorite scene is the graveyard confrontation and the reappearance of Voldemort. Voldemort is played to his creepy perfection by Ralph Fiennes. It’s a thrilling scene, one that “changes everything” as noted by Hermione, and it ends with the poignant death of Cedric Diggory. It is so well built up over the course of the first three films and throughout Goblet of Fire. It was an “edge-of-you-seat” kind of scene.

If you read through it all, congratulations. That does it for the first part of this retrospective. Stay tuned for Part 2 where I’ll talk about Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Part 1. I’ll also talk about the what I feel is the biggest problem plaguing the series. Plus a little bit of what I am hoping for out of the final film of the series.

Mischief Managed.