Harry Potter: Ranking Every Movie Ending From Worst To Best

5. The Half-Blood Prince

The finale of The Half-Blood Prince comes in two halves – the cave, and the death of Dumbledore at the hands of Snape.

Starting with the former, Harry and Dumbledore’s quest to recovery the locket is certainly atmospheric. The cinematography and the music are especially good throughout.

However, the scene is a little forgettable when compared with the book. The main issue occurs when Dumbledore drinks the potion that forces him to relive his worst ordeal. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with what we’re given, this moment simply feels too short. In the book, the reader gets a vivid sense of Dumbledore’s suffering which doesn’t come across as strongly in the film.

Dumbledore’s death scene, on the other hand, has just as much punch as in the books. Ultimately, it’s the performances of Michael Gambon, Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, and Tom Felton that really sell this scene. The emotion each of them puts into their performance is perfectly judged.

Fans of the book were a little disappointed that the conflict between the Death Eaters and Dumbledore’s Army did not take place in the adaptation, but given how good the Battle of Hogwarts is in The Deathly Hallows Part 2, it doesn’t feel like too much of a missed opportunity.