17. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (2001)
"What?" you cry. "The Philosopher's Stone is the worst of the Harry Potter movies!" Take a seat; you might be right. But hear us out before you go totally crazy. Given the short nature of this list, we didn't want to clog it up with too many films from the same franchises - and given that there are eight Harry Potter flicks, many of which could have easily made the cut, it just seems more logical to include the first chapter. Indeed, if you like this one, you're bound to like the rest. And the truth is Chris Columbus' original film is actually a rather underrated affair. We all know the story by now, of course (based on the novel by J.K. Rowling): Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, receives a letter inviting him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and sets out on a magical journey that grows increasingly darker as the years go by. Columbus' movie is often lambasted as being too cutesy and generic, but there's no denying that this is still brilliantly rendered and incredibly faithful fantasy cinema - so much care and effort has been taken to get the details from Rowling's novel just right, and it shows in every frame.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
