Ranking Every Harry Potter & Wizarding World Film Worst To Best
3. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Most were probably expecting to see Prisoner of Azkaban at number one. After all, it's the most acclaimed of the Harry Potter films and deservedly so. It's got a couple of issues keeping from the top spot, but make no mistake: this is a quality work.
As a darker, more mature and more stylized film that moves away from the book more, Prisoner of Azkaban did wonders for the series by giving it the tonal shift it needed and moreover, it's an incredibly accomplished film in general.
It's an eye-wateringly beautiful directing tour-de-force for Alfonso Cuaron, who fills the movie with atmosphere, melancholy and gorgeous imagery, while also telling an intensely moving emotional story filled with pathos, brilliant acting (Gary Oldman and David Thewlis steal the show) and ingenious twists and turns.
Thus, Prisoner of Azkaban is not only the most visually stunning Harry Potter film by a landslide, but it's also one of the most heartfelt and emotionally satisfying entries too.
It's not as action-packed as other instalments of the series and the film takes a downturn in the final act due to the ill-judged inclusion of time travel, a narrative mistake from the source material that the film really should've left behind, so it's not quite the leader of the pack, but it comes close nonetheless.
The Harry Potter series was already good. Prisoner of Azkaban was the point at which it became great.