In the current world where pop culture is at its height popularity-wise, there are a handful of cinematic franchises that make up a huge chunk of the zeitgeist, with armies of loyal followers and an insane amount of conversation surrounding them. One of these franchises, alongside the likes of the MCU and Star Wars, is the fantastical British phenomenon, Harry Potter.
So far, there are ten cinematic films released from the franchise, which are based on the iconic book series— with at the very least three more on the way. Considering the ongoing films are prequels, some may get confused or simply wonder about the in-universe chronology of these movies.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them — Set In 1926
Set over sixty years before the events of the main Harry Potter series of movies, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them presented fans of the franchise with a fair amount of hope for its future.
Taking place in New York, with a British Hufflepuff main character, the movie does not reach the heights of most main Potter films, but retained its own magic and got fans excited for what was to come from this prequel franchise. These expectations quickly got dashed, however.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald — Set In 1927
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald came two years later, set a year after the events of Fantastic Beasts, building on the Grindelwald twist of the first film.
The movie severely disappointed Potterheads with its muddled, convoluted nature, and weak plot. Even more frustrating, for the first time on such a scale, the movie contradicts the rules of the Wizarding World, infuriating fans to no end.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone — Set In 1991/92
Onto the series that everybody fell in love with years ago, the first film adaptation of the famous book series came in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, retitled Sorcerer's Stone for American and Indian audiences.
Taking place in Britain in the very early 1990s, the film follows the iconic characters in their first year at Hogwarts, establishing friends, foes, settings, and overall building of the Wizarding World in a brilliant way. A great start to the series, and a good adaptation.
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets — Set In 1992/93
The first Harry Potter sequel film follows on pretty simply— it starts at the end of Summer in 1992, going through a full school year at Hogwarts leading into the start of Summer '93.
Chamber Of Secrets is a movie with problems, particularly as it pertains to the length and the deus ex machinas/plot conveniences the movie utilizes. Nevertheless, it is still a good film. There are no outright terrible films in the series, just ones with significantly larger issues.
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban — Set In 1993/94
The Prisoner Of Azkaban is not one of those lesser Harry Potter films, though, and again, follows the same school year to school year structure as the previous two films— while also taking the entire series in a new direction.
With Alfonso Cuarón at the helm, this movie has a darker tone and begins a trend of Potter films becoming more mature and more assured in their craft. Save for that bizarre final shot, the movie is gorgeous, well-acted, and many will argue the very best of the movie series.
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire — Set In 1994/95
Today, mainstream audiences are finally coming around to Robert Pattinson and appreciating him for the fantastic actor he is, acknowledging all the great work he has done post-Twilight. Pre-Twilight, though, he had a great outing in this Potter film.
Of course, Cedric Diggory is not the main focus of the fourth Potter movie but is a crucial element to it. Many fans remain disappointed at the lack of tournament we get to see, which is a fair criticism. However, this movie, set in Harry's fourth year, is another solid entry to the franchise.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix — Set In 1995/96
The Order Of The Phoenix was the longest of all the Potter books, and it got impressively condensed into the shortest of all the movies. However, to many, that is the biggest issue of the film.
It takes place, once again, at Hogwarts, during Harry's fifth year, where Hogwarts is a very different place under the Ministry of Magic control. It lacks a lot of what the book does brilliantly, but there is no denying how entertaining it can be, and that whole final stretch is terrific.
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince — Set In 1996/97
Another movie many massive Potterheads have taken issue with is the entry that follows the heroes in what is supposed to be their second to last year of Hogwarts in The Half-Blood Prince.
If Order Of The Phoenix leaves out a lot from the book, this film arguably does it more, deviating from what is exceptionally done in the novel. Removing the explanation of the Half-Blood Prince and a lot of Tom Riddle's origins, it instead chooses to focus on awkward, painful to watch teenage romance.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 — Set In 1997/98
The first of the main Potter movies to not be set at all at Hogwarts, Deathly Hallows: Part I is a slower movie and calls for some patience from the audience who are eagerly anticipating the climax.
It takes place across what would be Harry, Ron, and Hermione's final year at Hogwarts, moving into the first half of 1998. It does, at times, feel like a stepping stone to get to the next film, but it has so much great stuff in its own right and is a good watch for those who are fans of the films when paired with the finale.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 — Set In 1998
Where the two final parts of the Potter film series differ massively is pace. Part I moves at a steady, somber, deliberate pace, while the second part moves at breakneck speed, making the final product all the more impressive.
This movie kicks off where the last one ended in 1998, with the famous Battle of Hogwarts. There are definitely issues in the film to many fans, but overall it is a satisfying, powerful, and emotional end to a cinematic journey millions of people took together.