Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

The first Harry Potter movie revolves around Harry Potter’s first year in Hogwarts. It begins with Harry living as an orphan under the care of his mother’s sister. He notices his magical powers before Rubeus Hagrid arrives to take him to Hogwarts.

There he discovers that Lord Voldemort has killed his parents and that he is famously known as “The Boy Who Lived.” He also meets Hermione and Ron, his best friends and fellow Gryffindors. Together, the trio tries to protect the Philosopher’s Stone that they think Professor Snape is attempting to steal. In the end, Harry manages to defeat Voldemort, who has attached himself to Professor Quirrell’s body.

The Philosopher’s Stone

Created by Nicolas Flamel, this stone was considered the Elixir of life which could turn metal into gold. Flamel was clever enough to make sure that the only person who could truly possess the stone would be someone who didn’t wish to use it. In the real world, there was a Nicolas Flamel who was suspected of being an alchemist.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The second Harry Potter in the list of Harry Potter movies is the Chamber of Secrets. In the second year of Harry Potter’s school life, he encounters Dobby, the house-elf. Dobby attempts to protect Harry by urging him not to go to school. Harry doesn’t listen and finds out that many students have become petrified, with someone declaring that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened.

As a result, people begin to whisper about who the descendant of Salazar Slytherin is. Most of the petrified students are muggle-born wizards and witches. Even worse, Harry is the prime suspect. He discovers a diary and befriends a former student at Hogwarts named Tom Marvolo Riddle. In the end, he discovers that Voldemort’s real name is Tom Riddle, and has been attempting to use Ginny Weasley’s life force, as well as killing Harry using the Chamber of Secrets itself. In the end, Harry defeats the Basilisk using the sword of Godric Gryffindor, and rescues Ginny Weasley by stabbing the diary with the Basilisk’s fang.

The Chamber of Secrets

Salazar Slytherin created the Chamber of Secrets to house the Basilisk. Wizards and witches of Hogwarts passed down the story of Salazar not agreeing with the other three houses regarding muggle-borns. Because of this, Salazar built the Chamber of Secrets where the Basilisk, who could petrify and even kill muggle-borns, could hide in plain sight. The Basilisk only obeys Salazar’s descendants, and thus, only listening to Tom Riddle. At the back of the chamber was the large Statue of Slytherin that symbolized Salazar’s descendants and himself being able to speak Parseltongue.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The third spot on the list of Harry Potter movies in order is the Prisoner of Azkaban. The story doesn’t revolve around Voldemort trying to revive his body. Instead, it focuses on the relationship between Harry Potter and his godfather, Sirius Black. Dementors began guarding Hogwarts when news of Sirius escaping Azkaban came out. Professor Lupin even decided to teach Harry the Patronus charm in order to defend himself against them.

The story further revealed that Sirius Black was framed to be the murderer of Lily and James Potter. However, the true culprit was Peter Pettigrew, the animagus and traitor in the Marauders friend group. While awaiting a death sentence by having his soul sucked out by a dementor, Hermione and Harry manage to save him by using a time-turner locket Hermione has received from Dumbledore.

Dementors and Patronus Charms

Dementors were first shown in the Prisoner of Azkaban. These creatures were once used by the British Ministry of Magic to guard Azkaban. Dementors have the ability to generate fear, depression, and despair. They’re also able to consume souls. These creatures can be driven away by Patronus charms.

Expecto Patronum is a spell used to unlock a wizard or witch’s Patronus charm. They must think of the happiest memory they can muster to unlock their familiarity. For Harry, his Patronus was a stag. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

For the fourth in our list of Harry Potter movies, we are introduced to two more wizarding schools: Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The Triwizard Tournament is announced, and people at the age of 17 and above are the only ones allowed to place their names inside the Goblet of Fire. Unfortunately, Harry’s name is picked eventually, forcing him to compete in the games.

While relying on Mad-Eye Moody for most of the film, it was discovered that it was actually Barty Crouch Jr., after using polyjuice potion, who made sure to rig the competition and turned the Triwizard Cup into a portkey to a graveyard where Voldemort waited for Harry. The tournament ends with the loss of Cedric Diggory and the return of Voldemort himself.

Triwizard Tournament

The Triwizard Tournament is a historic inter-school competition that is only held once every five years. The competition is between Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts. Because of the overwhelming amount of deaths, the tournament was canceled. It was continued after centuries and began once more in Hogwarts. The Triwizard Tournament’s initial goal was to maintain international friendships between the three major schools in Europe.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes fifth in the list of Harry Potter movies. Cornelius Fudge, the head of the Ministry of Magic, refuses to believe Harry Potter regarding the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. Dolores Umbridge replaces Albus Dumbledore as head of Hogwarts, and becomes a brutal educator to the children. As a result, Dumbledore’s Army reawakens in a new generation. 

Using the Room of Requirement, Dumbledore’s Army practices defense against the dark arts in secret. At the same time, Snape attempts to teach Harry how to reject Voldemort’s chances of seeing through his thoughts. Meanwhile, Harry discovers Snape’s disdain for James Potter. He also envisions his godfather, Sirius, being tortured inside the Ministry of Magic. The Death Eaters ambush Harry and his companions, and a battle ensues. Dumbledore rescues the children in an at-odds battle with Voldemort, who disappears, just after being spotted by the wizards and witches entering the ministry for work.

Death Eaters

There was a large number of Death Eaters that went into hiding after the first defeat of Lord Voldemort. They were rebellious against the order of the Ministry of Magic, and were pure-blood supremacists. Death Eaters loyally devoted themselves to Lord Voldemort. They wore black hoods with intricate masks, and also had the Dark Mark on their left forearm. The Dark Mark is a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. There are thirty-seven officially named Death Eaters. Here are a few of the most notable ones:

Fenrir Greyback

Unlike the other Death Eaters, Fenrir didn’t have a dark mark. He was tasked with infecting people with his lycanthropy by biting them. Fenrir was infamously known for his cannibalism and attacking children. He murdered Lavender Brown during the Battle of Hogwarts but was repelled out on the window by Hermione Granger. It was unclear whether he died or was sent to life imprisonment.

Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix Lestrange was Lord Voldemort’s right-hand. She was exceptionally gifted with the cruciatus curse and used it against Neville Longbottom’s parents and Hermione Granger. She murdered Sirius Black, Dobby the House-elf, and attempted to murder Ginny Weasley as well. Molly Weasley eventually killed Bellatrix.

Lucius Malfoy

Lucius Malfoy is the father of Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter’s rival during his years in Hogwarts. Along with Bellatrix, Lucius served Lord Voldemort loyally and was his second-in-command for the First Wizarding War. He was able to avoid Azkaban imprisonment by betraying his fellow Death Eaters. To people’s surprise, Lucius defected from the Death Eaters alongside his wife and son, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy.

Peter Pettigrew

Peter Pettigrew was once a close friend and ally of James Potter, before he betrayed them for the Dark Lord. He became an animagus and lived as the Weasley’s pet rat for a long period of time. It was only until the third movie that he came out to be the true traitor of the group. He attempted to murder Harry but couldn’t do so. In the end, the silver hand given to him by Lord Voldemort was what killed him. 

Severus Snape

Severus Snape volunteered to monitor Albus Dumbledore, while his loyalty remained with Lily Potter. Throughout the series, Snape’s loyalty was often the subject of many questions. It became apparent, though, that he sided with the Dark Lord after assassinating Albus Dumbledore. A plot twist then revealed that Dumbledore actually requested to be assassinated by Snape. All this time, Snape did everything he could to protect Harry. Nagini killed him when Lord Voldemort believed him to be the true owner of the Elder Wand.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Half-Blood Prince is one of the most tragic in the list of Harry Potter movies. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Lord Voldemort gives Draco Malfoy various tasks. Harry notices Draco becoming more unhinged and suspicious. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters begin terrorizing both the wizarding world and the muggle world.

Dumbledore and Harry convince Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts as the potions professor. In Potions class, the book owned by the Half-Blood Prince which was in Harry’s possession, had notes written down which were more helpful than the book itself. Scribbled down on the book was a vicious spell called Sectum Sempra, which Harry used on Draco once he realized that the poison Ron consumed from a mead they had drunk, and Katie Bell being cursed by a necklace, was Draco’s doing. 

The book also allows Harry to win the Liquid Luck Potion from Professor Slughorn, which he then uses to retrieve the memory of Professor Slughorn giving Voldemort information regarding Horcruxes. Learning of this new information helps Dumbledore and Harry in destroying an active Horcrux: Slytherin’s Locket. However, the Inferi attack Dumbledore and Harry. Weakened by the poison and the battle, Snape was able to kill Dumbledore. It turns out, however, that Draco has been given the mission of killing Dumbledore from the very beginning.

Severus Snape’s Origin

Before releasing the book, there were already many rumors swirling about the Half-Blood Prince. Severus Snape’s origin story confirms he was the half-blood prince in both the book and the film. Snape was born to a muggle named Tobias Snape and a pure-blood witch named Eileen Prince. The Half-Blood Prince’s advanced potions book had proper technique in making the potions in class. This copy ended up in Harry’s hands. Snape nicknamed himself the Half-Blood Prince, somewhat despising his father because of the neglect he experienced.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The seventh installment of the franchise was split into two parts. Part one focuses on the trio continuing their mission handed down by Dumbledore. The trio was bequeathed items from Dumbledore: a deluminator, a copy of the Tales from Beedle the Bard, and Harry’s first golden snitch. Unfortunately, Dolores Umbridge had it stolen. The trio manages to get the locket, but experiences negative energies whenever wearing it. Ron departs from the group but returns just in time to save Harry from the locket strangling him. Ron destroys the locket using Godric Gryffindor’s sword. 

Hermione discovers the Deathly Hallows. They visit Xenophilius Lovegood, and learn about the three objects before being chased, captured, and taken to Malfoy Manor. The trio escapes with imprisoned Luna Lovegood. However, Dobby the house-elf dies.

Deathly Hallows

Death gave the Peverell brothers magical items. Hermione’s copy of the Tales from Beedle the Bard contains this story. Dumbledore and Grindelwald hypothesized that holding all three artifacts would make one the master of death itself. The only known wizard possessing all three objects, but not at the same time, is Harry Potter. Dumbledore had all three but was not the true owner of the Invisible Cloak.

The Resurrection Stone

According to Beedle the Bard, Cadmus Peverell requested for the Resurrection Stone. It was the second of the Deathly Hallows to be created. Legend says that Cadmus requested the stone to bring back his fiance, who died just before they were about to wed. Realizing that he merely brought back just a piece of her, as she seemed like a shell of who she once was, Cadmus yearned for his true lover. He then killed himself to be reunited with her.

The Invisible Cloak

Ignotus Peverell requested for the invisible cloak. He was the only one of the Peverell brothers who did not meet a tragic death. Ignotus used the cloak to escape death often, and once he was old and grey, appeared to Death like it was an old friend. Harry Potter, who was a direct descendant of Ignotus himself, inherited the robe. 

The Elder Wand

The eldest brother of the Peverell trio was Antioch Peverell. He wanted to have the most powerful wand, and used it to kill a man whom he had dueled with. The problem with the competitive Antioch was that he bragged about the Elder Wand being the most powerful wand in existence. In his sleep, they slit his throat open and stole his wand.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Last in the list of Harry Potter movies in order is the second half of the Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore’s Army hunted down the rest of the Horcruxes. The trio plans a heist inside Gringotts Bank, focusing on Bellatrix’s vault and gaining Hufflepuff’s cup. Luna Lovegood urges Harry to converse with Helena Ravenclaw, discovering the diadem and burning it in Fiendfyre.

Snape sacrifices himself to protect Harry. While he dies from Nagini’s attack, the truth about his love for Lily Potter and him being a double agent for Dumbledore is revealed. Harry also discovers that he himself is a pseudo-horcrux. He dies at the hands of Voldemort, but survives the curse. Meanwhile, Neville Longbottom kills Nagini using Gryffindor’s sword. The last battle between Harry and Voldemort ensues. In the epilogue, the trio now have their own children departing for their first year in Hogwarts. 

Horcruxes

Horcruxes are an important part of Lord Voldemort. They are pieces of his soul etched into physical beings and items. This allowed The Dark Lord to become immortal. Lord Voldemort had to kill and then immediately perform a spell in order to create one Horcrux. Dumbledore’s Army hunted down and destroyed these in order to kill Voldemort once and for all.

Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring

Marvolo Gaunt’s ring was passed down to the Gaunt family for centuries before being stolen by Tom Riddle. The ring was originally passed down to Morfin, who was framed by Tom Riddle for the murder of the rest of the Riddle clan. Albus Dumbledore destroyed the Horcrux inside Marvolo Gaunt’s ring. In Deathly Hallows, it contains the resurrection stone.

Tom Riddle’s Diary

Tom Riddle’s Diary makes its first appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry destroyed it during his mission to rescue Ginny Weasley from the hands of a younger Lord Voldemort himself. The Basilisk’s fang was able to pierce through and destroy its spell.

Locket of Salazar Slytherin

Regulus Black and the house-elf named Kreacher discovered the locket of the original head of Slytherin house. The two failed to destroy the locket, and Regulus had died. Many others stole the locket, including Dolores Umbridge. Ron Weasley destroyed it in the Deathly Hallows using Godric Gryffindor’s sword.

The Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw

Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem was lost after Helena Ravenclaw stole it and hid it in Albania. Tom Riddle got Helena to speak of its location and used it to become a Horcrux. Harry, Luna, Hermione, and Ron discovered its location inside Hogwarts itself. The Room of Requirement became a battleground between the rest of the gang versus Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. The fiendfyre casted by Crabbe, who also perished during the battle, burned the diadem.

Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup

Tom Riddle stole Helga Hufflepuff’s cup and kept in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. The Golden trio then took it from Gringotts Bank. Once they discovered that using the Basilisk fangs could destroy the Horcrux, Hermione and Ron went to the Chamber of Secrets to destroy it.

Nagini (Lord Voldemort’s Snake)

Harry Potter released Nagini from captivity in the first Harry Potter movie. Lord Voldemort, on the other hand, kept Nagini close to his side. The Dark Lord spoke Parseltongue, making it easy for him to communicate with Nagini. Neville Longbottom killed it using Godric Gryffindor’s sword.

Harry Potter (False Horcrux)

Harry Potter was a psuedo-horcrux. A piece of Voldemort’s soul attached itself to Harry during Lily’s sacrifice. Voldemort attempted to use the killing curse on Harry Potter, but failed. The twist here is that Voldemort only killed the piece of his soul etched inside Harry during Lily Potter’s sacrifice. Harry was not a true Horcrux because Voldemort didn’t intend to make him into one. 

Where to Stream Harry Potter Movies in Order

Now that you’ve had a complete rundown of the Harry Potter movie franchise, it’s time to find the sites and places to watch Harry Potter itself. Streaming Harry Potter on Netflix is possible, but only for a few select regions. HBO Max also allows you to rent the series as well as the streaming service Peacock. Fans can also watch Harry Potter movies on Amazon as a complete series. Lastly, the complete Harry Potter paperback box set is available on Amazon as well. 

Conclusion

Now you have learned about every Harry Potter movie showing the adventures of the golden trio. Still, the magic lies in the story, making it all possible. Whether or not you agree with critics that the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best Harry Potter movie or find the ending unsatisfactory is now up to you. At the very least, we can all agree that Harry Potter is definitely a film series worth binge-watching.