Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) We just won’t talk about CGI Fluffy who hasn’t aged particularly well. It’s the ultimate in magical wish fulfilment.

This is a universe of so much potential that enraptures its readers and in that respect, the designers and casting professionals did everything right. Chris Columbus direction might be plodding but the goblins of Gringotts, meeting Hagrid, learning Quidditch with the most chipper of Scots and entering the Gryffindor common room are all silver screen joy. Richard Harris’ Dumbledore is a bittersweet joy as he welcomes the adorable Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint to their future lives as Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and the joy of experiencing Rowling’s world for the first time can’t be undersold. Regardless though, it sets the scene for everything to come and if nothing else is two and a half hours of the promise of future excitement. Yet it’s important to note that your memories of Harry receiving his letter are all about the first time you saw this world brought to life, not of the film itself which is distinctly average compared to what followed. The John Williams score twinkling for the first time… that defining shot of Hogwarts against an inky black starry sky… Diagon Alley. It feels like sacrilege to put the first movie so low. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) Like a Blast-Ended Skrewt with its stinger removed, magical but a little too safe. While it’s not until Prisoner of Azkaban that things get really dark, the horrifying mystery at the heart of Chamber of Secrets is dealt with bravely, if ploddingly with a massive 161 minute run time. It’s still got a giant murderous snake that lives in the walls (Basilisky business), exciting Quidditch matches, the kids are still at that adorable stage, and the perfect casting of Kenneth Branagh as the entirely inept Professor Gilderoy Lockhart is a glowing example of the British talent commanded by the franchise.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets isn’t quite T (for Troll) though.

There's magic here but with stabilisers on. He might now be in charge of a Five Nights at Freddy’s adaptation and be responsible for Home Alone and Mrs Doubtfire, but Columbus’ slavish silver screen Potter attempts manage to make the source material oddly paint by numbers. Despite paving the way for the rest of the movies, you can probably already see that Chris Columbus’ debut adaptations aren't doing particularly well in our list of the best Harry Potter movies.

3rd harry potter film