The Harry Potter film series has been one of the most successful franchises of all time. Based on the book series by J.K. Rowling, these fantasy films have consistently remained entertaining and timeless movies to be cherished by Potterheads everywhere for years to come.
However, there is no clear consensus on which Harry Potter film is the best of all of them. So today, we will be looking at two of the more popular entries in the series and pitting them against each other to see which is the best Harry Potter film: Alfonso Cuarón's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or David Yates's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2.
Prisoner Of Azkaban: The Direction
The Harry Potter films may have never been under a steadier directorial hand than Prisoner of Azkaban's Alfonso Cuarón. This Academy Award-winning director brought a unique style to the franchise with some of the best-directed sequences in the series.
We have scenes in which the camera enters reflective surfaces, long one-take sequences where the camera never cuts, and the blocking of every scene conveys every emotion perfectly, with stunning cinematography as the icing on the cake.
Deathly Hallows: The Emotion
The final installment of the series provides the most emotion out of any Harry Potter film. With Ron and Hermione falling in love for the first time and Neville finally finding the courage to stand up to Lord Voldemort, this film pulls at the heartstrings more than the other films.
Furthermore, this movie sees the deaths of many beloved characters such as Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape. The film has the most tearjerking scenes of the series, which we will delve into later.
Prisoner Of Azkaban: The Darker Turn
Chris Columbus directed the first two films in the series, and these films were light in tone in both story and direction. However, Prisoner of Azkaban goes down a much darker path, introducing Dementors and werewolves.
It introduces Sirius Black, a prisoner on the run widely believed to be after Harry. As a result, we consistently feel that Harry is in danger throughout the entirety of the film. This is a step in a different direction from the first two, as Harry is in direct danger.
Deathly Hallows: Harry Completes His Journey
The final film is where Harry finishes his story. The most touching scene of the film is when he uses the Resurrection Stone to speak to Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus after their deaths, telling them he never meant for anything that happened.
He soon walks to Lord Voldemort and sacrifices himself to destroy the final Horcrux inside him. He speaks to Dumbledore in limbo and discovers that he has a choice where he can board a train that would lead him to death, or return to the land of the living. It's a beautiful sequence, and it makes the final battle much more emotionally compelling.
Prisoner Of Azkaban: Time Travel
This is the only film in the series to include a time travel aspect with Hermione's Time-Turner. She had been using it to attend extra classes, and it takes on a critical role in the film's final act when Harry and Hermione use it to time travel three hours into the past and witness their past selves earlier in the movie.
Harry and Hermione witness the same events again as they rescue Buckbeak and later Sirius Black, causing certain events that happened the first time, ending with Harry casting a powerful Patronus to save his past self from Dementors in a chill-inducing scene.
Deathly Hallows: The Final Battle
As the last film in a series, this movie delivers on the thrilling action that you would expect from a finale. The Battle of Hogwarts is exciting, and it offers a bunch of magical battles as every student and teacher stands up against Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters.
It's a satisfying battle that gives us everything we would want to see. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione destroy the Horcruxes one by one, the film gets more and more compelling as Voldemort becomes weaker and weaker. Overall, this battle sequence is the best finale of the entire series.
Prisoner Of Azkaban: Builds On Harry's Backstory
In the first two films, all we know about Harry's childhood is that Voldemort killed Lily and James when he was a baby. However, this movie builds on the years before Harry was born, with the friendship between Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter.
This film reveals that Pettigrew betrayed Lily and James, tipping off Voldemort, which led to their deaths, and Sirius was framed. This makes the backstory much more shocking, and it's a surprise we didn't see coming.
Deathly Hallows: Snape's Story
One of the film's most heart-wrenching scenes is after Snape's death when he provides Harry with memories. Harry places them in the Pensieve and sees many parts of Snape's past.
This sequence gives Snape much more nuance after his death. We discover his love for Lily, and in Dumbledore's office, Snape casts a Patronus, and it is a doe, something to remind him of her. Dumbledore asks, "After all this time?" and Snape replies with "Always." It's a beautiful and tearjerking scene.
Prisoner Of Azkaban: The Hippogriff Scene
During Hagrid's first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, he introduces the class to Hippogriffs. Harry meets one named Buckbeak and Hagrid allows Harry to ride him as Buckbeak takes off and flies through Hogwarts grounds.
It's aesthetically beautiful, and the music which accompanies it from John Williams is lovely. It is undoubtedly one of the more iconic scenes from the films.
Deathly Hallows: The Epilogue
The final scene of Prisoner of Azkaban is a bit strange, ending on a blurry freeze frame. No Harry Potter ending may be better than the "19 years later" epilogue scene of Deathly Hallows - Part 2, where Harry and Ginny bring their kids to Hogwarts on Platform 9 3/4.
We discover that Harry has named his son Albus Severus Potter and we see Ron and Hermione's children also board the Hogwarts Express.