Harry Potter 1-5

I finally gave in and watched the first five Harry Potter movies. All in all, they're pretty much what I expected. I'll try and give a quick review of each of them.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone: A decent saga-starter. I don't have any complaints with it per se, but I found it hard to get into since it's more of a kid's movie than anything else. Worth watching.

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets: A bit more enjoyable than the first movie, but still a little too kid-oriented for my taste. Of course, anything with a giant spider will peak my interest.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: This is one is my favorite for several reasons. Alfonso Curon (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men) brings some weight to the series without making things too dark. Gary Oldman is always a joy to watch, and this movie is no exception. Also, I like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore better than Richard Harris.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: This one I had a hard time with. The editing is really jumpy, which made following the plot difficult for me. Goblet's plot is definitely the weakest of the series thus far. That being said, the conclusion of the film makes up for the rest of it. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: This is when sh*t gets real. The overarching plot of the first four films finally moves to the forefront and becomes the main focus of Harry and his friends.

I like many aspects of these movies, but my favorite is the way in which they all fit together like a puzzle to tell one, big story. It reminds me of how TV shows like Dexter and Deadwood use individual episodes to weave a story together over a whole season. Even though I didn't love any of the Harry Potter movies, I definitely recommend them.