There is only one sensible order for the Harry Potter films, and it is the order they were released: Philosopher's Stone (2001), Chamber of Secrets (2002), Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Goblet of Fire (2005), Order of the Phoenix (2007), Half-Blood Prince (2009), and Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2 (2010 and 2011). Each film assumes you have seen the one before it, and several reveals only work because of what an earlier film withheld. Chronological order and release order are the same thing here, so there is no clever alternative to discover. What is worth knowing before you start is where the tone shifts. The first two films are made for children and look it — bright, warm, episodic. The third changes the visual language completely: handheld cameras, colder colour, uniforms worn loosely. From the fourth onwards the films are darker, longer in feel and increasingly about adults failing children. If you are watching with a younger viewer, the third and fourth films are where to pause and judge. In total the eight films run about nineteen and a half hours, which makes roughly three evenings at a comfortable pace, or a long weekend if you want them all at once. A note on the two-part finale: Part 1 and Part 2 were shot as one production and released seven months apart. Part 1 is deliberately slow and almost plotless in places; it is setup, and it pays off entirely in Part 2. Watch them close together.