Well, here's the thing.

I used to be a Harry Potter fan a long time ago. I had the first movie, "Harry Potter and The Sorceror's Stone" on VCR (old stuff right there) and would love watching it even though I had no idea what was going on, I just liked the magical aspect of it!

Then I "sorta" saw "Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets." At that age, my brain was becoming more developed so that I can actually pay attention to what the movie was about. That was a long one and I could only remember bits and pieces of that, because I think I fell asleep. That was the first and last one I ever saw in the theater, and my parents stopped taking us to see the following movies, so I fell out of the fandom.

None of you knew this, but for my last birthday, I was given the first six Star Wars movies, because believe it or not, I have never seen them before. I'll get into more details at a later time, but I was going to watch them all and do one big review here. But then, another fandom called to me...again.

It is Harry Potter's birthday month, so my cable provider (maybe yours too, you better hurry up and go check!) decided to put all eight Harry Potter movies for On-Demand, for free. Free.

I have been waiting for so long to get back into this fandom, so I stopped watching Star Wars to take advantage of this temporary opportunity.

So, now that I'm older and can understand plots better, I have went back to the beginning to rewatch the first two movies, and continued to the end.

So, first was "Harry Potter and The Sorceror's Stone." I give that one a 4.85/5. After watching that so many times as a young child, I recalled a lot of the scenes easily, except this time around I was absorbing words and context better. I have to say, this part was a little long- and maybe a tad bit slow, but there's always something going on that could keep the viewer interested throughout the entire movie. Even today, the visuals have aged fairly well, with the exception of a couple of scenes, but it's nothing that is too distracting- plus, it sorta adds to the oddity of magic existing in the real world, you never really know what to expect no matter how weird it is/looks.

Next, "Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets;" 4.84/5. I feel like this is the one that will determine whether or not you're ready to be a Harry Potter fan. It is the longest installment of the series, and it does feel incredibly slow. However, I wouldn't say it was necessarily "a drag," it was a good kind of slow. It managed to replicate what the last movie did by making sure you're in-tune throughout, just in a larger proportion. But, I did hit a point where I realized I've been sitting for two hours straight- with forty-seven minutes left to go- and felt like I was still in the middle of the plot! I did have a slight headache after, but it was a solid mixture of sitting and staring at the screen for so long, and absorbing the crucial events that took place in the movie. I liked it less than "The Sorceror's Stone," but it certainly did its job in keeping me in the fandom by impressively holding the viewer's attention for so long.

"Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban-" 4.85/5. This redeemed itself from the last part a bit, and I wound up liking it more than the first part. It delved further into the Wizarding World's darker side- without coming off as even the slightest bit edgy (Hey, DC Comics, ever consider bringing in J.K. Rowling for a project?). There were more twists in this movie and a bit more magical action, which did well in making the movie feel like it was worth its time- even though this one was shorter than its predecessors. Also, I was already used to Richard Harris' (R.I.P.) portrayal of Albus Dumbledore-

-so to see the new Dumbledore (portrayed by a younger, Michael Gambon) moving around more energetically was kind of a weird change for me.

Granted, the plot seemed to require a more active Dumbledore than before, but if that were the case, you could have just not hired Harris- especially considering how there was an expectation to keep a majority of the actors/actresses- in which they did really good with that! Suppose if Harris were more limber at that time, who's to say he would be as so many years later? The dude barely moved in the first movies, would you have really expected him to go any faster later on? 😂

All due respect to him though, he played his part well while he still could. Thank you Richard Harris, and thank you Michael Gambon for the smooth switch.

"Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire" is a 4.88/5. This installment is certainly a promising one and does well in setting up the future movies. Three movies in, and you probably wonder "Is the primary setting of the series just going to be this school?" Then this fourth movie comes, and well, yes, it mainly takes place in Hogwarts again, but it expands the Wizarding World further by introducing other schools and societies revolved around magic. In addition, we get to see even more action with more new spells, and finally, our long-awaited villain has returned in full, Lord Voldemort.

Also, I should point out the characters are beginning to mature as the actors/actresses themselves age as well, which really creates a fondness for both character and portrayor!

Moving on, "Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix:" 4.91/5. Even better! We get more action, especially in the end! We get a few twists and turns again, finding out things that we either have been long awaiting for or just were not expecting at all! The typical "slow" feeling of Harry Potter movies dies down a bit, reminding the viewer that it only gets more intense from here. The plot gets a bit perplexing, so it is crucial to pay attention- I was distracted a few times while watching this one and found myself lost at some points. I should also note, it is here where I grew fond of Michael Gambon's Dumbledore...No spoilers here.

I have to say, to my surprise, "Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince" is a 4.83/5; not my favorite. We get a lot more emotion in this part, which is perfect for character development. But, there were moments I felt like there was too much of it. I couldn't hate nor even dislike it, however, because these characters are growing up, and even though they're in school to practice magic, we are reminded that they are still humans- relatable ones even. We've fallen in love, fell out of it, been confused, and yada-yada, so we get these characters. At the same time, I feel like the movie revolved around teen-romance more than before, to the point where I was getting tired of seeing it in the movie. Fortunately, the action and suspenseful scenes were appropriately placed to remind you that that isn't the focus. I'm not saying all of it was lovey-dovey, but "The Half Blood Prince" was a bit squishier. Squishier, but still thrilling and shocking even. The plot-twists in this installment were the biggest of the series, and lead perfectly into the next movie.

"Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows- Part 1" springboards nicely off "The Half-Blood Prince" with a 4.91/5, picking up where it left off and capitalizing on the latter, while even increasing its importance to the series. "The Deathly Hallows- Part 1" sets the perfect tone of a world "in dark times," where pain, suffering, and/or misery is apparent no matter where these characters go or what they do. It is this that sparks the need for an uprising, and so they prepare for it no matter the risks. You'll be left with many questions, which could be annoying, but the cliffhanger they went with actually strays you away from that momentarily. It's almost as if your confusion is shared through these characters, then when "it" happens, you stop for a moment- as the characters do- to take it all in...

No spoiling here...

And, finally, "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows- Part 2" ends off the series beautifully with a 4.98/5, with all of your questions finally answered. I have no problem with this movie, it was my favorite, and it is everything I'd want from a finale. Although, why not a 5/5 then? Because, for the first time, that typical slowness of a Harry Potter movie is not present in this installment. Alternatively, I wished for more. It was such a good ending, everything was just as it should, but I couldn't help but want it to go on a bit longer. Whether it be through a longer battle, more dialogue, whatever! It's like that feeling you get when you're have your favorite snack, and you know it's your perfect portion, but you can't help but feel like you want more, because...you know, it's your favorite!

Now then. I have two more movies to watch. Although, let it be noted, I did see "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them," but I still wasn't in the fandom, so I didn't enjoy it at all; I even fell asleep. I didn't rate it because of that, but now I need to go back and rewatch it to see how it goes, and maybe even "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald" when it comes out...

So....

Now that I am officially a fan...

You're all probably wondering.

So, I'll just get to it then:

I am a Gryffindor in Hogwarts and a Thunderbird in Ilvermorny.

My Patronus is the Fox.

I have a Beech Wand, Dragon Heartstring Core, 12.5 inches, unbending flexibility.

*"I love magic!" ~Harry Potter.