HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE (PG)

The first film, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was released in 2001 based on JK Rowling’s first book. It is full of stunning special effects and sparkling performances from everyone concerned. Daniel Radcliffe, as the orphaned Harry Potter, plays a wholly believable hero, first enduring misery with his nasty relatives and then learning on his 11th brithday that he is the son of two powerful wizards and possesses magical powers. Soon he is at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where all kind of magical events occur as Harry learns the Philosopher’s Stone, which gives its owner immortality, is under threat. It’s five-star wizard entertainment.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (PG)

A mysterious force is stalking the corridors of Hogwarts School and several students are discovered in a petrified state. Boy wizard Harry and best friend Ron (Rupert Grint) investigate. Chamber of Secrets opens where Philosophers Stone ended and this breathtaking follow-up lives up to the hype. The young cast come into their own, and the film is truly scary, capturing the book’s disturbing undercurrents of impending doom. Watch out for the white-knuckle game of Quidditch between Gryffindor and Slytherin houses,which bears a striking resemblance to the Death Star trench run from the original Star Wars.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG)

On returning to Hogwarts for his third year, Harry and his old pals Hermione and Ron learn that a convicted murderer has escaped from the wizards’ jail Azkaban.

What’s different about the Prisoner of Azkaban, compared to the first two Potter pictures, is that it is much, much darker than anything that has gone before it.

Filmed under predominantly grey skies, the tale is rife with monsters, ghosts, ghouls and the more sinister side of magic and director Alfonso Cuaron (who replaces the king of the big budget family flick, Chris Columbus) doesn’t pull any punches with his shock tactics. Indeed, younger viewers may well be shocked.

The special effects are fantastic but they’re never allowed to swamp the story or be used as some kind of cinematic sleight of hand to deflect attention from a weak script. There’s no need.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (12A)

“DARK and difficult times lie ahead, Harry,” warns Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), as his 14-year-old protege wrestles with the terrifying prospect of Voldemort’s return.

“Soon we must all face the choice... between what is right... and what is easy.”

Ominous black clouds are gathering over Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, the fourth film based on JK Rowling’s books.

Harry and his good friends Ron and Hermione are no longer naive, fresh-faced first years. Lord have mercy, their hormones are now kicking in.

Radcliffe continues to mature as an actor but it’s Watson and Grint who impress most, despite their limited screen time. Sparks of sexual chemistry are clear for all to see.

Special effects are impressive and polished, not least in the climactic encounter between Harry and Voldemort in the graveyard, which might be too scary for some youngsters.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (12A)

This is probably the darkest of the Potter movies and one of the least liked books but it’s this dark side which makes the movie exceptionally appealing. Suffering from a feeling of isolation after having spent all summer alone without a word from Ron or Hermione, Harry is desperately awaiting the start of his fifth year at Hogwarts.

Director David Yates takes the journey of young Harry through to adulthood with a tough approach that suits the tale. He also cleverly stops Harry short of looking like a whinging teenager and instead creates a journey most will recognise from those turbulent teenage years.

The finale will have you on the edge of your seat. The special effects have been stepped up a notch and the climactic showdown between Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort will have you glued to the screen.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (12A)

DAVID Yates returns to the director’s chair after the disappointing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the lastest instalment in JK Rowling’s magical series as the boy wizard and his friends face their toughest test yet.

Thankfully, the sixth film is a marked improvement on the previous outing, riding some of the same dark undercurrents as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is still the strongest adventure in the series thus far.

Visual effects are near flawless as usual, seamlessly melded with the live action, including the welcome return of Quidditch.

The central trio continue to improve as actors, showing deft comic timing, and Broadbent makes his mark as the guilt-ridden addition to the Hogwarts teaching fold.

Director Yates marshals all of the technical elements with increasing confidence and skill but there’s still something missing: an emotional resonance that has readers of Rowling’s books in floods of tears.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (12A)

AND so it begins – the final chapter of JK Rowling’s best-selling fantasy saga, which holds the honour of the highest grossing film franchise of all time.

Cleaved in two for creative and commercial reasons, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows follows on from the shocking events of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with Harry, Ron and Hermione facing the renewed threat from Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and the Death Eaters.

David Yates, who directed the sixth film, strikes an even darker, gloomier tone for his imagining of the seventh book, leavened with occasional flashes of humour.

Part 1 concludes with good and evil evenly balanced, both sides having suffered losses in pursuit of ultimate victory.

Here's a taste of what's to come in the Deathly Hallows Part 2...