By Martha Brockenbrough, MSN's Cinemama 
Special to MSN Movies

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001)
The tagline for the first Harry Potter movie is "Let the Magic Begin," and it's apt. Most of the two-and-a-half-hour movie is a beginning, dedicated to the setup of the characters, their world and the conflict that runs through the whole Harry Potter saga.

When we first meet Harry, he's a wee babe in a blanket, dropped off at the door of his relatives, awful Muggles who make cheek-pinching aunts and pull-my-finger uncles look like winning the genetic lottery. We catch our first glimpse of his legendary lightning scar, and learn that Harry's life has been anything but magical. In the miserable Muggle house, Harry sleeps in a closet beneath a staircase, he's malnourished and berated, and he's not even allowed to accept a letter addressed to him.

Apparently, though, the letter is of the "offer you can't refuse" variety. Though his guardians run away to a remote and rocky island, there is apparently no hiding from Hogwarts. In the middle of the night on Harry's birthday, the half-giant Hagrid bursts through the door and sets the boy wizard free. Soon enough, Harry is off to London, where he picks up supplies in Diagon Alley, and friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger on the train to school.

He finally encounters an enemy in Draco Malfoy, and another apparent one in Severus Snape, but the movie's real action -- starting with his encounter with Lord Voldemort's disembodied head -- doesn't take place until the last few minutes. We first must meet various ghosts, watch a baby dragon hatch, encounter troll snot, learn about Quidditch and its rules, and witness Harry take the first of many drubbings on the field, among other things.

From a parent's point of view, this slow windup has its merits. The characters are nicely established. Alan Rickman's portrayal of Professor Snape might just be one of the best on-screen villains in any kids' movie. Rickman has a slow, oily way of speaking that's wonderful to watch, and if this movie is in your video library (it is, right?), his performance endures repeat viewing quite well.

What's more, the pacing makes the story clear and understandable, so young kids will be able to follow along. And they won't be too scared, either, although one 6-year-old we know had to leave the room when the students broke school rules. (She takes kindergarten seriously.)

Perhaps because its only real confrontation comes at the end, this is the least scary of the Harry Potter movies by far, rated PG for some mild language and perilous moments.

That relative lack of action makes it the least enjoyable from a grown-up's point of view, though. Not that we're obsessed with Harry Potter or anything. We know it's for kids. Really. But we're glad that subsequent installments improved on Chris Columbus's first effort.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002)
What does it take to kick the Harry Potter movies into gear? Nothing less than a flying car -- specifically, an aging blue sedan that's been pimped Ron Weasley's father and misappropriated by his brothers. The moment the twins and Ron drive up to rescue Harry Potter from the Dursleys' suburban prison, where he is literally barred into his room, we know the sequel is going to be more fun than the first movie.

And it is a lot more fun, from the very moment Harry and Ron take flight in the bewitched ride after they miss the Hogwarts train. Director Chris Columbus definitely raised the level of his game (by at least the 100-foot altitude the car takes over train tracks and emerald valleys).

The story's a lot sharper, too.

Not only does Harry first meet Dobby, the meddling house-elf who warns him of a murder plot against him, but Harry also starts hearing a menacing voice saying, "kill, kill." What's more, someone -- or something -- is petrifying non-pureblood students in the dark corridors of the school and writing messages in blood on the walls.

Some people, naturally, suspect Harry. Though he's more suspicious of his enemy, Draco Malfoy, who's a chip off his evil father's block, he does have doubts about himself, a theme that carries throughout the series. This is a clever move of author J.K. Rowling's, as it keeps Harry more sympathetic than he otherwise might be.

In this installment, we also learn a bit of backstory about the half-giant, Hagrid, and how he came to be expelled from Hogwarts. And we see how there's something of a race war brewing among pureblood wizards and those of mixed ancestry.

But it's not all dark. The students have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, a vain phony played to perfection by Kenneth Branagh. Lockhart is famous for all sorts of magical conquests, as well as for his charming smile and attractively coiffed hair (a wig, it appears).

When we first meet Professor Lockhart, he's at a bookstore event, surrounded by dozens of swooning fans. Soon enough, though, his students learn he can't even restrain a Cornish pixie. And his duel against Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) is a horrible mismatch -- and not in Lockhart's favor.

We're also treated to our first meeting of Moaning Myrtle, a deranged ghost who occupies the bathroom where Harry, Ron and Hermione meet to discuss the mystery, and later manufacture a potion that accidentally turns Hermione into a cat.

And finally, Ron Weasley provides plenty of comic relief with his broken wand, vomiting slugs by the bucketful after a hex goes wrong.

It's the mixture of comedy and drama that make the stories so appealing. Yes, each installment is a matter of life and death (and is rated PG for some scary moments and mild language). But the humor makes the stories lovable. It's not just Harry we end up rooting for; it's his friends, too. You'd have to be pretty jaded not to be excited for the third movie by the time this one wraps up.

What's more, the overall message of the movie is one that should mean something to parents. It can be summarized by a quote from one of Professor Dumbledore's pep talks with Harry:

"It is not our abilities that show what we truly are," he says. "It is our choices."

How nice to show kids how much this matters with humor and excitement. It sure beats a family meeting.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004)
The third movie in the series brings us a new director, Alfonso Cuarón, who's worked on other kid-lit adaptations (Frances Hodgson Burnett's "A Little Princess" and Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"). But he's not just a maker of movies for minis; he also directed last year's dystopian "Children of Men," and "Azkaban" was his follow-up to the erotic art-house hit "Y tu mamá también."

In short, he's a serious filmmaker, and it shows.

"Prisoner of Azkaban" is the best to date of the Potter series. It's visually lush, the characters are well established and compelling, and the story takes a couple of twists that both inspire and tug at the heartstrings a bit.

As did the first two movies, this one starts in the Dursleys' sterile suburban home. Dudley's aunt is visiting, a stocky woman who looks a bit like a wild boar in a wig. During her stay, she insults both Harry and his dead mother, and for her pains is blown up like a balloon and set loose into the air above Privet Drive. Once again, Harry has violated the ban on the practice of underage magic outside school, but he gets away with it mostly because the notorious Death Eater Sirius Black has somehow escaped the wizards prison, Azkaban, and is thought to be coming to finish Harry off.

To protect the boy wizard, a group of awful, black-robed, soul-sucking creatures known as Dementors is patrolling Hogwarts -- and nearly kills him during a Quidditch match. (At some point, Harry might figure out he's been seriously hurt every year during games, and perhaps join the chess club or something.)

In short, Harry's not even safe from those who would protect him, and so the school's new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, teaches Harry how to work a spell that will conjure a protective spirit.

Meanwhile, the rivalry between Draco Malfoy and Harry continues, but again, with higher stakes. This time, Draco's been wounded by one of Hagrid's magical creatures, and even though it was Draco's fault, the animal -- a hippogriff named Buckbeak -- has been sentenced to death.

Harry, Ron and Hermione take it upon themselves to save Buckbeak, with a bit of magical help from headmaster Albus Dumbledore. It's probably not revealing too much to say that Harry and Sirius Black do have their encounter, which ends in an unexpected and touching way.

But perhaps the best relationship in the film is between Harry and Professor Lupin, who teaches Harry how to recognize and confront his fears. Note to parents: Lupin's tricks work as well with giant spiders and intimidating potions masters as they do with more quotidian fears. This movie is probably too scary for most kids still in the single-digit ages, but for older ones, it'd be a great flick for a child with some demons to conquer. If Harry can do it, so can they.

Like all the rest of the Defense of the Dark Arts teachers, Lupin doesn't manage to keep the job for more than a year, but fans of the charismatic actor who portrayed him, David Thewlis, will be glad to know he'll be back for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005)
This is the first of the Harry Potter movies to earn a PG-13 rating. It's worth pondering that a bit. Although the books were originally written for middle-grade readers -- meaning 10- to 14-year-olds -- kids much younger than that have fallen under the boy wizard's spell.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," this summer's follow-up to "Goblet of Fire," also is rated PG-13, for violence and scary images. Many parents will wonder if it's right for their younger kids -- and not just the fringe types who have written Harry off as Satan's handmaiden. (Oh, please ...)

Without revealing too much about the "Goblet of Fire" plot, I can say that this movie marks the end of innocence for Harry. Though death has been referred to in past movies, this is the first one in which we see two die. Harry, meanwhile, stumbles across the corpse of a third.

The movie also diverges significantly from the book, cutting out all of Hermione's funny activism with SPEW (the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare). This is so director Mike Newell ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") can focus almost entirely on the Triwizard Tournament -- a sort of wizard Olympics, where representatives from each school compete in deathly challenges.

I won't waste too much time pondering why the entire wizard world apparently comes from England, France and -- wait for it -- Bulgaria. Suffice it to say that Harry finds himself mysteriously included among the ranks of the champions, even though he is three years too young.

It's no huge surprise that Harry does better than expected in the competition. The challenges are thrilling and, honestly, easier to grasp on film than in the book. But this movie is so dark that even victory is tinged with a feeling of pending doom. It's not for the sort of kid who needs a happy ending to sleep at night.

But it's certainly an exciting, scary and moving installment -- one that will leave kids primed for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," where Harry, in his dark new world, once again must fight for mere survival against powerful enemies whose hearts pump more evil than blood.

Frankly, at this point, it's no longer a kids' story. This doesn't mean kids shouldn't watch it; it's wonderful entertainment for those who won't be too dismayed by the sadness it contains. Rather, it's a classic tale of good vs. evil -- the sort that has played out as long as humans have been telling stories.

And truthfully, it's hard to imagine someone of any age who could stop watching at this point -- and there are three movies yet to come.

What is your favorite Harry Potter movie? Write us at heymsn@microsoft.com

In addition to her regular contributions to MSN Movies, Martha Brockenbrough is author of "It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond." She's also founder of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. She writes a fun-with-kids column for Cranium.com, as well as an educational humor column for Encarta. Check out her Web site.

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