Rank 6: Dobby Goes Crazy
- Movie: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The second part of Harry Potter traditionally starts at the Dursleys. Vernon is expecting an important business visit, so Harry is told to stay in his room. While he “tries to pretend he is not there,” he is unexpectedly visited by Dobby, the house-elf. This all ends in disaster when Dobby levitates a cake and drops it right on Vernon’s important guest.
Admittedly, this opening sequence is significantly longer than the previous two on this list, giving it an advantage. But since everything happens temporally in sequence and takes place in one location, we’ll consider it as one opening scene.
Overall, the entire scene simply feels wonderfully classic “Harry Potter.” It’s magical, a bit quirky, funny, and also exciting. The whole situation with Dobby is just delightfully grotesque. Additionally, we see Dobby here for the first time, undoubtedly an iconic character. At the same time, several questions are raised that create suspense. Who is Dobby? What does he know? What threat lurks in Hogwarts?
