User reviews

When I first walked into the movie, my expectations were not very high. The first two movies, I thought, were the best of the series mainly due to Richard Harris' dead-on portrayal of Dumbledore and screenplays that closely followed the original books. Though the third and fourth movies were very artistic and dramatic, I couldn't really connect to them in the way i had with the books. They glossed over many of the little things that made the Harry Potter series so magical in the first place, focusing on a select few plot lines and limiting dialog to only what was necessary to further the story.

As a result they've felt more like a collage of scenes, a series of puzzle pieces, thrown at the viewers faster than they can piece together, just leading up to a final confrontation. Pacing has certainly been an issue, leaving fans feeling disjointed, and those new to the series confused as to what exactly is going on. In this respect, Order of the Phoenix was very similar to the previous two movies. As a Hollywood film, it deserves praise, bringing this amazing world to the big screen, telling a compelling tale, and keeping the viewers glued to their seats for the duration of the movie. However, to the die hard fans of the books, you will undoubtedly be disappointed.

Many scenes that one would think invaluable to the story have been cut, replaced by the hasty filling in of plot holes. And while it pains me to ignore some of my favorite scenes from the book being left on the cutting room floor (St. Mungo's, Harry's Quibbler interview, the Quidditch fight, etc.), I realize that yes, not everything could be included in the movie. But in this watered down version of the book, there seems to be something missing. We still have all the drama and excitement, but some of the magic just seems to be gone.

Aside from Evanna (couldn't have made a more perfect Luna), the kids give simply average performances, never really reaching the full potential put forth by JK Rowling's writing. The same goes for Gambon, who seems to have ignored the calm, all knowing, endearing idea of who Dumbledore is, in favor of a more erratic yet powerful headmaster. Sure, this works well in the more dramatic scenes (specifically the final battle), but otherwise, his performance falls flat, lacking the eye twinkling charm we came to love from the late Richard Harris. Thankfully, Imelda Staunton more than makes up for this in an amazing portrayal of Dolores Umbridge, one of the more fully realized characters of the movie. As for the rest of the cast, it's largely hit or miss, determined by how each scene is written.

Overall, I would certainly recommend the movie for everyone, fan or not, as it really was a well made movie, despite a few wooden actors and some bad dialog. But when looking at the books, one really can't help but think how much more potential this movie could've had.

Within the first 5 minutes you can tell the series has undergone a dramatic tone shift and I have to say I think thats appropriate since Voldemorts return at the end of Goblet of Fire means that it's time to put aside childish things. The big bad men are here and they don't care about hurting children. it's time to get nasty.

Gone is the frivolity of the first couple of movies where magic was cool and everything in this new and magical world was just wonderful to behold, a la World of Disney. The new director has taken some risks with style and approach and they've paid off brilliantly. Order of the Phoenix is probably the darkest of the five movies we've had so far, even more so than Azkhaban which was a step in the right direction for where the series would eventually be heading. There's very little "fun" in Phoenix and you can see why. The Dark Lord is back, it's no laughing matter and this movie actually sells that fact.

This (in the movie world at least) is where Harry Potter crosses the line from kids movie to grown ups movie.

Harry now has some serious mental scars (as well as his actual one of course) since the events of the previous movie which while lighter than Azkhaban, followed on well from that movie. The Ministry of Magic is in denial about Voldermorts return and are trying to control the flow of rumour stemming from the events of Goblet. To this end we have new teacher and Ministry stooge Dolores Umbridge. Pink and fluffy on the outside, crunchy and evil on the inside. She makes no qualms about re-ordering the law at Hogwarts putting the kybosh on anything even remotely fun and making the students lives a complete misery. What she put Harry through in detention was simply pure evil.

She wasn't quite how I pictured her from the book but Imelda Staunton played her with a deliciously bitter/sweet twist, all charming and proper in her righteous delusions with that "stab you in the back" thing going on. She was a nasty piece of work.

It is a shame that a lot of the content of the book was missing but it was a big book and although I can't put my finger on what wasn't in the movie (I read it a while ago now) it does sometimes feel that there should have more substance to a few areas, mainly the characterisation of some of the characters. Most of the major bits I remember from the book were in the movie. There's a pace here we haven't seen before, a new musical approach also puts a new twist on things and I think Harry Potters world seems to fit it's new clothes well. I'm eagerly anticipating what's next as I hear David Yates is also directing the Half Blood Prince (last I heard anyway) and since that book has zombies in it I think the new dark style will suit it awesomely thank you very much.

The characters all look much older than they're supposed to be in Phoenix but it also kind of works in it's favour. They all look like they have a bit more history and life experience behind them, they're coping with stuff that will age any kid and it shows. That's also testament to the acting as well. Here mostly all the acting is pretty good, Ron Harry and Hermione all put in good efforts obviously having gotten the hang of the whole acting lark. Gambon is good as Dumbledore but I do miss Richard Harris and keep playing what might have been his versions of Gambons scenes over in my head. When I read the books it's Harris I'm picturing. Helena Bonham Carter gives a kooky insane kind of air to Bellatrix Lestrange (must get that from hubby Tim Burton) who was a pretty good character. One thing about this film though is that the actual Order of the Phoenix isn't in it all that much really. A flaw that wasn't in the book. The line about Snape being in the order, if you missed it you wouldn't even know he was in the order at all and a subsequent scene later on might seem confusing.

Kreacher was well done I though, coming across as a real miserable old bugger which was appropriate. The producers apparently weren't going to put him in the movie at all but JK Rowling said they'd be stuffing themselves up for the final movie if they did that.

All in all I think Phoenix is the best so far of the five movies, followed by Azkhaban, Goblet, then the other two in no particular order.

Now I've just got hold of The Deathly Hallows and although it's quarter past five I'm off to bed so see you later....

I actually was lucky enough to see this at a sneak preview on Monday. The "experience" was lousy, but the film was good...IF you take it as a separate entity from the series of books. If you separate the film from the book, you won't be disappointed.

For the negative...there were, of course, MANY things that were omitted from the film. As a huge fan of the books, I still must be realistic. I knew there would be a lot of information left out. There were a few things that I felt could have made the story richer if they had been included, but I won't go into detail so I don't give away any of the film's changes. There were a few changes that made me frown at times, but as the story played out, it did make the film flow well. One of their worst casting decisions, Michael Gambon, was actually tolerable in this one, for the most part. I am NOT a fan of his portrayal of Dumbledore, but I guess he worked for this film simply because, for the majority of the story, he is supposed to be acting somewhat aloof towards Harry. That worked for him. I miss the subtlety that Richard Harris brought to that role, and, while he wasn't dreadful in this one, I still believe that there are countless other well known actors in the UK that could have done this role better justice. There wasn't enough Molly or Hagrid for me though. I love both of those characters.

On a positive note, the special effects were very well done. The thestrals were marvelous--eerie, but strangely peaceful creatures. Evanna Lynch could not have been more spot on as Luna. Her voice, mannerisms and demeanor were amazing. My only complaint about her was that she wasn't on screen enough. :o) Imelda Staunton, as Umbridge, and Helena Bonham Carter, as Bella, have to be two of the BEST casting decisions that they have with regard to these films. They were SO incredible. I was actually quite impressed with Dan, Rupert and Emma as well. They have come quite far in their acting abilities. They have finally achieved the art of saying a lot without necessarily opening their mouths. The scene in the common room following the kiss between Harry and Cho was hysterical. Kreacher and Grawp were great additions to the films. Fred and George's exit was very well done, albeit slightly different. The film, if taken by itself, was really good. Unfortunately, it's a lot different from the book. But, as I'm doing a film review and not a comparison, I'll give it 8 out of 10, because I was highly entertained.

Our "sneak preview" was interrupted in the middle due to a problem with the film, and I think we still missed some of it. We lined up 3 hours before the movie was supposed to begin, it started late, it was interrupted in the middle for over 30 minutes, we were wanded for metal and electronics every time we went in or out...I think we'll just wait until opening week next time. It's crowded, but a lot less trouble.

We are actually going to see it again.

Why do Harry Potter movies give me, but not the children, nightmares? I've been wondering this for the past few years. Today, watching Movie No. 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros., 2007), I got my answer. Simply: Harry's world is the real world. As Harry and his friends mature, the line between the world of wizardry, magic, and Hogwarts and the world of self-centered, manipulative, cruel adults thins to the point of almost magical invisibility.

Fantasy literature has since the beginning of time been about mediating and making sense of the real world; Harry Potter is part of this tradition.

Indeed, one of the movie's first big special effects embodies this idea. As the movie opens, Harry is the subject of a smear campaign that Valdemore has cooked up because darkness works tirelessly to triumph over the light; when his friends come to rescue him from the suburban horror show known as his adoptive family, they take him to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a place that doesn't exist until a row of Georgian homes stretches out to reveal it. It's there, but the neighbors are unaware of it. They have no idea their building grew a house that the wizards and witches of the world can solve an internal problem. Such is life; how seldom do we know the inner workings, the coping mechanisms, the interior life of the people around us? In The Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter again does battle with evil to bring home the theme that when you fight, you fight well with and for your friends and to the death if necessary. Truth and goodness--call if love, if you want--are worth the trouble. The Gothic idiom of Harry Potter brilliantly takes the challenges Harry faces out of the present on one level even though these are very clearly 21st century characters facing contemporary challenges. Alongside the power of goodness over evil theme is the theme of the power of the imagination to find solutions to problems that are the same in every generation: politics, power games, jealousy, stupidity, growing up.

Always in Harry Potter is the clear distinction between the good guys and the bad ones right alongside the good kids and the annoying kids, who could very well become evil people if they so choose. They are tragic because they don't understand the long-range consequences of their petty cruelties--but then, as we learn in this movie, even the good kids are capable of petty cruelties that break souls. Always there is Snape, the middling Hogwarts employee who is not clearly good but not clearly bad but capable of both (until fate forces his hand in Book 6).

J.K. Rowling doesn't let anybody off of the hook of responsibility for their choices. But she does present the internal struggle for goodness and justice for the mess that it can be. Just as the Gothic world of Hogwarts helps Harry and his friends mediate the real world, so Rowling helps her readers see the world for what it is. This is a world that can give me nightmares, though not my daughter and my nephews. Perhaps because all they really need is an honest story.

So many great parts were skipped over, rushed with ridiculous cliché transition scenes, or simply changed because, apparently, it's impossible to include everything. But what can anyone reasonably expect?

I went into this expecting exactly what I saw, it's still just a tad annoying hearing people talk about how impossible it would be to follow the book. It's not impossible at all. Look at the matrix 2&3, look at pirates of the caribbean 2&3, look at LOTR (it's all one continuous story). Lots of "stories" have had to be split up into multiple films and they all worked great. It's just a tad short-sighted to say it wouldn't work with a harry potter film. I think a lot of what people enjoy is looking at the wizard world, seeing cool looking spells, and generally learning more about everything to do with the harry potter universe. You don't get much of that when a 26 hour read is condensed into a 2.5 hour film. I personally would love to see more of the "boring" parts of the book simply because it's interesting seeing a high-budget Hollywood interpretation of what was in the book. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't be the least bit disappointed if the film-makers simply came out and said "this book is too long to put into a single film with out leaving out a lot of the book and changing a lot of other parts, so we're releasing it in two films." It's completely understandable. It's an 800 page book! LOTR books were only 400-600 pages and the films were considerably longer than any of the harry potter films.

Overall, it was a decent enough movie though. Great special effects, good enough acting (I wouldn't go so far as to say it was amazing). I'd say it's basically a standard high-budget film. Entertaining to watch, well worth my $10 so I could come and complain how it was nothing like the book :)

For the avid Harry Potter reader the whole suspense leading up to HP Order of the Phoenix can be summed up in the word "how". How are they going to translate a nearly 900 page book to the screen, how are they going to tie together a storyline that in the 5th book breaks into dozens of streams like a mighty river coming to its delta.

This seemingly impossible task is well accomplished by astute summation of plot and concentration of action. Also, the heart and soul of the book, i.e. the thematic spirit of the story and Rowling's shining gift for characterization are given the fullest support in this film more so than in any previous HP movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix basically involves Harry being persecuted by the government for telling a truth they refuse to believe all while dealing with the same feelings of teen angst and emerging love that any ordinary teen finds stressful and consuming. Only through the love and dedication of family and especially friends does Harry come across the means to fight back against the government, elude his enemies and make some sense of his emotional turmoil.

Most reader's will come out of the theater saying "I wish they had shown this or that." However, all will leave satisfied that they have been treated to a faithful rendering brilliantly acted and directed. All the HP movies are a "good watch" but in this one we get a great movie.

We have the advantage of going to our HP movies with a non-reader and she was, to say the least, blown away and pronounced it a near classic. My daughter and myself have read and reread the books many times over and came out limp from exhilaration, our keen anticipation very much fulfilled.

A few highlights: The acting is best ever. The three principles push themselves to a new level. My favorite new characters were Imelda Staunton as Delores Umbridge, excellent (you'll love to hate her) and Natalia Tena as Tonks. Natalia is sheer delight. She is the penultimate punk rock witch girl(think Dead Milkmen here). And Helena Bonham Carter is in her medium (she played the witch Morganna in the movie Merlin) as the dangerous and demented Bellatrix LeStrange.

Battle scenes: breathtaking. Commraderie: The only HP that actually caused me to get teary so heartfelt are the portrayals of friendship and family.

See the film knowing that unless you want a 10hour movie some things are going to have to go. Leave having enjoyed a film that takes the beans and water and instead of a nice large coffee treats one to a perfectly concentrated, most artfully brewed and extremely tasty espresso. It has been said before but truth is truth: BEST YET!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is brought back to school where he faces a possible expulsion after using magic in the real world. Dumbledore (Jim McManus) comes to his defense and soon the two of them are warning people of the return of Lord Voldemort.

As I've said in the reviews for the previous films, I haven't read any of the stories so I honestly can't compare the movie to the book. With that said, I did find the previous installment to be an extremely entertaining movie and certainly the best of the series to date. This fifth film is certainly a major step backwards and sadly there are way too many boring moments to make it a complete winner.

Again, perhaps I would have picked up on more things had I been familiar with the book but I personally found the majority of the first half to be quite boring without too many interesting things going on. I honestly thought there was very little character development and I thought too many of the scenes just kept dragging on with dialogue that just wasn't all that interesting or thrilling.

The film does finally pick up during its final act and this is where thing get really good. The final battles almost rival what we saw in the previous film and there's no question that they pack a lot of energy and excitement. They also benefit from some wonderful special effects that really put you in the middle of the action and blend perfectly well with the cast members. Speaking of the cast, a lot of talented actors keep getting added to the series and once again everyone is quite impressive. Regulars like Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman and others return to their roles quite nicely and people like Emma Thompson, Gary Oldman and David Thewlis are of great value.

With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.

At this point in the series, the story takes a decidedly darker and more sinister turn. This could be because of the subject matter: the students spend less time in class and more time preparing for real world evil. It could also be the introduction of a new crew. Not only has the director changed (again) but the screenplay has a new hand, making the very feel somewhat off. I have not read the books, but I get the impression a great deal was left out to account for time and to make the plot run smoother.

The best addition to this film from previously ones is Luna Lovegood. She was apparently in the books for a while as a minor character but did not come on to the movies until now. Her role is fairly small, but important, and her character adds the one bit of lightness to this script (aside from possibly the Weasley's pranks). They cast the perfect actress.

What really stands out about this film is how political it is. Parallels could be made between this and the rise of fascism or McCarthyism. There is talk of order, obedience, conformity, the need for a government to have a firm hand and to protect its own butt when damaging information comes to light. We know from the previous film that Voldemort is back, and the Ministry of Magic likely knows it, too. But they go out of their way to deny this and blame other people for terrible acts that have occurred. This political act of protecting a reputation slows down the process of preparing for Voldemort and stands in the way of clearing Sirius Black's name. The outcome could have been much improved and lives could have been spared if the government was simply honest.

I believe this to be the weakest film up to this point. I did not care for the shift in spirit (the opening seemed more like a drama than a fantasy film). And i did not like feeling like parts were missing. The plot was almost made too simply, especially compared to prior episodes where mysteries had to be solved. There was no twist or surprise here, just a throwaway film to get you to the next one.

Once again, I believe that the series is only getting better with each progressive movie. I attended a preview screening tonight and was completely blown away by the movie. While quite a bit of detail was lost in the movie, how can you really expect a three hour movie to capture what takes Rowling hundreds of pages to explain? This said, Yates did a great job capturing the spirit of the book, and he had me on my seat from the first scene all the way through the end of the movie. I cried, I laughed, and I am pretty sure there were a few times where I couldn't breathe from the tension.

What really made the movie for me was the talent of the actors. As expected, the older cast members deliver some of the best acting England has to offer. Sidenote: there is something about Emma Thompson where every time she cries in a movie, I start tearing up myself. I was especially impressed with how much Daniel, Emma (Watson), and Rupert have improved their acting since the last movie. Having come from seeing Daniel in Equus two weeks ago, I was expecting a lot from him. Even after seeing him display more intensity than I thought possible on stage, he surprised me in Phoenix. His emotions were so raw and genuine that I literally got goosebumps.

Well done to the cast and crew! I can't wait for the next one!!

I've been eagerly awaiting this episode, thinking it was going to be much more action-packed or incorporating some of the more juicy bits of narrative from the over-800 page book. I ought to have known going in that, at 2:18 running time, the movie was too short. Even considering the tweaking that needed to be done to incorporate information differently than the book presents it (like by-passing the house elves storyline), at least a half-hour more could've been left in to really build up the story. The scenes we do see are well acted, there are obvious clues alluding to the final installment, and the special effects are dazzling. But one leaves the theater breathless and disoriented as if one ate a rich meal too quickly. Especially exasperating considering we had to sit through 20 minutes of TV commercials and coming attractions--I would've paid extra to see another 20 minutes of movie instead.

Pretty much what you'd expect, I wanted to like it but found it hard to.

It wasn't a bad film and I'm not sure how people who haven't read it will find it, but there's too much cut from the book.

There were quite a few cuts that I didn't miss at all but there was time and space for a few scenes which would have helped move the story along.

Out go the quidditch and st mungos and the giants and most of grimmuld place and most of the climax in the dept of mysteries. And time is spent focusing on the kid's relationships and such. (Apparently). It seemed to be on Harry 95% of the film.

With SO much character development in the book there was always going to be a problem to condense it, but like the last film it moves so fast it feels like a 2 hour long montage and seems to just hint at whats going on while assuming you've probably read it and can fill in the blanks yourself.

I have read it - and I struggled to get into the movie.

It never quite finds its place and just serves as a visual feast for fans.

Some good gags and a lot of missed opportunities, LOTS, and some big continuity errors.

Overall, not a bad film, especially the opening sequence which'll have you quivering behind the seat in front! Great effects as always.

For me, Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge completely steals the show. Her character was fantastically well observed - the odd little hysterical titters of laughter she gave had superb comedic timing. Helena Bonham Carter had a star turn too as Belatrix - she's completely bonkers and HBC totally did her justice! Loved it!

For me, both their successes stood out conspicuously when compared to the horrendously awkward acting from the younger members of the cast. Sorry(!) but there were so many cringe worthy moments (especially the more intimate ones) where you kept begging the director to cut away from the acting. Tighter editing could have prevented these distracting moments from constantly reminding me I was watching actors on a set.

Hermione (Emma Watson), Luna (Evanna Lynch) , and Cho (Katie Leung) were the main culprits, with Daniel Radcliff not falling far behind. Okay, I know they're supposed to be awkward teenagers in the story, but hey! My suspicion is that these poor kids feel so caught up in the huge franchise that is HP that the pressure to perform must be enormous. Couple that with the screenplay's stilted dialogue, and being surrounded by what must have been a huge crew with them all staring at you, it's hardly a surprise that a few cracks were shown. Still, you'd have thought the editing might have been able to get around it.

These cringes aside, I enjoyed the film. Also, a huge congrats to all those involved in the hard work that obviously went into the post production too.

I have not yet read any of these books but find myself very much engaged in the films. That being said, im not the best judge to the faithfulness of movie to book. However, I can say this, I loved this film. In my opinion it did go with less of the magic, which really made you feel what the kids were going through. The pacing is very good, slow in some parts, but overall good. The performances are much better this time around and it has quite a few stand up and clap moments. It is much better written and directed than the previous efforts, although azkaban is still my favorite, this would have to be second. The ending felt a little rushed and I wish there was more voldemort, but these are very little gripes for a great film truly pushing the limitations of children's story. It really makes you drool for the next picture, especially if you do not read the books. I really hope harry becomes this amazing wizard like it keeps promising and the final battle is full fledged amazing. We will see. Anyway, it's a beautiful film with great performances and dazzling special effects. This one really steers toward an older crowd and I feel younger children might get bored with it, but not us older kids. I don't want to spoil this for everyone, so ill just sum it up by saying that I don't feel this series is losing steam, just gearing up for an amazing finale, and if this transitional film has anything to say about it, I can't wait to see where it goes.

I am a big Harry Potter fan and I loved the books and movies, as soon as I saw the international trailer for U.K and U.S.A I knew it was going to be the best Potter yet. Last night I came back from my vacation from U.K and I went to the advance screening and it was the best one yet. It left out some stuff but you can't except them to make a film from a book and make it only 2 hours. It would be about 15 hours it the translated the whole book.

translation 9/10 special effects 10/10 acting and script 10/10

over all 10/10

I highly recommend this movie

I love the Harry Potter books, and I've always liked the movies. That's why I was very excited to go see the latest installment of the series. However the movie did not at all live up to my expectations; to me it felt rushed and choppy. I realize that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a very long book, but so was The Goblet of Fire and I enjoyed it's movie adaptation a lot. In this movie seemed as though the director merely had a check list of scenes that he needed to but in the movie put no thought into connecting them. The speed and choppiness of the movie took away from the characters. It was just events and there was hardly any character development at all. Which was a shame because the young cast continues to get better, and there were some amazing acting veterans (Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter etc.) In my opinion if the director had slowed everything down, only a little, he could've added a lot more (character development, humor, fluidity) However, despite by prier comments, the movie was not terrible. It did have it's good moments, but I think it could have been done a lot better.