Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman
Director: David Yates
Genre: Adventure / Drama / Family / Fantasy
Duration: 2hr 18 mins
Rated: Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.
Plot: As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. It’s been yet another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, this time with minimal contact from our hero’s non-Muggle friends from school. Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world, wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike. Returning to Hogwarts will be a relief–or will it?

My Review: Let me first start by saying I really enjoyed watching this film. I am a Harry Potter fan and have read all of the books. I am counting down to the release of the final Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows, on July 21st. The Order of the Phoenix was a great way to get myself geared up for reading Deathly Hallows next week.

Order of the Phoenix moved along at a good clip . At about 2 hours and 20 minutes it really didn’t seem too long. This was one of the few movies ever that I didn’t look at my watch a single time. The book was J.K. Rowling’s longest at 870 pages so there was a lot of material crammed into this film. Unfortunately this was probably the film’s biggest problem as well. There was just too much to cover in this book. One of the things that Harry Potter movies have always been known for is staying true to the book. In this case though, a little more selective editing may have been in order. Having read the book, even as long as it was it still seemed as though the movie was rushed. I’m hoping that when it is released on DVD (probably around Christmas) that they will include some of the deleted scenes. They did hit all of the major highlights of the book. It seemed like less time was spent in the Order of the Phoenix recapping the earlier films or explaining things that Harry Potter fans are expected to know. My wife, who has not read any of the books, said she had a much harder time following this film than she did any of the first four. This was undoubtedly done to include as much of the meat of the book in the film as possible.

My only other disappointment was the set design. One of the hallmarks of Harry Potter has always been the somewhat whimsical settings of the scenes. The Ministry of Magic in which the final battle of the film takes place really seemed very modern, almost high tech instead of the magical/gothic settings like Hogwarts School or Gringott’s Bank that fans have become accustomed to. Everything else about the movie I enjoyed. The story was excellent (thanks to Ms. Rowling) and riveting to see on the big screen. The special effects were up to the usual standard for Harry Potter.

With the release of the last book (and presumably the aging of the film’s stars) Warner Bros. seem to have picked up the pace of the series. Harry Potter and the half Blood Prince, the next film in the series, is set to be released in next year in 2008.

My rating: 4/5 stars

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• 1080p Trailer

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