Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review.

Thoughts: This was the Harry Potter movie I was most looking forward to other than the last two and it did not disappoint. While it was nothing like I expected it to be but it was very good. This is what I wanted from the franchise since the beginning. It still had some slow parts but it was a lot more entertaining to watch. The acting, action, cinematography, plot, the character, everything was better. The only thing that The Order of the Phoenix did not have was the humor, which really was not a bad thing since the more serious tone really worked, and the mystery. Although I did like the mystery element from the other movies, but not having it was not a big deal. It was darker than the previous film but in a good way, in that it was more of an mature, adult movie in that it would appeal to more demographics (age groups) unlike the first, second and fourth films. There were very few cheesy scenes, except the character Dolores Umbridge, played by Imelda Staunton, was a little over the top but it did not detract from the movie that much. The Order of the Phoenix had the best opening of the Harry Potter series, while not great compared to other movies, it made the annoying Dursley family, watchable and short. It did not take away from the movie and it was not distracting. The movie did drag a little in some parts but was never really boring. While the Order of the Phoenix did not have a lot of action there was an amazing battle at the end of the movie that is one of the most unique and inventive battles I have ever seen. This is what I wanted to see: Wizards vs. Wizards in an all out battle, although it was not very long, it was spectacular. The romance was not near as poorly done in the Order of the Phoenix as the Goblet of Fire. There was not much of it and what was there was not really annoying.

Also I would like to thank Shena Tokala at Pens, Thespians, and Words for answering a some questions about the Harry Potter movies and books.


Directed by: David Yates
Genre: Fantasy, Action Adventure,
Release Date: 11 July 2007 (2007-07-11)
Running Time: 138 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13


The Good: Amazing battle at the end, Great character development, Daniel Radcliffe was come into his own as an actor, Far better than any previous Harry Potter movie,

The Bad:




Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
The Order of the Phoenix, a secret organisation founded by Albus Dumbledore, inform the 15-year-old Harry Potter that the Ministry of Magic is in denial of Lord Voldemort's return; under the Ministry's influence, The Daily Prophet has launched a smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore due to Harry's supposed encounter with Voldemort at the end of the previous year. This encounter has had a huge psychological effect on Harry – he has nightmares not only about what happened in the graveyard but also about the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. While at the Order's headquarters, 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, mentions that Voldemort is after an object which he didn't have last time.
Upon arrival at Hogwarts, Harry learns that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has appointed a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor: Dolores Umbridge, a senior Ministry official who refuses to teach practical magic due to her belief that Dumbledore is forming a rebellion against the Ministry. Umbridge and Harry immediately clash, as she refuses to believe that Voldemort has returned and forces Harry to carve 'I must not tell lies' into the skin on the back of his hand through a cursed pen. When Ron and Hermione notice these scars, they are outraged but Harry refuses to go to Dumbledore as he has distanced himself from him since the summer. As Umbridge's control over the school increases, Ron and Hermione aid Harry in forming a secret group to train students in defensive spells, calling themselves "Dumbledore's Army". The Slytherin students are recruited by Umbridge to uncover the group. Meanwhile, Harry and Cho Chang develop romantic feelings for each other and begin a relationship during Christmas. However, Harry discovers that his behaviour is becoming erratic and possibly more similar to Voldemort. Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 8.6/10- Although the pacing was still a little slow but much better than the previous Harry Potter movies. The plot its self was very good and worked really well.


Action: 8.0/10- It is getting an 8.0/10 for more for the quality than the amount of action. Since the battle was great.


Acting: 8.6/10- The acting by all of the returning actors was much improved. But Imelda Staunton over acted in her role.


Special effects: 8.3/10- One of the GCI characters were obviously fake but the Wizard battle was visually spectacular.


Soundtrack: 8.0/10- While the soundtrack was not as good as John Willaims' soundtrack in the first three Harry Potter movies it was very good.


Comedy: 6.4/10- Unlike the previous Harry Potter movies there was not much humor in the Order of the Phoenix but that was not really a big issue since the serious tone worked for the film better.


Would I Watch This Again: This is the first Harry Potter movie I will definitely be watching again.


Overall: 8.7/10- The Order of the Phoenix is almost everything that I would have wanted from a Harry Potter movie.


Closing comments: This is the first Harry Potter movie that I would consider a great movie that would easily make my Top 100 Movies.


Recommended for: Fantasy fans, Action Adventure fans,

If you have not read my reviews for the other Harry Potter movies please click on the links below.
Harry Potter Series
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone Review
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Review.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Review.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Review
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Review

Click here to check out more of our movie reviews.

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