D - for dumb humor - Wedding Crashers Reviews

I am simply let down everytime I get talked into going to an american made comedy. Who's rating these comedy movies... post pubescent boys and girls? I guess if you think bare breasted women, stupid cliches' and just plain dumb writing is funny... more power to you. I'll stick to the foreign comedies, until Hollywood can produce something more funny than this type of garbage.

Disappointing - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

This was a very good movie if you know absolutely nothing about the book. There were some crucial details that were left out that were said to come back in book seven. How are they going to incorporate these into the 7th movie??? They made a comedy out of a movie that was supposed to be dark. I am thoroughly disappointed. Where was J.K.R.?

Best book,worst movie, listen to jim dale instead - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

GET JIM DALE TO DIRECT THE NEXT ONE. im so bummed. some times you cant act well in a poorly directed and sceen written movie .I dont think ive ever seen such a blooddy mess of a book to movie. rowling should have put her foot down, as im sure she gets to review the finished product before its released. The movies are so popular because of the books not the other way around.If you want to sit back, relax and enjoy this book after reading it,LISTEN TO JIM DALE ON BOOKS ON TAPE in your car or at home hes the nuts. ROWLING PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE dont let them srew up one of the best written series of all time. when in dought throw it out. get a better crew to do the next one or youll lose some loyal fan over the almighty dollar (pound). J.K.ROWLING your books are like diamonds in the rough please please dont let the rest get cut by just any one think long term. i want to share these books and movies with my grand kids. prisoner was the better one so far, but the order was the best book (not movie) so far. thanks j.k.rowling for the books they have been a real pleasure to read.

Where was the story? - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

My most favorite book is now the worst movie of the series. The book was too long to be made into a 2.5 hour movie. Too many important events were left out. I would rather sit through a 10 hour movie, or four movies in installments than watch a poor, abbreviated product, as this movie is. The teenagers, who spoke distinctly as children, were impossible to understand in this movie. I suppose enunciating and speaking intelligibly isn't cool. The director shouldn't have let them get away with it. The movie relied too much on special effects. I got sick of seeing all the supernatural beings zip around, and Harry lying on the ground squinting his eyes and gritting his teeth in mental anguish. Where was the story? I certainly hope they do a better job on the next one.

They just keep getting better. - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Trying to squeeze a 800 page book into 2 hours is no easy task, and yes things will be left out. However, with honest portrayls of characters that have become part of them, and visual effects that bring a world of imagination to life, plus staying very true to the story with out leaving anything major out, it was an outstanding film. I was not a fan from the beginning , I had not read a single book till after the third was released. I borrowed a copy from a friend, and was hooked. It has a way of enveloping our heart and mind into it and you feel as though you are there a partof it all. I am not going to pick the film apart, there are things that could have been left in, but that can be said for every movie ever made. I loved it for what it was, and look forward to the new book now more than ever!

Finally a potter installment with heart - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Here was the challenge for Michael Goldenberg, screenwriter, and David Yates, director, for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: take a book that has 70,000 more words than the New Testament, is adored to obsession by an enormous, voracious fandom, and translate it into a 138-minute movie for a studio that sold nearly a billion dollars worth of tickets last time around. Right, no problem. I was convinced they couldn't do it, or that they couldn't do it well. But I was wrong. The moment Hedwig's theme fades out with the Warner Brother's logo, you know Order of the Phoenix has brought it, and darkly. Voldemort is regaining power; Cedric Diggory is dead; and Harry is back at Privet Drive, isolated from the very few people he loves. Dudley mocks Harry's dead parents, and is silenced by a Dementor attack. Harry fights off the soul-suckers only to return to home and find out he's been expelled from Hogwarts for using magic outside of school. And all that happens in the first ten minutes. Did I mention this movie is darker? Yates makes quick (yet smooth) work of getting Harry back with his adopted family (Sirius, the Weasleys, Hermione), and that is where this film really sets itself apart. Where Goblet was good on special effects and rapid plot, Phoenix captures the best part of JK Rowling's novels: the heart. When Harry finds Hermione and Ron at headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix (alone in a bedroom, by the way. What were you two doing in there? And why are the sheets on that bed all mussed up?) we know he's going to be okay; he's got the two best friends in the world. I really missed that in the other films. Dan Radcliffe has grown enormously as an actor. He's not just a cute little Harry Potter look-alike anymore. I believed everything he put out there: the intense fear, the turmoil, the confusion, the frustration, the love. It's obvious he has deep affection for the character he plays. The Radcliffe of Prisoner of Azkaban is not the same actor of Order of the Phoenix. His performance shocked me, actually. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (as Hermione and Ron) were both better than ever. Emma Watson got Hermione just right, striking a perfect balance between studious know-it-all, crusader for the underprivileged, and Harry's most passionate care-taker. Hermione actually has the funniest scene in the movie. I want to give Michael Goldenberg a bear hug for bringing book! Ron! to the show. The last few movies have really gutted Ron's character, but he's back and genuine this time around. Not only are we spared scared! Ron! face, but we get the lovability, loyalty and aloofness that make Ron Weasley such a great character. Rupert Grint's comic-timing is perfect. Actually, maybe he has the funniest scene in the movie. If you were waiting for some of that sexual tension between these two to show up, you'll be pleased. Unlike the book, Hermione has more screen time and lines than Ron, but I can't blame the camera for loving Emma Watson's face. It's obvious that Warner Brothers struck gold with Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, not only because they've shaped up into quite a talented group of actors, and not only because they obviously have a commitment to their characters, but because they're good people. In interviews they talk about literature and learning foreign languages, about family and their deep affection for each other. I want to go on record right now as saying that there are six billion people in the world, and Warner Brothers picked the right one to play Luna Lovegood. Evanna Lynch was perfection. The adult leads were spectacular, as usual. Michael Gambon reined in his Dumbledore. I was actually cheering for him. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy was deliciously malevolent. Emma Thompson as Trelawney was heart-breaking and hilarious. If there is anyone who can deliver a slithering taunt like Alan Rickman as Snape, I don't want to meet him. Helena Bonham Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange was shivery-creepy. Julie Walters and Mark Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I wish you were my parents. And Imelda Staunton as Delores Umbridge? You'll hate her almost as much as you do in the book. There are, of course, loads of book scenes that were cut out. (Did you really expect to see the Weasley is Our King or S.P.E.W. storylines?) But unlike the last two movies, I was less distraught over what was left out, and more impressed with what was kept in. Mad props to David Yates for his vision in this movie. The tone was different, as was the cinematography. There was a bit of handheld camera work near the end that was fantastic. This was my favorite out of the five movies. It left me wanting more. Not like something was missing, but like I'd enjoyed it so much I didn't want it to end. It's the same way I felt about the book. And that's about the highest praise you could earn from me.

Could have been a 3 hour movie - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I can understand why things are cut out to make a 2 hour movie. But really with the Harry Potter movies is about like the Lord of the Rings. Magical; and needs more time to get the content in the movie without being too fast paced. the acting was good and the graphics were great. But where was dobby the house elf. this is twice the lovable character was leftout. He is the one that gave Harry the gillyweed in GOF and told Harry about the room of requirements in this movie OOTP. I believe that the producer could have left more uncut and more to the facts of the book by adding extra time to produce the movie. the fans would hav gladly sit for another hour for less cuts on the movie. Of course Rowlings was there and approved it, I couldn't believe she did that and let the producer cut up her book like that. The Lord of the Rings were anywhere to 2 1/2 - 3 hours long and in different installments. Why not Harry Potter? Over all I did grade it a B+ it was good

"out of order" - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I'll start by saying I totally understand that film versions must and will differ from the book versions and I never expect to see my personal vision up on the screen. HOWEVER this director missed badly on this film. We all understand that going from the literary to the celluoid there will be scene casualties...but those casualties should happen for a reason...i.e. to be more efficient for the film process. But why make changes for no reason??? From what I have read here on these pages...a lot of fans are asking the same questions and I agree with most. (not all) for example: NO PREFECT FOR RON & HERMOINE - OK, I can live with this, afterall eventhough it was cool in the book...the story can certainly progress without this tid bit...so I will call this an acceptable casualty of adaptation. NEVILLE DISCOVERING THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT?? - OK...no real biggie I suppose, but WHY? that change served no purpose. PERCY WEASLEY - Hmmmm...fine, maybe you choose to not go into the story about his falling out with his family (though, I am not sure why you wouldn't)...but if that is your choice, then why show him in Dumbledore's office holding onto Harry when the D.A. gets caught... Either decide to explain it or leave it out...but for those who didn't read the book, but happened to recognize Percy, boy they must have been confused. WHERE WAS THE ORDER??? - This was called OOTP right? perhaps the order deserved more than just a few minor mentions. I mean in each of the previous installments (book and film) the relevance of the title was obvious: Sorcerer's Stone? no doubt about the stone...CoS? think we all knew we would end up in the chamber...P of A...well, Sirius Black enough said... G of F? Yep again Goblet was pretty predominant throught both movie and book.... so what happened with OOTP? If you didn't read the book...how much could you say about the significance of the Order based on its almost NON-existence in the film??? CHO VS. MARRIETTA - Again...here I am fine with Cho being the one who gets the blame for busting the D.A. ... I mean why introduce a whole new character just to blame her a few minutes later. So fine... give Cho the rap BUT why, why, why...change the way the D.A.'s secret was revealed... Cho signed the parchment...the director went out of his way to show us that the students were signing the list...why not have Hermoine still mention that she put a spell on it.... He could have still made Cho out to be the sneak if that made it easier but without having to introduce a perhaps more damaging idea.... Yes, of course I am talking about this notion that Umbridge found out about the D.A. by using Veritaserum on Cho (and a numbe of students) Veritaserum provided by Snape??? Here is why this causes problems: We learned in G of F (both book and movie) that veritaserum is forbidden to use against students...big deal you might say, Umbridge would have no problem breaking that rule...well, true enough but what about Snape.... which brings me to: SNAPE - all HP fans who have read all the way through book 6 HBP of course no that one of the pressing questions of the day is none other than is Snape good or bad??? well we have to wait for book 7 of course but that is my point....in the book version of OOTP we of course learn that the veritaserum that Snape gives Umbridge is phony (in the book she was only using it against Harry)...the point is by giving her a phony potion WE the readers are still allowed to NOT make up our minds about Snape just yet. NOW if we are to believe (as the FILM suggests) that Snape knowingly gave Umbridge the truth potion fully aware that she would use it against people who have info on the Order...doesn't that undermine all of the effort that JK Rowling puts into keeping us guessing about his true alliance?? There is a reason she informed us in the book about the phony potion...she did not want us to make up our minds just yet. CRITICAL ERROR??? R.A.B. - of course to the non book readers these inititials mean nothing... as a matter of fact these initials don't even enter our story until book six...HOWEVER popular theory is that RAB refers of course to Sirius' brother Regulus Black whose name and existence is introduced to us in OOTP while in Grimauld place.... not to put to fine a point on this BUT if that theory is correct, why didn't this director choose to introduce him??? He had every opportunity seeing as in the book Regulus was introduced when Harry and Sirius were talking about the Black family tree....they showed us the tapestry and talked about some of the relatives... Careless to not introduce. I of course could go on...but this is way to long as it is. As i said when I began this...i understand that sacrifices must be made to go from book to film....but the filmmaker should still be held accountable to the spirit of the story...to not change things that may be key elements to future installments. After all the previous 4 films while taking some creative license were still true to the book regarding key elements...and more importantly were movies that could stand on their own. Unfortunately for OOTP... if you read and loved the book and fully appreciated its nuances you were probably left feeling at least a bit let down...If you didn't read the book....well while you probably enjoyed the movie well enough...what a shame because there is a whole story there that you didn't get to see. Overall I think this was lazy filmmaking depending on the support of a huge fan base rather than making the best film possible. I hope that the powers that be...find away to get back on track for the 6th and 7th films.

Good adventure movie, little characterization - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

This review measures this film to the previous installments, not the books. If you are a fan of the movie series, you may be disappointed. Taken alone, the movie is pretty good. But what made the first several movies great is lacking here, it just doesn't hold up. The screenwriter and director chose to spend the majority of the movie moving the story along at a breakneck pace, and focusing on new secondary characters that they must have thought were whimsical. The movie merely touches characterization, never delving much deeper than an afterthought. What made the other movies so great were the little moments between the adventures displaying the nature of its main characters, giving windows into their friendships and placing the viewer into their daily lives at Hogwarts school. This movie seems like a series of events rather then giving us a sense of what a year at Hogwarts was like. It's quite unfortunate, because while the main plot line holds up, I came away feeling like I really didn't have a sense the motivation of any character beyond Harry. Each film should give a sense of growth for the characters, you should see how and why they have changed over the course of the year. The characters in this film didn't develop, sure they did new things and deeper changes in their relationships were hinted at, but an insight was never offered. The previous movies were about a group of friends, seen through the eyes of one individual. In the end, the focus of this movie was Harry and his adventures - everyone else is just background along for the ride. Other decisions by the director were poorly made, the style of the previous films was largely disgarded. The previous movies brought you to another world, and the fantastic elements within felt natural and fit. Some sequences were too bright, while others too dark - it was very inconsistant and whole lacked the beautiful style of the others. The presentation of this film makes several "magical" aspects seem cartoonish and goofy. Instead of feeling the oppression, confusion and fear felt by the students by having them complain and commiserate (a move that previous movies utilized and help bring more sense of the charaters to the viewer) much of these plot points are moved along with a wasteful, and cheesy film-within-a-newspaper gimmick. A further complaint, was the addition and changes made that were seemed contradictory to what was established in previous films to a almost ridiculous level. (For example, since when can wizards zoom around as untouchable mist and shoot spells?) The filmmakers must assume that you know the story and have read the books. To me the story seemed very jumpy - things just happen and you really don't know what is going on unless you've read the book or are paying REAL close attention to every line of dialoge (as they may attempt to explain away these story gaps in a passing phrase). If I hadn't read the books, I'd come away utterly confused. A quick word as someone who saw the first few movies and then read the books. I disagree with what they chose to cut versus what they kept. Much of what they left out would have helped the characterization, and what they did keep (such as the grawp character) came off as silly and took screen time away from more important issues. Rather then subtle nods to the parts of the novel that were cut, these allusions just made the movie more confusing. Not well done at all. What was done well: The acting of the students was superb. They made the best with what little screen time they had - some subtle characterization was portrayed well by the actors with looks and the nature of how they delivered lines. (It's just too bad we didn't get more screen time to develop these point further). Gary Oldman was great as Sirius Black - again able to portray a good relationship with Harry in little screen time (I would have liked another sceen or two to make me care for him more though - the end didn't ring as heavily without). Lastly, one good decision the director made was the potrayal of Umbridge's reign of terror - the parallels to nazi Germany were not missed. (Too bad the students' reaction and rebellion to this is barely scratched). In the end, as an adventure story - the move was great. As a Harry Potter movie - not so much. Let's hope they are setting up the last two films with this installment - and that we'll see a return of the great characterization of the past with a return of the old screenwriters and producers (who were sorely missed from this film - I wonder what they were doing instead?). I wanted to like this film better than I did, but just could not - Disappointing.

Great for the book fan, mediocre for the movie fan - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I've seen the movie twice in the last eighteen hours and I tried to get a different perspective each time. The midnight show was the first run, and my reaction overall was positive. The directing and camera work is vastly different from the other chapters in a fantastic way. The young actors are only now starting to be truly believable (though I'm not sure why Hermione always seemed to be out of breath). The adults were as fantastic as ever, I'll never get sick of Alan Rickman or Maggie Smith. Imelda Staunton could not have portrayed Umbridge in a more beautifully evil way; I never imagined anyone would have been that impressive. Without her talent, the movie would not have been as powerful. My favorite aspect of seeing the Harry Potter movies is to help me to visualize what I know so well in the book. This was a fantastic movie for that. Though, as a fan, I must lament about the increased speed of dialogue in the scene where Dumbledore fled with Fawkes. They could have made that more moving, though I can understand their not spending the time. Things must be cut, and I was happy to see that Umbridge was not rescued from the forest. Fred and George's farewell scene was fantastic and visually stunning, and they chose the perfect combination of scenes from the book to pull it off. It took the end of the second time around for me to realize the biggest problem. I'm all for cutting the books up for the movies, as I said above. If anything, there are too many story lines here. My problem is that the climax of the main conflict has no explanation. Why does Voldemort want this prophecy? He obviously knew why he attacked Harry, so Lucius' questioning Harry does not answer what Voldemort's obsession is. As an avid book lover, I didn't even realize the first time through the movie that they didn't mention it. My movie accomplice was very confused about the prophecies (having not read the books) and I was getting frustrated trying to explain them to him. But the movie gave no information on where they come from, how they are recorded, or why they are such a hot item to hunt this summer. We heard Emma Thompson's voice though the prophecy recording, but they did not mention it was her. This is going to come back as a problem when they make the Half Blood Prince movie because Snape's innocence is based on the scene when Trelawney made her first prediction. (As a side note to the above, I must mention that this is at least slightly the fault of the Prisoner of Azkaban movie for glossing over Trelawney's second prophecy with no explanation or information). As far as the plot holes go, that's the only important one (Cho's kiss seemed a bit random, and how Luna, Ginny, and Neville found their ways in to Umbridge's office with no explanation has me thinking, but we can get past that). But the prophecy is so big it can't be forgiven easily. Movie goers who have not read the books and are not attending the film with book loving friends will be confused and disappointed at the lack of explanation. I am going to give this an B+ overall because I truly enjoyed the time I spent in the theatre, and I strongly encourage others to go see it. Though it may be a good idea, now more than ever, to take the time and read the books.

Harry potter and the order of the phoenix (2007) - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Saw it at the midnight viewing. (when ELSE would a proper wizarding family see it?). The lobby had the usual hoopla with TV and radio stations set up to capture the madness that is only Potter! If you are a purist, you will find lots of faults with the movie not keeping in line with the book. (perhaps the movie's directors are cursed like Defense Against the Dark Arts instructors?) On it's own, it was AMAZING with all the special effects, much better than previous films, especially Fred and George's "final exit" from school and the final battles. Belatrix was frightfully delicious to watch - perfectly cast! Could have seem more of Tonks, but then there's always the next movie! Enjoy the movie! I'll you in line next week for the final book's release!!

Worst harry potter yet for so many reasons - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

First Dave Yates should be EMBARRASED that he Destroyed and I mean DESTROYED, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The fact that he's going to be back for the 6th one makes me wonder if I even want to see it. The first half of the movie is like a clip show. This story had no flow at all. Not to mention that they took so many things out and put things in that didn't happen. I am suprised that JK would allow them to do this to her story. For the first time during a Harry Potter movie I kept looking at my watch. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I expected them to take things out, but to put stuff in that didn't happen is crazy. There is suppose to be so much character development in this story but there's not any. I miss the days when Chris Colombus was around he made me start to read Harry Potter. If you are a fan you will be VERY, VERY, VERY disapointed.

Harry potter book fans need to learn..... - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

The book will never, ever transfer to the screen. As with Lord of the Rings the only way to do that is to make a mini series of each book. You also need to understand that they need to tie in each movie as best as possible while still cutting stuff that you personally love. Also remember that they have the Writers blessing. She isnt off sulking in a trailer. Take a breath, Relax, And enjoy the movie. At the midinght showing I saw the long line of fans gathered at 8:00pm and I said to myself, "they are too fired up, they are in for a let down" And for most of them I was right. The move was very good. Acting, of course was outstanding, effects, again outstanding. I did think it was too choppy but I did blame that on the fact I read the book a few times. In fact, really the only thing I didnt like was what I didnt like before....Dumbledore. Sorry but he just sucks. He isnt right for the roll and with every movie he make that fact more clear.

Boo for yates, props for cast! - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I give Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a B+ This was the darkest movie to date. The entire acting cast was marvelous, but I had a few gripes. The movie started off very slowly, and then began moving along very quickly once they entered Hogwarts. I noticed right off the back that the movie might be confusing for those who haven't read the books. The movie didn't take the time to acknowledge every character or place. They never acknowledged Nymphadora as Tonks, and they never introduced any of the Advanced Guard or the Order properly. The Dursely's has very little screen time, and they seemed a bit off. They didn't include any of the things that could be significant in the final book, such as Dumbeldore's howler to Petunia. Overall, I thought the Dursley's had enough screen time to acknowledge them. Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Molly and Arthur—all exhibited good acting. I was a bit disappointed at their screen-time, though. I liked that they still illustrated their character as they are in the books. I felt that the entire hearing might have been confusing to the audience, it was rushed and none of the characters were introduced at all....Not even Ms. Figg's name was mentioned. This was definitely a movie for Harry Potter fans. Luna Lovegood was probably one of the highlights in the film. She was created so perfectly, I could not have cast a better actress myself. I felt that Evanna didn't have good diction, and so I sometimes had trouble understanding what she was saying. Besides that, she was created perfectly. Her voice and overall acting skills portrayed Luna exactly how she was created by JK Rowling. Dan Radcliffe's acting skills have improved significantly, I felt like his nightmare scenes were somewhat badly directed and the camera angles were awkward. Emma and Rupert were excellent, as always. They portrayed their characters as they always have, and always will. Praise for them. Umbridge was good as well! I wanted to jump into the screen and strangle her. But she was also amusing, especially in the dark forest scene when the Centaurs carried her away. Overall, she was great. I felt she was portrayed as I envisioned her in the book. I thought that she could have been a bit nastier, though. *laughs* Snape, Dumeldore, Trelawny, McGonagall, all portrayed well. I thought that Dumeldore was portrayed a bit better in this film than he had been in the previous films. Good acting from all the Hogwarts teachers. Gary Oldman was Sirius, once again, did a phenomenal job. His acting skills were superb, and sometimes saved the scene when Dan's acting was horrid. I felt that his death was not nearly dramatic enough...I think that the entire end battle scene was disappointing...the Order of the Phoenix was only showed for three seconds fighting. The Lucius Malfoy actor and the Bellatrix actresses were very good, they were very evil. I especially felt that Bellatrix contained the same brand of evil as she did in the book. Good job on her part. Overall, the end scene was disappointing....the prophecy was smashed by Lucius, not Harry. The battle between Dumbeldore and Voldemort was one of my favorite parts of the movie. It was superbly done, and I felt like it had a lot of intensity behind it. I enjoyed Harry's flashbacks, especially when they used scenes from the previous movies. I felt they added a particularly emotional sense to the movie Overall, I felt the movie was dark, but too short. Good acting wasn't highlighted as it should have been. Characters weren't introduced as I would have liked them to be. Acting: A The acting is what gave the movie its flare. The acting by the adult actors was especially good, as well as the trio and the new cast. I felt like Dan's acting was, once again, mediocre. I felt Cho's actress was horrible and she didn't express emotion well. Dumbeldore improved, as well as Hermione and Ron. Luna was my favorite, as well as Umbridge, Snape and Sirius. Visuals: A The special effects were amazing, the detail was very nice. The wand duels were done very well, especially Dumbeldore and Voldemorts. Overall, it was done well—as always. Direction: C I think David Yates gave the movie too much of a dark feeling. I also feel that the movie was paced and timed horribly. The beginning of the movie went by in a flash, and the end did as well. I felt that he relied too much on montage-type scenarios to move along the storyline, especially with the Daily Prophet scenes. Overall, he did well with the direction of the actors and the story was told very well from his point of view. His camera angles were interesting, but sometimes distracted me from the story. Adaptation: B As everyone expected, the movie did leave out a LOT of things from the book. I felt that the director made a lot of unnecessary changes, such as how Neville found the Room of Requirement. I think he used a lot of substitution to move the story along. I also hated how he cut scenes off to change to the next scene. I think it confused the audience more than anything. However, this movie included a lot more from the book than the third and fourth movies did. I was surprised to how much they actually got into the 2 hour and 18 minute film. Overall: B+ I felt the movie captured by attention. It didn't have the same magical feeling the first two had, it didn't have the colorful visuals the third one had, it didn't have the action the fourth one had, but it had something that was unique to it. It was darker than any of the previous films. The movie had no suspense whatsoever. Even though I have read the book several times, I didn't feel as though the movie offered any cinematic suspense. Additional comments: *Hagrid's character was pretty much ignored...Occlumency was given little screen time, as well as Snape's worst memory. *The movie was rushed in areas, and scenes didn't melt together very well. The direction could have been a lot better. *I was disappointed that they left St. Mungos out of the storyline. *Kreacher didn't get nearly enough screen time.

J.k. rowling needs a refund for that movie - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Someone needs to tell the directors and screen writers to read the book at least! I'd like a little plot to go with my movie at least. Even my fiance who has never read the books and only knows Harry Potter from the movies thought it was horrible. And he thought all the other movies were great! He even asked me after the movie was over what the point of it was. His words were "Oh so the whole movie was to show that Sirius Black dies?, What about the rest of the story?" For the record this movie did have a different screen writer than the other 4 movies. He should be shot!

A nitty gritty potter installment - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Say goodbye to the happy sugar-coated Harry Potter films, and hello to the darker and more threatening installments. The fifth movie (OotP) is dark, but the nice incorporation of lighthearted moments help to make it another solid hit for the Potter series. The story (for the most part) stayed true to Rowling's longest novel (they did cram it into 2 hours and 20 minutes, mind you). One who has read the book will realize how quickly the movie skims the pages, but one should also realize that it does touch the main elements of Rowling's story quite effectively. For the first time, I was genuinely impressed with the acting from Daniel Radcliffe. His counterparts Emma Watson and Rupert Grint deliver another solid performance, and are truly becoming exceptional actors. Radcliffe finally gives a performance showing the true mental and emotional struggle of Harry's character. The sugar coat is stripped and the audience sees with its own eyes the troubles Harry must deal with. Not to leave out Professor Dolores Umbridge, a character portrayed by Imelda Staunton. Staunton delivers such a precise and malevolent performance of Umbridge that it left a gentleman sitting behind me saying "get that bitch!" Visuals were not quite up to par with other Potter films (ie: Cuaron's dementors > Yates' dementors) but still fantastic. Fred and George's final rebellion against Umbridge is brilliantly shot, with fireworks and glass-crashing that leaves students and the audience alike pumping their fists for the first time in the movie. Altough the true climax of the film includes a great battle between the OotP and death eaters...followed by a cataclysmic duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort (which upon introduction, gets the audience thrilled.) Though the climax was quite good, I was expecting more time and more focus on Dumbledore's talent, (In the book, Dumbledore single-handedly disarms several death-eaters and handles Voldemort with relative ease.) Overall the movie was quite good, and though I respect Yates as a director, you can't really go wrong with a story from Rowling and a nice budget provided by Warner Bros. The PG-13 rating is no joke, although this installment of the Potter series truly has something for everyone.

Harry potter and the best movie yet! spoilers!!! - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a great surprise. I know a lot of "fans" of the Harry Potter series seem to think that the movie was a butcher of the book. I, however, disagree. I understand that a lot of things were cut out, but the main story was intact. There were a couple of things that I didn't agree with, one being when Harry actually did hand Lucius Malfoy the prophecy, but the movie was very well written. The movie was both humorous at times and dark when it needed to be. The acting was superb and you could tell the friendship between the trio is getting stronger with every movie. I was especially impressed with Evanna Lynch and Matthew Lewis' performances. The scene outside of the Ministry of Magic and the telephone booth was just as I had imagined. Yes, the movie was much darker. Isn't evil dark? Why would it get any lighter? Harry is facing the fight of his life. Would you consider that a good time? I think not! The darkest and most unnerving for me was the possession of Harry by Voldemort. That, along with Sirius' death, brought tears to my eyes. And might I say, there was more than one instance when I wished I could have punched Professor Umbridge. So, to all of those who call themselves "true fans". To be a true fan, you should open your mind up to all things "Harry Potter". Take the good and the bad and don't call a movie a failure just because it didn't match your vision. This movie had to be the best of the Harry Potter movies to date. All of the great acting, humor and the story line made it a superb movie!

The mangled residue of a great story - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

It is as if they had the book storyline drawn and quartered, then reattached the legs where the arms go, one arm where one leg goes, and a parakeet where the other leg goes. That is how badly the story was butchered. I understand you cannot follow a book (especially one as big as Phoenix) directly in a movie adaptation. However, if there isn't enough room for what actually happened than why add things that didn't happen at all? From the perspective of someone who's read and loved the books and the movies I am just plain angry and utterly disappointed. If I had not read the books I imagine I'd be confused. The storyline they cobbled together from remnants of J.K. Rowling's novel makes little sense without some prior knowledge. Some very important aspects of the story were left out which will make it necessary to either ignore the existence of this film when the last two come out, or continue to create a whole new storyline. The only good thing about the movie was the special effects, which were on par with most special effects movies nowadays. Overall, I feel as though I not only wasted 2 hours of my life, but was also tortured for the duration of that 2 hour period.

Sucked on so many levels!!! - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

A review worth reading - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

This installment of the Harry Potter series begins the darker side of the series. There is no more fun and games in Hogwarts, and the main characters are beginning to use their knowledge of sorcery to fight and defend. However, if you expect the book to be followed in any way, then go into it with low expectations. Of course, the main dialogue(sp?) follows J.K Rowlings idea. But there are so many voids in the motion picture version, that if you hadn't read the book, you may get lost quickly, and throughout the movie. No spoilers here, but bring a buddy that has read the series from the start to keep you up to speed on the characters(and their magical aliases). Overall, this is a very good movie, certainly worth seeing...but don't think you are left out if you leave the theater thinking..."What just happened?"

Where do you draw the line? (no spoilers) - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Being a huge fan of the series, I tried to go in without ridiculous expectations. I understand the need to sacrafice parts of the book in order to make a movie feasible. he question becomes, however, where do you draw the line? I think David Yates took far too many liberties in regards to changes in the storyline. This is another example of trying to fit too much into too short a time. They barely touch on important key points and skim over the rest leaving you confused as to hy things are happeneing, and why characters are acting the way they are. Most moviegoer are used to 3+ hour loing movies these days. So why did Yates feel he needed to cut the book up into 2 hours and 18 minutes? The Lord of the Rings, 300, King Kong, these are a few of the blockbuster movies that come to mind when you think of long running times. Yates could easily have created a theatrical release of 3 hours, and an extended edition DVD of nearly 4 hours and kept true to the book. It makes sense from a sales point of view as well. Sell the theatrical DVD, then months later the extended edition to the same fans. The Potter films, in my opinion have been getting steadily better until now. I fear for the 6th film "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." How much of Rowling's book will survive and how much will Yates make up to suit his needs? I must also admit, that the special effects were decently entertaining. The acting of Alan Rickman (Snape) and Imelda Staunton (Umbridge) were fantastic as well. The film was wonderfully dark and foreboding. In summary, die hard fans will walk out shaking their heads and quickly run hme to re-read the book to remind themselves of how good th story should have been. Fans of the movies and those who have not read the book will enjoy it immensely, as my girlfriend did.

Bloody brilliant! potter nerds unite. - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Be prepared for a tiny venture into the absolute depth of the nerd in me. Okay so I just went to see this movie last night (or this morning rather) and it was nuts. It was an absolute mad house! (If you were there, you would have noticed I was the least crazy... and that's certainly saying something!). I also realized I'm slightly less dorkier than I thought as I failed to answer some of the trivia questions correctly (although I really do think the questioners made some of the answers up... prats.). We ended up in the very front row (and I've never sat there, ever!) so it was incredibly hard to see. You don't know where to look because you have to turn your head to just see who's talking to who (and they just look like giants with huge bodies that gradually get smaller toward their tiny little heads)! Also, during THE MOST important scene of the movie, the wonderful movie projector went out of wack and cut the screen in half. What the? Well anyway, despite the awful seating position and the movie theatre's inability to ever show a movie without something going wrong, it was still a very enjoyable film. I apologise for anything weird I say but I'm a little loopy right now and I need a nap. THIS WHOLE THING HAS PLOT SPOILERS OTHER THAN THE OVERALL AT THE BOTTOM. Story: This story is much darker than the others and Harry's character goes through a lot of changes and struggles within himself. He is always angry and I think the movie captured this mood in the entire film very accurately. It's a very emotional film. I don't really understand why people complained about the story so much. Come on guys, they couldn't put everything from the book in there! It would've been ten hours long! If the dialogue was word for word from the book, I would certainly still be sitting in the theatre. So what if they cut out some of the side stories; at least Fred and George were still in it (notably my favorite characters)! Their exit scene was brilliant! They didn't cut out anything important to the main story; just a bit of fun stuff like Ron becoming a Prefect and making the Quidditch team and Percy disowning his family. I'll give fifty bucks to someone who has only seen the movies to tell me who Percy even is. See! What they cut out and left in was consistant with what they included in the previous films. I even thought they might cut out Grawp (his role was about as important as Winky's in the fourth film who they cut from the movie). They probably would have illiminated Grawp's character if it weren't for the ending scene with Umbridge (and I'm glad they left him in for the humorous little bit with him, Hermione and the bell). As for the changes in some of the plot, it didn't bother me at all. So what if they met Luna in the carriage instead of on the train? Is it really that big of a deal that Sirius handed Harry the picture of the original Order instead of Moody? In fact, I liked the whole change with Cho telling on the DA instead of her friend who nobody cares about anyway. It brought closure to her and Harry's relationship which I've always thought was something that lacked in the book. Acting: As for the new additions to the cast, I just love Luna Lovegood! Could they have cast a more perfect person? I can't say enough good things about her adaptation of the character! I was never incredibly fond of her in the books but she is just so goofy and absolutely lovable in the film. And I love how she related to Harry. As for Professor Umbridge, I hate her (but that's a good thing)! Sure, she was mean in the books and I didn't like her but how this actress portrayed the character made the audience absolutely loathe her (I did see some people pull out their plastic wands behind their flimsy capes and try to cast the death spell on her... seriously)! Tonks was my other favorite addition to to the film beside Luna. PERFECT! She was just like I imagined her; incredibly witty and awfully clumsy! Oh, and the hair! I really would've liked to have seen more of her as she brings a bit of light to the darkness of the story but what we did see was brilliant. Frickin' awesome. Bellatrix Lestrange was pretty good too but I just thought she looked like some crazy, dirty, ugly, old loony who was in desperate need of a shower and a trip to the dentist; she didn't come off very scary at all. And as for the returning cast, they were just as good as the last films. Fred and George just keeping getting funnier and Harry just keeps getting angrier! Ron's a little less stupid and Hermione's a little less uptight. The relationship between all of the characters is displayed very accurately. Love the ending of the battle scene with Harry struggling to disconnect himself from Voldemort and the frightful and compassionate look in Dumbledore's eyes as he watches! Shows the loving, vulnerable and unknowing side of Dumbledore perfectly! And the lines Harry says when he's ridding of Voldemort! Beautifully done; best scene of any Harry Potter movie, ever. Direction: Considering there's a new writer on the film and have been three different directors in the past, it was incredibly well done. There's a different feel to it than the previous four films but that's expected as this installment is the turning point of Harry's adventure. This film was filled with emotion and was effective on the audience. Visuals: Voldemort posessing Harry. Coolest visual I have ever seen, ever! Just wow. And the look in Dumbledore's eyes! Ah! So cool. The battle scenes and spell casting effects were great (particularly the Patronuses and Fred and George's products!). This book was mostly about things that needed describing rather than just dialouge between the characters so it was brilliant to see our imaginations come to life. The other visuals are consistant with the previous four films. Everything is so realistic and looks exactly like it is described in the book, it makes you feel like it actually exsists. The only thing that looks a little off is Grawp (as he is CGI); he sort of takes you out of the world of Harry for a bit and makes think about green screens and sound effects and how most of this movie was created on computers. Hagrid's half giant (and very giant-like) and Grawp does not resemble him at all. Well, I'm sure they considered using an actual person and for whatever reason they chose not to, I'm certain it was a logical one. But you're quickly thrown back into the excitement after his scenes anyway so it's not so bad. The veil in the end is pretty weak. I expected it to huge and dark and overwelmingly powerful looking but I would have been more frightened of Harry's invisibility cloak than that thing. Sirius's attack and disappearance was also a bit quick and weak (It went so fast, I almost missed it!) but Harry's reaction was superb with the slow motion and their voices being muted and Lupin's attempt to restrain him! But I'm back on the story now so anyhow... Overall: I give it as many stars and thumbs as it can recieve. They compressed the 900 page novel beautifully into a comfortable two and a half hour film. It was darker, filled with emotion, but had just enough one-liners and humorous antics in just the right spots. If you understood the previous four films, you will understand this one. You don't need to read the books to get the story (as many people say you do!). It's scary for kids though and they probably won't have a clue what's going on. I can't promise if you liked the first four, you'll like this one. It's very, VERY different from the first film. It's filled with angst and worry and confusion. It focuses mainly on Harry and Voldemort the entire film where as the others were about other things too and Voldemort popped up in the end. If all you breathe is Harry Potter, you will probably be dissapointed with the film because it does cut out a lot of the plot and change a few of the characters' roles and plot's direction. But I loved it, almost as much as the book, and will be seeing it again in the near future. Holy crap. I can't believe I wrote that much. Nutter. ;)

Worst harrry potter movie ever!!!! - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

The Movie overall didn't have any substance whatsoever and jumped from scence to scence to rapidly to even copenhend what was going on. OOTP felt like you were watching the tailer for the movie instead of the actual movie itself. It cramed all the important aspects of the movie into a disappointly short 2 and a half hour time frame, leaving no room for any details to be added. The movie, while showing important aspects, left out alot of things that make the Harry Potter series a whole and this movie changed aroud all the details make it virtually impossible for the average non-reader Harry Potter fan understand the series as a whole. The important details such as The Prophecy explaination at the end of the book that ties everything in the end was merely left out and hinted at for the audience to figure out on it's own. I'm sure i'm speaking for all big Harry Potter fans when i say that the film was an utter disappointment.

~big dissappointment..worst harry potter movie yet - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I can't believe how horrible it turned out to be! I didn't see it on the first day, and I was really sad about that, but when I saw it two days ago, I really didn't care anymore. I had expected so much from this movie!! Sadly, I didn't get much out of it. I mean, the storyline was awesome! I read the book and everything, and, of course, I fell in love with it! But when I went to see the movie, most of my favorite parts had been cut out! I really wanted to see the circular room in the Department of Mysteries, and I LOVED Quidditch...but all of that got cut out! I love all the actors, including Dan, Emma, and Rupert, and I even love the new actors like Evanna Lynch and Katie Leung. And my favorite character other than Harry Potter is Sirius Black..but he died. I already knew that would happen because I have read the book..TWICE. And each time I read the book, I cried for hours at the part where Sirius died. But in the movie, I didn't really cry, which is pretty odd for a person as sensitive as myself. I mean..my eyes did get a bit watery, but that was it. If I had cried, I would proudly have admitted it, but this time I cried mostly about the fact that my favorite book turned out to be my least favorite movie! Nobody on this planet can imagine how much in love I am with these people and how deeply and truly I understand them and their characters. But when I see a movie that was so badly DIRECTED, I just don't know what to think anymore. The biggest problem was, in fact, the directing..and perhaps it was the only problem. I know that if the other director hadn't quit, this movie wouldn't have been as bad as I thought. What I hated about this director was that, first of all, he cut out the important parts. Other than that, he told the cameramen to zoom in on the actors' faces too much. I already knew what the actors looked like, because I've all the other movies... But what I DID want to see was the scenery! For example, I wanted to see what the Department of Mysteries looked like, I wanted to see the room Harry was held captive for the Ministry of Magic, and I wanted to see Grimmauld Place, which is Sirius's house. All these places were badly shown. Either the camera was too close to the characters' faces or it showed it from the top. I didn't understand what happened, because everything was going on too fast. Even after all these bad things I had to say about this movie, I still absolutely must go see it again. You're wondering why, huh? Well..obviously, I can't believe that I actually didn't like this movie, because I LOVED all the other ones! So..I'm in denial and I must go see the movie again and only HOPE that I will have a better understanding of it. I can't really go on with my life thinking that this was a tragic disappointment. There must be some mistake, because I love Harry Pottter! But sadly, I'm afraid it pains me to say that I can't agree with those of you who liked this movie. Harry Potter 5 was, in fact, not as magical as the other ones. If only the other director would come back and steer the movie in the right direction. Oh, well..one can only hope for such things... P.S. I hope the lot of you will enjoy it more than I did, because I don't want anybody to feel as empty and hopeless as I do.

Wow...what a disapointment!!! - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Wow...all hype and no deliverance! The movie lacks about 80% of the plot, with the most important part, then ending, totally improvised by the director. I don't even want to OWn this DVD! I am so dissapointed...and the first showing (midnight!), only one person clapped...over 100 people were dissapointed and confused. Note to the crew: Either do it correctly or let someone else do it!!!

An honest opinion of the movie and it's graces.. - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Alrighty, what can I say about this film. I can above all say that it was very enjoyable to watch to be sure. There were several times in fact that our packed theater applauded out loud at some of the antics on screen in fact. It's been quite awhile since I've seen a theater group do that. It makes sense however, since this was an advance screening of the film by 2 days, and there was an air of... camradarie.. to the evening. We were all getting first views of something magical... and we all knew it. Ah, a great way to start a week. :) Anyway, onnnn to the film itself. I have to give credit to the director.. with all the source material to address from the book, he did an excellent job covering as many bases as he could. My wife mentioned that it felt a little choppy with the scene cross-overs... but really,.. it's similar to the last few films.. so much time passes in the course of the flick and where in the kiddie ones this time passes well, in the more adult times now... things aren't all chocolate frogs and peppermint malts anymore. Whereas in the first 2 films you see the 3-some always walking together and laughing and something silly that Ron would say... in these last few, the strife of the troubled times takes hold muuuch more often as we get deeper and deeper into the overall Harry Potter story. Was it a little disjointed? Ehh.. maybe a smidge here or there. You'll hardly notice it though unless you're the most die-hard of the Potter book fanatics. As most of those have learned in the films prior however... ya can't have everything (Peeves)... so, you take the best that can be offered and you be thankful at how enjoyable it all is for you and yours. :) As for the characters, what to go into with them. Kudos to the casting department for this film, because they got it 110% right yet again. You absolutely love all the characters that you're supposed to, and absolutely despise all the characters that you're not. Two words that will make my skin crawl and my jaw clench for probably the rest of the summer.... Dolores Umbridge. That woman.... *shaking my fist*.. ohhhhhh.. she's just *auuuugh* completely flabberghastingly, frustratingly awful. I'm not saying the actress was bad in portraying her, this is a character impression... just.... as time goes on... you just wanna reach through the screen and throttle the woman. She makes an excellent foil in Hogwart's to Harry's magical progression to be sure, so she's perfect in the storyline... but... damn did that woman know how to get under your skin.. literally in the case of a certain young wizard. lol The supporting cast were all excellent as well, as usual. A very nice addition, in an evil sort, was Belatrix. Helena gave her a certain vile charm all her own. Her exposure to Tim Burton is verrrry evident, in the best of ways. As a light-sided, pure-in-a-nutty-kinda-way flip side to Bela's dark side, you have Luna Lovegood. I didn't know what to think of her after her first appearance... but as the school year went on... she quickly became one of my faves of this film. Very, very, very excellent acting by that young actress... I'm looking forward to seeing her yet again for the Half-Blood Prince to be sure. What else to say... what else to say. Not much more without giving away possible critical plot points. Whereas in previous films it was either fantastical creatures or Hogwart intrigue that was the best eye/memory-catcher... in the Order of the Phoenix.... it's allllll about the magic. They really got it right in this one, from the smallest of pranks to the largest of the wizardly duels, the amaaaazing visuals really had that... that raw, emotional power behind it. I'm quite sure that I'll be pouring over this film again and again when it comes out on DVD just to catch the little nuances that I am quite sure that I missed in this initial experience. Either way though... it was a great ride to see Harry finally taking those maturing steps into the wozard that he'll soon HAVE to become. :) Okay... that's it, I'm wrapping this up. In a 1-5 stars ratings I'd give this a solid 4... maybe 4 and a half. The film was fun, empowering, frustrating, and kinda depressing... all at the same time. It's what it was supposed to be, since all of these emotions come from the story itself. Very well-done.. excellent 'coming of age' storyline... and whereas Harry was shown to be alone, woefully alone, in the beginning of the tale... by the end of the film.. it gives you a warmth in your heart to finally see him taking a lead in his magical 'family', even through painful tragedies. My final word on the film is this.. Dumbledore has styyyyyle! ;) Enjoy the movie everyone!!

Come on! - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I keep reading these reviews of how awful the movie was, and how it didn't follow the book, etc. Did none of these people see the last 4 movies? This is what happens when you take a book and make it into a movie— you miss parts unfortunately. I would love if the entire book could be made into a movie but that is just unrealistic. I think this movie was one of the best in the series. I felt it wasn't near as "choppy" as the goblet of Fire. I really liked the characterization of Umbridge, and Luna. The acting is getting so much better as well. I think the actress that plays Luna needs a little more help, but she has some great qualities. Spoilers I wish that the scene with Trelawney being kicked out were a little more dramatic. Also, I wish that the fight scene in the ministry and Fred and George's departure were more played out. But other wise I think it did a good job synopsizing the book. Hopefully you have learned by now not to go into these movies expecting the entire book, and accept that there are going to some liberties taken, but overall the important stuff is hit. I enjoyed the movie immensely!

Differences between the books and the movies >.< - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I decided I was going to read the books before the movie comes out. I have already read It of course, but I wanted to go over what I already knew, and made sure that I would understand everything in the movie...apparently that was a bad idea. The movie really disappointed me. They left out stuff that should not have been left out, granted the book is 900 pages long and you can't turn a 900 page book into a movie and expect every last detail in the book. But I believe that none of the people who were working on the movie, as in directing it, and writing it, read the 6th Harry Potter book, which should have been done. They would have known what to leave out and what should not have been left out and what they should NOT have changed. They added scenes into the movie, which...were not even part of the book. It was utterly disappointing. My first problem is Delores Umbridge. In the Book, I HATED her. I loathed her. And I new the kind of character she was. She was purely evil. Every part in the book that had her in it, you cringed and wanted to kill her. For those who have never read the book and just went to see the movie...I feel sorry for them. Umbridge didn't have ANY of the emotional aspects that she had in the book. There could have been a lot more done to her character. She was not nearly hated as much as she should have been. In the room of requirements, they changed a whole scene around. She NEVER caught all of the students. She ONLY caught Harry. I understand why she had Draco catch Cho that part fit in fine, but having the entire DA caught did not need to happen. Secondly, the scenes they added, and they took out. It's ridiculous. I have always kept in mind that they can not turn a 900 page book into a movie fully. I understand that, it would be near impossible, however adding scenes...when they could have just re arranged the scenes, first off in the RIGHT order, and they could have put scenes in those parts that the book actually had. For instance when Harry randomly met Luna in the forest, that scene could have been turned into the Care of Magical Creatures class. That shouldn't have been easily avoided. The movie never explained fully that Ron, Hermione and Ginny could never see the Thestrals, they said it once, but then just randomly threw them on a Thestrals and went off to London...they never explained that Neville could see them as well. It really irked me, that scene. The writers left out that Severus Snape, actually understood what Harry was saying when he said "They have padfoot...in the place that is hidden". In the book, Sanpe understood it 100%. But they just played it off as he had no idea. When in the 6th book, that's going to be a very important thing. The writer changing the ending around completely is what got me so outrageously mad. Neville Longbottom Drops the prophecy and no one heard it. That is what happened in the book. And that is what should have happened in the movie. Harry hearing the prophecy, and also handing over the prophecy to the Death Eaters should NOT have happened. That is changing the movie around completely. I understand, they have rights to the movies. However, they shouldn't have done that. You never find out that it was actually Trelawney that made the prophecy to Dumbledoor. And they never explain Neville could have had the fate that Harry Potter has. The ending scene, which should have been the most important scene in the movie, did not do the book justice at all. A scene that should not have been left out was when Hermione convinced Rita Skeeter to go to the Three Broom Sticks, and interview Harry about what happened in his fourth year. It would have had more of an emotional point to the movie. I think that is what my problem is with this movie. It was choppy. It only touched on what the writers thought were the "important" aspects of the movie. And the characters did not really have any lines. They barley talked in this movie. The longest monologue that was in it was when Umbridge was talking to the students when they were at the feast. The fifth book was my favorite out of the series; it was the best in my eyes, because of the emotional side. Harry, Ron and Hermione have grown into themselves. They all have more emotions and they have changed. Harry is angered all the time and when he is screaming, yelling, thrashing stuff and breaking possessions of Dumbledoor's the movie only had him get quiet and sullen which makes no sense. And left a VERY good feel of what the character was going through. He had just lost the closest thing to a relative they could have easily made him more mad. The one scene, however that I found was really good and really good acting was when Harry was being possessed by Voldermort, in the Ministry. Daniel did a very good job with the acting. I felt that he was being possessed and that he was trying to control the boy. There were some really funny parts to this movie, it wasn't all bad. Some of the scenes that they had added in were fairly creative and well thought. But after watching the Goblet of Fire, I suppose it could have been managed. The Goblet of Fire was only less the 700 pages and they fit almost everything into the movie. I and I know a lot of other fans didn't expect the movie to be the shortest one out of them all even though it is the longest book. The movie was a 138 minutes, it is 20 minutes shorter then the Goblet of Fire, and even the Sorcerers Stone. It's an entire half and hour shorter then the Chamber of Secrets! It's not as if they didn't have enough money either. The Goblet of Fire ranged somewhere around 3.5 Billion dollars. They could have easily made it to be the longest one out of the 4 they have made so far. I don't think the movie fit with the book in the least. They left out scenes and parts of the book that is going to play a roll into the 7th book coming out in a week. I feel sympathy for all of those who do not read the books, and do not get to understand what a genius J.K Rowling really is. How her books explain more then the movies will ever do.

Harry potter and the disenchanted fans - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I remember back when the countdown for this movie was over 400 days away, and how anxious I was to see my favorite book in the series come to life on film. I'm not naive..I mean, I knew they would nip bits and pieces out of the book to translate it to another medium, but c'mon!!!! Where the heck was the emotion in this film? For that matter, another review brought up an even better question..where was the order of the pheonix!? The greatest dissapointment in this film was that the viewer did not get to truly understand, or feeel for that matter, the emotional angst going on within Harry's mind and spirit as the reader of the book would. Oh, and once again the viewer was ROBBED of an emotionally charged end-confrontation between Harry and Dumbledore in the latter's office. That was when Harry and his mentor finally reached a peak in their relationship, with revelations being made and such.. but nope...not in this movie. I read book 5, and love it perhaps more than any of the others, purely because of its emotional depth and the growth of the characters. On screen, OOTP was dreadful, plain and simple. I left the theater shaking my head and saddened. Honestly, after movie #3, I thought they could do no further harm to the novels... I was wrong.

Simply put...phenomenal (a book-reader's review) - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Ok. Yes stuff was left out. Yes some things were inaccurate. And yes, at times the story jumped around. But I'll tell you what, if that's the price to pay for being able to see fantastic literature on the big-screen...I'll take a few inconsistencies any day. For having the task of taking 870 masterful pages and turning them into a 2.5 hour movie, David Yates did one heck of a job. This movie is a must-see, no matter how you look at it. For book-readers, sure you notice the absence of certain parts, but you finally get to see what you've imagined in your head for years take place in real-live motion on the screen...and you know what, those few things left out, help you gain a better understanding anyway, because you have already read the in-between stuff. Then, in the same breath, this is a great movie for non-book-readers as well. For those HP fans who take the lighter approach of skipping the books and simply following along by the movies...you won't know what you're missing anyway. The biggest complaints about this movie will be from book-readers who wanted a 10-hour long, word-for-word re-creation of the book. Other than that, there is nothing to complain about. Acting was great, story-line was great, and the special effects were flawless. (Slight Spoiler In This Paragraph) Being a book-reader, I knew heading in that I would have to be prepared to accept substantial cuts from all that takes place in the book. However, the parts that Yates chose to focus on, were by far, the most important ones; and the way in which he did it, left me speechless. Yates was clearly at his best at the movie's climactic ending. When reading those last few chapters, when Harry is at the Ministry, and there is the great battle, the book reads like a whirlwind. Everything is happening at once: death-eaters here, death-eaters there, Sirius finally getting the chance to fight, Moody kicking ass, Ginny going on a tear and straight-up owning people. And you try to picture in your head what all this would look like...a million things going on at once, and trying to picture how wizards and witches really "fight" each other. Somehow, someway, Yates was able to create that fast-paced, action-packed, confusion, and then all of a sudden, like an orchestra going flat after their last booming note, Sirius Black is gone...just like in the book. This was the hardest part for me to swallow when reading the book, as tears ran down my cheeks, not only because Sirius was my favorite character, but because you go from such a "high" of seeing the Order save the day, to the unbelievable "low" of seeing Harry's godfather simply fade away. This is an emotion and thought process which was excellently portrayed in the film. Ironically enough, Yates was only warming up. As for the Dumbledore/Voldemort showdown, I don't think that it could have been done better. In a Star Wars type fashion, Harry is being tempted by Voldemort to release his anger, to have his revenge on Bellatrix Lestrange, to have a taste of the dark side. And as we sit there fearing for confused, helpless Harry, we see a green fire of hope, and more like Master Yoda than any other fictional character, Albus Dumbledore appears and engages Voldemort in a wizard-duel that puts Gandalf and Sarumon to shame. The way the movie engaged the audience and got their emotion kicking is a great film-making talent not found in many movies anymore. Think of the way Yates made you HATE Umbridge, just like the book. The way you felt bad for Snape when you saw his hidden past, just like the book. And think of the best two lines of the movie where you felt comfort, confidence, and safety on Harry's part. The first of these lines was Sirius Black to Lucius Malfoy: when the death-eaters are over-whelming the kids, Sirius appears behind Lucius with a firm, "get away from my godson." Then once again, when Harry is alone with Voldemort, Dumbledore appears and almost as if to initiate the duel, says, "It was a mistake for you to come here tonight, Tom." Overall, the movie was fantastic. The best of the five...by far. You just have to put aside the gaping holes of chapters that were left out, and look at what was done well. For the book-readers, imagine if you were forced to take only 400 of the 870 pages out of the book...you would take the most important ones that relate to the plot. So as much as the "prefect storyline" and the "Harry/Cho drama" and all that other stuff is a great read, the big screen simply doesn't allow enough time for it. As for the non-book-readers...pick up the books and get busy. Because as great as a job that Yates did with the movie...the woman he got the story from, Ms. Rowling, might just be one of the greatest authors of our time. Now go spend 10 bucks and enjoy the show!

Don't mind these over-extreme fans! - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Seriously, I've have been a Harry Potter fanatic since the first book dropped and I can tell you everything that was left out of the movie like any other fan. But these extremely crazy fans who expected to see all 870 pages of OOTP in the film cannot be taken seriously. I wouldn't dare to criticize the film as if I could have done better. This was one of the best Potter movies yet, right up there with GOF. The casting for Dolores Umbridge, Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Lestrange was brilliant. The film was beautifully shot, the special effects were top notch as the films have always done, and they stuck to the most important parts of the movie. And the develpoment of the original cast is great. I'm tired of these so-called "fans" being harsh and over-demanding of these filmmakers...how on earth do they expect to see every little detail in the movie. News Flash: JK Rowling is part of the production every step of the way and essentially has the biggest influence on the films! Can you honestly say the audiences actually missed out on a great film because we didn't see Ron and Hermoine as prefects? Or that it was soooo important to see Cho's best friend being the tattle instead of Cho herself? Not really, because the point of the whole Cho issue was clearly made regardless(I won't give it a way for those who have yet to see it). And that is what the whole movie boils down to; what is really important. I, like many die hard fans would love a whole 10 hour Harry Potter film so that I can see every detail that I read about come to life...But can you people optimistically say that that is reasonable for the general public? You're insane if you do. It's insane to think the whole film is ruined because Aunt Petunia didn't get a howler, or there was no quidditch, you can't be that serious! And if you are going to be a fan, then be a REAL fan and give credit and support to Dan, Rupert, and Emma and all the cast and crew because it's not exactly easy to make such a film. Anyone who can't understand that you HAVE to cut out too much details when filming HP movies to make everything fit knows nothing about the movie industry and therefore has(in my view) an obsolete opinion that I can't trust. To those of you reading this who aren't die hard Potter fans, but just want to see the film I say GO! Look at all the bad reviews...you'll notice a pattern. It was the same thing with Star Wars so I suggest you be the judge and not let crazy, chronically unsatisfied fanatics sour your judgement on a very successful trilogy.

Though long, a very well written review - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

First of all, I want you to know that I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. I have read each book more than 20 times, I listen to podcasts, discuss on forums, and listen to numerous discussions about Harry Potter. This is coming from a serious and dedicated fan. I waited in line for 6 hours to see this movie at 12 am at IMAX, and I am happy to say that I am glad I did. It was worth it! Now, If you have read the books - which is a must if wanting to understand the movies - you need to go with an open mind. You need to go there to see a movie. Not to watch the book come alive before your eyes. I went in there thinking that they are going to summarize Harry's life for me. I know his whole story, and this is just a summary for people to see. The plotline is changed a lot, and for a movie it's great. Comparing it to the book is a little disappointing. The acting has improved, and Dumbledore didn't disappoint me as much as I though. With the new actor, I didn't think he could pull off a caring and kind headmaster. He didn't do it great, but it was good enough - or close. Dan has improved his acting, Rupert was very funny but didn't have such a big role, and Emma was also funny, and she did improve a little also. Though there is a lot more to be improved on. Evanna (Luna) is perfect. I mean perfect. She used to be a huge fan herself, and this is kind of a dream come true for her. JK Rowling herself said that she is PERFECT for the part, knowing Evanna because they mailed eachother before. She's incredible and everytime you see her give a line, you want to crack up. Imelda (Umbridge) gives an annoying (which is what it's supposed to be) performance. I didn't get as angry as I would have hoped, but it's impossible because I got mad at the things she did that they took out of the movie. So all in all, she did very well. The movie went by very fast. The emotion was't there. ****Spoiler***** when "blank" dies, i sobbed in the book, but in the movie it goes by so fast you don't have time to be sad or work up any tears. Also, when he dies, they tried to make is very dramatic by cutting out all the sound and it going in slow motion and Harry screaming silently, but for some reason it didn't work. It wasn't dramatic, emotional, or well done. Then the next scene comes like a bang. THe fight with Voldemort and Dumbledore is short, but a little dry and boring. They take out the music maybe to make it more exciting and intense, but that doesn't work either! You don't see any other rooms in the Department of Mysteries, only the prophecy room, which i am mad about because I was really looking forward to seeing the other rooms. Also, I thought they were important in the last book! ******End of Spoiler******** The movie does have lots of positives also. The special effects are well done and beautiful, and the film is very funny. As a movie, it's very good! It does have it's ups and downs, but after all, all the Harry Potter movies are like that. In the end, it definitely is worth seeing at least once. Being a Harry Potter fanatic, I'm obviously going to buy it once it comes out on DVD. If you're not a huge fan, it's good for renting a couple times. Out of the 5 movies, I can't decide where it lays. Before this, the 3rd one was my favorite, but I also loved the first one because it was so magical and beautiful. It's pretty high up there in my favorites! I was actually VERY worried about this movie, since it's the longest book and the shortest movie! But all together, it's a very good movie, and I am very thankful that I stayed in line 6 hours and counted down 235 days to watch it! It was worth it.

I must not tell lies **spoiler warning** - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

This is hands down the best movie out of the series so far. I've read several reviews by people who warn that the movie doesn't follow the book exactly...well, I'm sorry, but what did you expect? The book is 800 pages long! Though I have to say that I'd personally love a 16 hour long Harry Potter film, most people would not. I have to say that some things missing from the movie were my favorite parts of the book, though they were briefly touched upon. ***************spoiler warning**************** I.E., the rebellion of the students and teachers against evil Umbridge, or the fact that Ron and Hermione are prefects but Harry is not one. I also wish I had gotten to see some quidditch; I would love to see Ron as keeper and see the twins and Harry beat the you-know-what out of Malfoy. My absolute favorite part of the book was the interview for the Quibbler(and it's effects), and that was, most unfortunately, left out. ***************spoiler over********************* Though it was well balanced between drama, humor, action and magic; it was a bit jumpy. There were several parts where someone had to ask, "what happened there?" or "where are they now" (they never read the books), but overall I think the main, points are all well covered and it was fantastically well done. I think the acting was incredible...every time Dan Radcliffe acts he improves on what I already thought was un-improvable. I remember seeing him in a T.V. movie version of Dickens' "David Copperfield"; about age 8; and he was incredible back then. He has a way of not only making you understand his characters feelings without words; but actually drawing you in and feeling the emotions yourself. I had never been a huge fan of Rupert Grint ( I thought he was good, but never great) but I think he did very, very well in this installment, and I'll just go now and eat my own words. Emma Watson did pretty well, also. Imelda Staunton (sp?) was absolutely FABULOUS. She really portrayed her character to a T. I of course loved Sirius and Lupin--they did wonderful jobs with the few lines they had. McGonagall was also impressive. I'd also have loved to see more of Tonks. The special effects were amazing, as usual, and the soundtrack was incredible. If there isn't an Oscar for this one, I'd be very much surprised.

Not a book adaptation - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Leaving the theater in the wee hours of the morning I was far from the only person very disappointed in this movie. Several people approached my group, the same bewildered look in their eyes, asking if we too couldn't believe how awful the movie was and listing off all the things that were horribly wrong with it. Keep in mind this is the longest book of the series, so edits had to be made. There was just no way around that, and I think all of the fans knew and accepted this. Coming off Goblet of Fire, I suppose we thought it could still be managed, though. What we didn't expect was how the longest book could possibly be made into the shortest movie. At 138 minutes this movie is 20 minutes shorter than Goblet of Fire and even Sorcerers Stone, and an entire half hour shorter than Chamber of Secrets! The only way to achieve this feat was to butcher the story into a conglomeration of brief cut-scenes that are thrown together out of order and with no background to explain them. We never see St Mungo's, so the very touching scene with Neville and his parents was lost, as was Mrs. Weasley facing her boggart (a scene Julie Walters said years ago she was most looking forward to). It's never explained why the Order chose 12 Grimmauld Place for their Headquarters, and rather than have Dumbledore as their Secret Keeper apparently Moody just has to tap his walking stick a few times and the building appears. Why they chose to change that is beyond me. They also chose not to explain the prophecy at all, so the audience will never understand that it was Professor Trelawny who made it, or that because of it Voldemort actually created his own worst enemy. With the immense talent this movie has, I feel it was completely wasted on this screenplay. Dame Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, and Emma Thompson were, quite frankly, robbed. Each of these amazing actresses had scenes in the book that would have showcased them brilliantly, yet each only has a few lines. Instead, we get to watch Daniel Radcliff's struggle to show an angry teenage boy. I've been increasingly impressed by his acting in these movies, but this time he was completely off. When Harry was supposed to be angry - when he was yelling and fuming in the book - he would simply get moody and sullen. No raging and yelling at his friends for this Harry Potter. Something I might have overlooked, had the story been better, was costuming. With such an opportunity to create a world apart (and yet within) our own, they instead chose to just put most of the characters in everyday clothing that you'd see on the street. In a few cases this was needed for the story, but I see NO need to the students of a wizarding school to be wearing muggle clothes so often. It was, to me, distracting. The special effects and sets were top notch, as always. I could find no fault in them, though the change in the Dementors appearance seemed unnecessary to me. Overall this movie was a huge disappointment. So much was left out that I simply cannot imagine how much they will have to cut from the last two movies, or risk the audience being even more lost in things that are never explained. I feel deeply saddened for the people who will never read the book and will never appreciate the world and depth of story that JK Rowling created. My best suggestion is to go straight from the movie to your local book store, where the real story can be found, and hope that perhaps Warner Brothers will put out an extended edition of this movie some day.

An excellent compression of 900 pages - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

JK Rowling, we all must remember, creates quite a difficult task for filmmakers in writing stories with far too much substance to fit into one movie. I am pleased to announce that in my return from the Midnight show that David Yates, new director to the series has taken this challenge in stride and created and excellent interpretation. What most impressed me was the transitions of OOTP which allowed it to flow. I was not left annoyed with the neccessary cuts from the movie as I did in Goblet of Fire. They made cuts that would not blemish the book's original plot line. The movie was most definitely darker as it should be. It reflects the change of atmosphere that is so obviously occuring during the 5th year. Characters become more developed including a new character, Luna Lovegood, who I was surprised (and pleased) to see her contribution to the movie with humor and a change of personality. The character of Dolores Umbridge is executed extremely well and by the end of the movie as in the book, she is well hated by all. I normally dont like when the movies purposely alter things but OOTP only added things that added to understanding of the audience along with some quite hilarious scenes with Filch. I am not the typically Harry Potter fan so I am sorry if we may have a few conflicting views but i think we all have to agree Dumbledores got style... I mean did you watch that fight with Voldemort? Bloody brilliant

Exciting, entertaining, but satisfying & accurate? - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I left the movie theatre not 40 minutes ago from the Midnight showing of "Harry 5" as my theatre called it. While the film certainly entertained, excited, and has spearheaded my re-reading half the series, I cannot help feel unsatisfied. Die-Hard potter fans beware: The story as shown in the film will disappoint. There simply is not enough included in the Movie. Don't get me wrong, if you're a fan, GO SEE THE MOVIE, but don't expect the fluid transitions, explanations, and satisfactory side plots (I.E. Ron/Hermione) that are so abundant in the books. The two can simply not be compared. Some may even say that enough was left out of the movie to make it impossible to fully understand the plot without reading the books. Either way, this is a Movie Review. If the books had never existed and the Movie stood alone the critics would be raving about the plot, characters, and creativity of screen play. However, obligated to follow in the footsteps of the epic novel before it, Harry Potter 5 seems to come up short in the minds of most critics and fans. Visual effects are decent, the end fight scene appears to be about 20 minutes long (and still not long enough). I have no complaints about the acting or casting, this is where the film did not come up short one bit. Save the inevitable corny one-liners or post-battle moral teachings, the acting in Harry 5 is nothing to complain about. Furthermore, the casting, both old and new (most especially Umbridge) seems to be flawless. Harry 5 left me wanting something more, whether good directing to inspire thirst for more, or poor directing, failing to properly convert a novel into a film, I'm not sure. If the film stood alone the reviews would be different, but it doesn't. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- B

Let's separate emotion from reason... - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I thought the movie was quite brilliant and was surprised at all of the negative reviews I have read from loyal fans. Let us not make the mistake so many people are making now-a-days by basing our decisions on our feelings and not reason: truthiness is great for the Colbert Report, but not for truly thoughtful reflection. Was a lot of the book not touched upon in the movie? Of course. However, the book is not a screen play, it is quite simply a book. I believe that the foundation of the story was kept intact and to me, that is what is important. In fact, I think that if the movie had mirrored the book as much as some people seem want to do, those same people would be complaining that the movie made the book look like it was written strictly to be made into a movie. Yet, I digress... I took great pleasure in seeing an interpretation of the 5th book on the big screen. Of course it was not my rendering, but I respect it none-the-less. Visually it was stunning and I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole time. I caution people to remember that books and movies are very different. When we read a book we turn our attention inward, we bring the story to life in our mind's eye and are a very active player in its construction. On the other hand when we watch a movie, that same story is being given to us by someone else and we are more of a passive participant. If we don't let our expectations or hubris get ahold of us, we can sit back and enjoy a breathtaking film; however, if we let our egos convince us that things should have been done a certain way, our way, we are destined to be disappointed.

Maturing nicely - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I have a tendency to act as a deranged Potterhead at times, but I'll refrain from doing so here. That being said, 'Order of the Phoenix' is my second favorite film in the franchise, the first being 'Prisoner of Azkaban'. The most obvious reason? A driven narrative. 'Phoenix' sticks to one storyline and follows through with it faithfully from the movie's start to finish. Yes, 'Goblet of Fire' has the thrilling action aspect down pat, but it's noticeably lacking a sense of continuity that makes each sequence fall into place like a montage of various chunks of the novel, mashed together into one film at breakneck speed to please fans. 'Order of the Phoenix' doesn't assault you with an onslaught of frenetic storytelling; the pacing is excellent. 'Phoenix' takes it's time to tell the story and, as strange as it may sound, for the first time in the Potter series, I felt like I was watching an actual film and not a commercial-minded demonstration. This can most likely be accredited to the fact that J.K. Rowling's fifth Potter novel is overindulgent, making it, in turn, much easier to trim than any of the others. 'Azkaban' taps into this attribute, yet 'Phoenix' goes all the way with it. Our heroic trio has certainly come a long way as actors. Emma Watson still has a nagging habit of hesitating before delivering lines, but Hermione is more so of an assertive character this time around that Watson's habit isn't distracting. Curiously, there isn't much time devoted to Ron, yet Rupert Grint establishes a greater presence with the time that he's given than he did with more screentime in the previous entries; Ron isn't nearly as passive this time. Imelda Staunton is a more-than-welcome addition as Professor Umbridge. She is deliciously sinister, though I would've liked to have heard more of that infamous cough... And it took three movies for it to happen, but Michael Gambon has finally come to life as Albus Dumbledore. He plays the charismatic headmaster in a manner truer to the original character, not the hot-headed, often insensitive nut he displayed in the last two installments. Every character featured - with the exception of Tonks - doesn't come across as a mere cameo; everyone actually has something to add to the story. And I enjoyed how seamlessly the screenwriters tied side storylines onto the main one through clever, not distracting or alarming, alterations - to name a few, Cho and the veritaserum (abandoning Marietta's character), and Neville discovering the Room of Requirement (abandoning Dobby's character). Nuances such as those helped illustrate the difference between designing a good film and designing a good book adaption. The tightly held-in narrative makes all the difference in the world. Remember, this is a 140 minute movie, not a 800+ page novel; you can't just pick up and dispose of characters the way you can in the book, which is something many picky fans just need to accept. A few of my biggest complaints reared toward the end. Firstly, Sirius's death is handled a bit awkwardly, though Harry's muted grieving is a nice dramatic touch. Secondly, the most emotional powerful scene in the entire novel for me, Harry's confrontation with Dumbledore following the escapade at the Ministry, is severely underfed. Even for someone who's read the book as many times as I have, the explanation to account for the night's events is rather skimpy. It's common knowledge that ever since 'Chamber of Secrets' came out in 2002, the series has been "getting darker". Yes, we get it already, believe me, this isn't news. What 'Phoenix' offers is a fresh sense of maturity. Gone are the silly gags and childish confrontations. The stakes are higher and the threats are beyond the lines of school-friendly, Tri-wizard competition. Harry has now entered the "real world"; we're not playing games anymore. As he himself puts, "You don't know what it's like, knowing that you're a second away from being murdered or watching your friends die." This is a new side of the Potter franchise that I sincerely hope is here to stay.

Hardly slept - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Firstly, alot is missing from the movie that was in the book. Everyone is ignoring the movie and putting alot of attention into missing parts. There is no way that all of the sub-plots and story lines could have been worked into a movie of reasonable length. It was 2 hours and 18 minutes long as it was, if they had spent time to cover and maitain every story line in the book it would have been a six hour movie, and while the movie was terriffic, I don't know if anyone of sane mind could have handled six hours in the theater (especially at midnight). The acting was brilliant! I was so suprised to find that all of these young actors had grown into such power-house performers, and the edition of the character of Luna completely matched what I had in mind. This movie was shot beautifully, I understand the giant looked a bit too CGI, but he is CGI, he was a giant for goodness sakes, it would've been alot stranger if they had gotten a guy to play the part and put him next to mini trees holding a Hermione doll (original Godzilla style). This is a very psychological movie, it will probably creep you out a bit (the "hand" writing still bothers me, and the kitten plates....creepy). The action scenes, the big fight at the end, amazing. I believe if you see it in IMAX the last half hour or so is in 3-D. I definitely regretted missing the IMAX midnight show, I am going to see it this weekend, but the awesome-tastic-ness of the final battle was so super-terriffic that I don't know if I can handle the 3-D version. In alot of ways, I think that the Harry Potter fan that can let go of a few parts of the book and enjoy the movie solely for the movie will find it stunning. Those that are deep-rooted in an exact replica of the book will undoubtedly get online and write a review where they list every error or omission. The best Harry Potter film yet, in my mind..

If you read the book you will be in tears..... - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I loved all the books but why do they keep changing the story in the books to something completley different? WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER here is a quick list of what was completley wrong no howler to petunia no note about grimauld place to harry from moody when he arrived there starts oclumency after the attack on mr weasley but before leaving back to grimauld for christmas st mungos non exsistant no gilderoy no seeing nevilles parents fred and george leave during owls and fireworks go away instead of terrorizing the school cho tells umbridge about D.A. not her friend who isnt in the movie at all everything with centaurs was wrong nothing about prefects when they go to the ministry to rescue sirius they end up in the prophecy room straight from the elevator the death eaters move and look like dementors on crack they dont walk they just kinda teleport around and harry hears the prophecy when he picks up the sphere when they get the prophecy they dont split up hermione doesnt get injured no brains attacking ron no extra rooms the prophecy breaks from lucius dropping it, neville is fine he doesnt get hurt at all or tortured. room with the arcway is all wrong fight with voldermort and dumbledore was reduced to 1/100th the content then what was in the book after the fight harry is calm in dumbledores office nothing with the pensieve or about kreacher so much more i missed, but you get the idea the movie jumps around a lot and it had the potential to be a great movie if it could of stuck to what was written not a warped view of a corrupt director who ruined the visual adaption of one of the worlds best selling series

Of course they cut stuff, but it was still amazing - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

I'm tired of reading these 'reviews' written by people who are simply ranting on about the stuff "they" (the director, producers, and crew...) have screwed up. "J.K. Rowling should have stopped them" is another common theme. To all these sorts of people, I say get a grip on reality. J.K. Rowling WAS involved every step of the way in the making of this film. She stopped them from cutting what she thought was too important. If you'd read at all about the movie in the previous weeks, you would know this. As for the amount of things cut, 'they' (see even I am now using the term) weren't seeking to include every minuscule detail desired by some whining thirteen year old. It has to appeal to the masses, or they wouldn't make any money. Now I'd love a seven hour movie, but that just isn't plausible. (Though you'd think an extended DVD version, like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, would go over well...) I just can't see why people get so worked up about it. On to the positive aspects of this film. Story: Like I said, things were cut. That explains my B+. But at the same time, what was left in was put together well. It seemed fast-paced perhaps, but I'm sure that was only to keep the audience engaged. Overall the story worked just fine. Acting: I hate reading about people carrying on how horrid the acting in these films is. It is not. I would love to see some of these people try to do a better job than Dan, Rupert, and Emma. The trio was brilliantly cast, and apart from the occasional eyebrow flourish from Hermione, they performed excellently in this installment. As for Umbridge and Luna, Imelda Staunton and Evanna Lynch are amazing. I found myself hating Umbridge from her first "hem hem" at the ministry hearing, a hatred that only grew as the movie progressed. Luna was misty-eyed, dreamy, and everything else she had been expected to be. She was excellently cast. And of course Maggie Smith as McGonagall was great as always, along with the other returning cast. Direction: David Yates did a wonderful job composing shots that were both interesting and practical. He seemed to have brought out the best (and by best, it sometimes means worst) in all the characters. Hermione and Ron were supportive of Harry, we caught glimpses of Ginny looking angrily at Harry and Cho, Trelawney was pity-inspiring, and Umbridge was absolutely loath worthy. The changes Yates made to the story worked in a way that tied everything together, regardless of the pieces left out. Visuals: This film was beautiful to look at. There were many wide, sweeping shots of Hogwarts and other scenery, flyovers of the action happening below the camera, and generally well-composed angles for the more intimate character scenes. The special effects were nothing less than I had expected, and magic would be a tough thing to conquer, I would imagine. Overall I give Order of the Phoenix an A. Don't let the reviews written by the bitter 'fans' discourage you from making a trip or four out to the theatre; true Harry Potter fans will thoroughly enjoy this film.

Eh... - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

It was an okay movie, what I loved about it, first of all, was that it was exactly like what I pictured in my mind, all but Delores Umbridge. Although played by a very good actress, she is not what I pictured from the book. She is a tiny woman, very 'squeaky'. I pictured a very 'tough' woman, of large build and stature, and no kindness whatsoever. Although the latter is correct, the overall picture just wasn't her. They did leave out some of what I thought to be crucial details....such as cleaning the house, the coins for the DA, and, oh yes, the Howler to Petunia. I believe that they trust you to read the books, and put the rest of the pieces together...so read it! The Ministry of Magic scenes were absolutely extraordinary... exactly what I pictured. Ummmmm.....as for acting.... I have, am, and always will be in love with the actor that plays Sirius. He is tremendous! Absolutely a brilliant performance! Once again, the Dumbledore just did not impress me. The 6th movie will be hard to pull off, i believe, if they keep this Dumbledore. Although several of the ladies in the theatre just swoon when Daniel Radcliffe comes on scene, I dont! He is just ordinary in this film, and I was just satisfied with his performance. I loved the new Luna! EXACTLY like I had in mind. As for the guy who plays Lucius, I couldn't have been more impressed. I love him... he is so good with 'falling into character'. ummmm The Threstrals were pretty awesome in this movie...I had pictured them slightly different, like the Fresian horse. Of course, they are not as glamorous as I had pictured, but if they had been glamorous, why would they only be seen by those who have seen death? Oh, another slight difference from previous movies....the dog that was 'Padfoot' has changed. He was a ferocious, frightful mut. Now he looks like a deerhound! Well played, directors, I like this one much better. Another Actress worth noting: Bellatrix is EXCELLENT!!!!!!!! Couldn't have chosen a better person! Absolutely flawless performance! Okay I'm done...it's 3 in the morning, and I need to get going....pleaase mark me as helpful :-))

Not a dry eye in the house. - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Reviews

Read this only if you've read the books. When you take such a beloved series of books and such a beloved character it often happens that people don't approve of the directors vision as compared to their own imagination, as was the case with my opinions of the "Prisoner of Azkaban." I did not like Azkaban the movie, because it didn't agree with my vision. The exact opposite can be said for this movie. The movie moves much faster than the book obviously because of time restraints, however the movie spins together the crumbling of Hogwarts and the Ministry with "Dumbledors Army" very well. However the thing that I found most enjoyable about this movie as compaired to the others, is it truly gave life to the visuals in the book. Most notibly was Evanna Lynch's portrail of Luna Lovegood. In the books I found that Luna almost seemed creepy, however Lynch made her to be a lot more loveable of a character by her undying innocence and whimsycal nature of always seeing the good in people. When reading the book I knew that Dolores Umbridge was mean but the movie succeeds in making her completely unlikeable. It was incredible to actually be put in the middle of a wizard battle, where the book can only say things like the "pop of spells missing" you are actually put in the middle as beams of light flash by you. It was at the end of the battles where I found the most joy in the movie adaptation, with both the possession of Harry and the death of Sirius. I've always had a hard time with death scenes in books, they never seem to get what death looks like. I found it so much more jolting to actually see the moment, and Harry's reaction to, the death of his only family Sirius. This however paled in comparison to the possesion of Harry. When Harry is taken over by Voldemort we see not only the compassion in Dumbledore's eyes but the we are again shown clips from the previous 4 movies and see not only Harry's struggles but see his visual growing through the movie, I was completely lost in that moment and found myself chokeing up when the sniffleing of the girl next to me in the theater brought me back to reality. I took a moment to look around the theater and found much of the audience wipeing their eyes. It was a very powerful moment that as much as I loved the book, was only captured through the visuals. Their are a few negatives I personally had with the movie. I thought their was a little to much reliance on newspaper headlines to tell the story. As well completely ignoring an intersting plot point in Harry's reaction to reading Snapes memories and seeing that his father might have been a jerk. Overall you are going to hear a lot of reviews from professional critics that the movie got too dark, it did, and being a fan of the books and seeing how dark they have gotten, a fan of the book will not be surprised, and will hopefully find it as enjoyable as I did.