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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (DVD, 2007, Widescreen)
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I've been a fan of the Harry Potter phenomenon since a little after the release of Book 4 (Goblet of Fire). The series is, in my opinion, unparalleled in storytelling and dramatic effect. I think that you'll find the HP movie fans to be in one of three categories -- (1) the purists, who believe that the movies should be nothing more than a dramatization of the Rowling text; (2) the liberalists, who have no problem whatsoever with a complete rewriting of the text to make a more dramatic film; (3) the in-betweenists, who feel that as long as the spirit of the text and most major plotlines are followed, a little artistic departure is acceptable and necessary. I fall more into the third category. While I appreciate very much the text of the books, I realize that translating such text into films is a very difficult project indeed and demands some artistic license. We have, up through this particular film (OotP), had four different directors with four very different styles and attitudes toward remaining true to the text. I believe that in this film, David Yates did a tremendous job of translating a monstrous book into a great film, while remaining as true to the text as possible in just over 2-1/2 hours. I'm greatly excited that he will be staying on for Half-Blood Prince, and at the time of this writing is even anticipated to close out the series with the directorship of Deathly Hallows. If you're a fan of this great book -- go ahead and buy the DVD. I wasn't disappointed, and I don't believe that you will be either.Read full review
In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned. Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort's return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge's Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead. Those magical kids return with their obligatory authority figure adults in tow. Only they're not so little anymore and as the last movie proved, they're all well on their way to no longer being kids. Whatever plot lines director David Yates chooses to chase, it's essential that he makes following their slow bloom into adulthood a priority while at the same time avoiding the discussion of things like oh, say, condoms. I'm not a huge fan of the last movie, but that's one thing that Goblet of Fire's director Mike Newell got right. The awkwardness of puberty, their newfound interest in the opposite sex. Watching these kids grow up on screen is what's most interesting about the Harry Potter series to anyone over the age of twelve, not their bag of magical tricks. The seriesï new director, as mentioned above, is David Yates. With each new director comes a new, distinctive style. Thatï's a plus really, it gives every movie its own unique energy. But this is the first truly high profile film Yates has ever touched, and itï's certainly his first big-budget blockbuster. Since Columbus, that seems to be the route Warner Brothers is going with their Harry Potter directors. Both of the last two helmers had similar, low-budget resumes and it�s worked well so far. The real difference in Yates is that he's the Potter franchise's first British director. Odd when you consider there's not an American in sight when you check out the cast. Expect more of the same from the fifth Harry Potter. Only Cuaron's movie, the third one, has distinguished itself from the pack as anything special. The rest have been entertaining but ultimately mediocre, and the sad thing is that Harry's hardcore fans seem to prefer that. Mediocre I suppose, is better than bad. The films have maintained a consistent level of quality, and thats more than most other long-running movie franchises can claim. A MUST BUY 9/10Read full review
The Entertainment Critic www.theentertainmentcritic.com Home Edition Video Review By James Myers HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX DVD 2 Disc Set - Wide Screen / Two-Disc Special Edition Release Date: December 11, 2007 UPC: 085391174929 Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO Region Code: 1 Time: 2:19:00 Director: David Yates Screenwriter: Michael Goldenberg (screenplay) J.K. Rowling (novel) Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon Genre: Fantasy Adventure/ Drama Awards: Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations MPAA Rating: PG-13 Official Website: http://www.harrypotterorderofthephoenix.com/ Runtime: 138 Mins Features: Additional scenes; The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter - Explore all the movies in the series for clues to the mystery of Harry's true destiny; Trailing Tonks: Natalia Tena (aka Nymphadora Tonks) leads a very personal film set tour; Harry Potter: The Magic of Editing - Director David Yates and editor Mark Day show what a difference a good edit makes; DVD-ROM enhanced features Review: 9/10 rating 6th HIGHEST GROSSING FILM OF ALL TIME, GROSSING $938,464,961 IN THE YEAR 2007 As Harry grows up before our eyes on film, a little bit of the innocence is lost and is replaced by more adult themes, and scarier villains. Nonetheless, this video, the 5th of 7, left me wanting to see more Harry Potter, and more of his adventures. The film begins with Harry Potter and his cousin Dudley mysteriously attacked by two Dementors. In turn Harry is forced to cast the Patronus charm to repel the Dementors, but when the Ministry of Magic detects what he has done (the underage practice of wizardry) he is expelled from Hogwarts. He begins to have horrible nightmares depicting Lord Voldemort's return. Harry is awoken and taken to headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization founded by Dumbledore. Members of the Order, including Harry's Godfather Sirius Black, reveal that under the Ministry's influence, The Daily Prophet has launched a smear campaign against anyone who claims the Dark Lord has returned, leaving Harry feeling alone and isolated from the other wizards. Dumbledore helps to clear Harry's name is cleared of all charges, and he is allowed to return to Hogwarts. Upon entering his fifth year of school, Harry learns that the Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge has appointed a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher: Dolores Umbridge, a Senior Ministry official who refuses to teach practical magic to her students, out of fear that Dumbledore will organize his own personal wizard army. As her grip on the school increases, Ron and Hermione aid Harry in forming a secret defense group, calling themselves "Dumbledore's Army". During the year, Harry envisions mysterious scenes in his sleep, including a dangerous attack upon Arthur Weasley in the Department of Mysteries. Fearing there may be a connection between Voldemort and Harry's mind, Professor Snape immediately initiates Occlumency lessons to close his mind from the Dark Lord's influence. Promoted to High Inquisitor, Umbridge, Filch and her loyal Inquisitorial Squad, including Draco Malfoy uncover Dumbledore's Army after interrogating one of the students, Cho Chang with whom Harry had developed intense feelings for. Dumbledore is questioned and makes an impressive escape as Fudge orders for his arrest. With Dumbledore gone, Umbridge becomes the new Headmistress whose sinister dominRead full review
I must have fallen asleep for a few years because I missed this installment of the HP series. I was watching the next one and suddenly knew I had missed something. If you don't watch this one the next one has many gaps. Most of the movies are good stand alones but these last couple have taken the excitement of discovery and moved it into Hi I'm Harry Potter and I'm a brat. I'm starting to think about rooting for Malfroy as he seems to be having some real childhood issues of discovering who he is. Plus I'm tired of trying to guess if professor Snape is good or bad, choose allready! I'm a HP fan and glad to watch the movies, I havn't read the books so don't have a base for that.
This is one of the very few times that I felt that the movie was better than the book. Order of the Phoenix was the only book I did not rate Excellent, but I feel this movie rates it. Unlike the book, which I feel was Rowling's one and only drop into "middle book funk", this movie can stand on its own. The Ministry of Magic, in an attempt to keep Harry Potter quiet, assign Delores Umbridge to the school. Although Umbridge is never specifically mentioned as being a Death Eater, loves to leave people in perpetual misery. Later in the series, she is an inquisitor working for the Ministry under Voldermort's command. Much of the pain and anguish she passes out like candy in the book is thankfully left out of the movies. She still her magic quill that, when used, uses the writer's blood for ink. This has the side affect of etching the words in the skin of the writer as well. She also posts an almost infinite number of decrees to dominate the school. Whereas the book went into endless detail of these and other tortures, the movie was able to successfully convey the full depth of her psychosis without boring the reader to death in the process. This also kept the movie from being quite as dark as the book. The characters in the movie are clearly on the defensive, but they never give up. The climatic battle at the end feels more like a costly draw than a pointless loss of one of Harry's closest friends. The actors and actresses continue to perform magnificently. I simply can not imagine anyone else playing the parts of Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys, Snape or McGonagall. Imelda Stauton was perfect as Delores Umbridge, as was Evanna Lynch as the quirky Luna Lovegood. Gary Oldman, who I thought was over the top in Prisoner of Azkaban, did wonderfully here as Sirius Black. I feel Michael Gambon does well as Albus Dumbledore. And there is over a score of secondary characters of which this movie would not work if they were not top notch themselves. The script writers did well in condensing the much too long book into a few simple effects. A single shot of hundreds of framed decrees hanging on the wall outside the Great Hall, limiting the Umbridge torture scenes, combining the Weasly rebellion with the O.W.L. tests expertly wrapped up entire chapters into single scenes. I also appreciates using Daniel Radcliff's talents as a actor to demonstrate his angst as opposed to the self-destructive patterns Harry has in the book. A few things could have been better. Harry's hair is neatly combed, something that never happens in the books. Also, the waith-like forms the Death Eaters take in the big fight at the end I felt was over the top. The special effects otherwise great, but they should have left well enough alone. John Holland-author of The Necklace of TerrersylvanousRead full review
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