Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a film directed by David Yates. I remember watching this film back in 2007 since my school took me and not understanding a single word of it. But finally after watching it so many years later, I enjoyed the film.Plot: The Ministry of magic goes to every extent in order to hide Lord Voldemort's return.Story and direction: This is the first film directed by David Yates who went on to direct the rest of the parts and first not to be written by Steve Kloves but by Michael Goldenberg. I could understand the pressure on these two people but in spite of that they deliver. This instalment is the one that has the Ministry of Magic play out its politics. And that is something quite different the series has never tackled before. Also introduced in this film is Harry Potter forming the Dumbledore Army and the anti-Voldemort organisation the Order of the Phoenix. The film has progressed from Harry becoming just a little boy to one where he is fighting Death Eaters. Each character has an added layer of information to itself that made me care for them so much. And it was so beautifully handled. The makers know the importance of these characters and give them the respect and care that they deserve. Also featured inin this film is the biggest action scene ever where stakes are very high. I remember very well enjoying the scene at that time but now knowing all the characters and their motivations, I enjoyed the scene even more. The music in this film is awesome too. But I did have one little issue. And that is the VFX. After so good VFX in the previous parts, here in some scenes the VFX were cringe-worthy.Performances: The regular cast does so well in their parts that it is very hard to fault them. Imelda Stauton does one hell of a job as Dolores Umbridge. If you thought that ypou have seen enough of evil characters in this series, you are wrong. She is definitely the worst. Helena Bonham Carter also nails it as Bellatrix Lestrange. Although her role is quite short, but it is very effective. And finally, Evanna Lynch is awesome as Luna Lovegood. The way she alliances herself with Harry and the gang is awesome.Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Fred and George trouble Dolores Umbridge during the OWL exam. That scene was just awesome and I laughed so hard during this scene. It always feels good when an evil character faces such a situation.Verdict: This franchise knows what it is doing and it is good at it. With every instalment, the anxiety increases as to what will happen next. I had a good time watching this film and can't wait to see as to what is next. I applaud David Yates and team for bringing another part of so wonderful series.I am going with a 9/10.

Harry Potter And The Order of The Phoenix is a follow up to the 2005 Harry Potter film Goblet Of Fire where Harry is been bullied by his cousin's gang and Harry saves Dudley(his cousin)from these deadly shadows. Of course Harry gets nightmares about Lord Voldermort and thinks that Voldermort is out for revenge again. While his dealing with Voldermort's comeback,the rest are still grieving for Cedric(Robert Pattinson) who dies in the goblet of fire by Voldermort and Harry keeps trying to warn everyone that Voldermort is back. There is also a new teacher called Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton from Maleficent)and she has shown hatred towards Harry and doesn't want any of the students to use violence or deadly spells.Will anyone believe Harry that Voldermort has returned? Overall i really enjoyed this one too. The acting is good and I like the par where Harry is setting up a fight for Voldermort with Hermoine Granger(Emma Watson),Ron Weasley(Rupert Grint) and Co as Harry found a secret room to prepare themselves from Voldermort,the special effects is great and overall it is a fun film to watch. 8/10

I hated this film deeply when it was released, today I decided I'd give it another go - alas, I still hate this film - even more than before. The reasons: 1) 'I feel more lonely than ever before'; 'I am sorry for you, cos you never knew love and friendship'; 'We've got something to fighting for' - these are just three lines the script writer (or whoever decided to put them into Harry's mouth) should be hanged, drawn and quartered. Or, at least, publicly ridiculed - for they transformed the Harry JKR wrote into Percy Weasley, for only Percy could've said these lines - cheesy, false and vomit-inducing. 2) I suspect David Yates loves Stanley Kubrick movies, especially The Shining (two little girls scene - immobile, in the centre of the frame) - for he used this approach to framing just too many times while shooting this film (and the subsequent Potter films shot by different DoPs, so it's definitely the director's fault.) While it's certainly served its purpose in the S Kubrick films, continuous usage of the same approach in HP is maddening, to say the least - it just destroys the natural flow of the narration! 3) Dolores Umbridge treatment - instead of pure evil (as described by JKR both in the book and in the subsequent interviews), Yates & Goldenberg made her quite an average power-loving bureaucrat, nothing special (conveniently forgetting the fact it was her who sent the Dementors to Harry) 4) Music - it seems disconnected from the narration and sometimes inappropriate (like re-using the Escaping from Privet Drive track for end credits. 5) Continuity & lack of logic: for ex., how come the Occlumency scene was put before Harry & Weasley's leaving Hogwarts for Grimmauld Place? Why did Sirius give Harry that Order of the Phoenix photograph at the station? It should've happened earlier. 6) Unnecessary 'heavy' special effects, like apparition of the Grimmauld Place house (making it appear like JKR described it would've been much more effective and cheaper to boot.) 7) Dialogues (in addition to what I wrote about those infamous Harry lines) - it seems like the scriptwriter took some of the lines directly from the book, but didn't bother (or just was unable) to make them sound logical in the context of the film, which resulted in, for ex., Umbridge's speech at the beginning-of-the-year feast (and Ron's reaction to it) stupid and illogical. Certainly this was the worst Potter film. I fail to understand how Mr Yates managed to appropriate the filming rights for the entire Potter franchise after this.

I'm sure it's difficult for any filmmaker to adapt a beloved novel, but David Yates had an extraordinary task attempting to cut down the longest Potter novel into what happens to be, the second shortest film in the series. I didn't read the books, so I can't specifically comment on the quality of the adaptation, but I do know that Order of the Phoenix is one damn good film.As much as I love the inevitable singular adventures each film in the Harry Potter series brings, I think Harry's emotional journey in each film is equally as intriguing. That journey is perhaps most drastic in Order of the Phoenix. After the horrific events at the end of Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts, its students, and the rest of the Wizarding World are at a split feeling surrounding the reemergence of Lord Voldemort. The ministry refuses to believe that that the dark lord has returned, while Harry and a select few at Hogwarts are truly preparing for what's to come.Harry faces a difficult case against him at the ministry after it's revealed to them that Harry used magic in the presence of muggles. It's another truly eerie opening as the dementors nearly killed Harry and Dudley. But Dementors are only the beginning to what is probably Harry's most difficult task in the series to that point, defeating the dark lord and his "army" he's been recruiting.We've seen plenty of great adventures from the main trio thus far, so I guess it was about time the team expands a bit. Alas, Harry starts "Dumbledore's Army" with the help of Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville, Cho, and the new cast member, Luna Lovegood among others. It's probably the first time in the series' history where Harry willingly takes on a leadership role in order to get ahead of Voldemort's plans. This all isn't taken too well from the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge is easily one the easiest characters to hate in the series, but I can't picture anyone else bringing more to the role than Imelda Staunton did. It's a complicated character to like, but it fits in with the tone of the movie in a strangely satisfying way.Another strong point in The Order of the Phoenix is the impressive set design. Unlike Goblet of Fire, we get to spend much more time at Hogwarts as well as getting a look at a few new sets outside the campus. Just simply taking a look at the gorgeous cinematography and production design of the final showdown at the Department of Mysteries. To me, it's one of the finest sequences this series has ever given us. Seeing Harry and a good portion of his team take on the Death Eaters was cool, but nothing compares to Dumbledore (and sort of Harry) take on Voldemort. That along with the death of Sirius Black leaves the series on a satisfyingly somber note.It's difficult to compare this film to the others. There are aspects to the Order of the Phoenix that are great, like the climax and Harry's emotional arc, but it's hard to not feel like there's something missing from the story. You don't necessarily feel that way during the viewing, but perhaps looking back, it could have used an extra 15 minutes or so of scenes.+Production design +Harry's emotional arc +Dumbledore vs Voldemort+Harry takes on a leadership role -Could be an extra 15 minutes of plot to add 8.8/10