A new year at Hogwarts is brought to us by a new creative team, building on what has come before, as should be expected. I have found that each successive outing makes it a little bit harder for newcomers. You almost need to have seen the previous four films before going into this one in order to get the full effect. Now, I know that there are probably very few viewers like that, but I found myself feeling a little at a disadvantage, as it has been a while since I've seen Goblet of Fire, but I think I fared pretty well.
This outing picks up with Harry feeling the dramatic effects from the conclusion of the last film, leading us into a world that is getting considerably darker than it had been. The Order of the Phoenix is a step up from the last one, and promises that the true darkness is yet to come.
Goblet of Fire came to a close following a battle between Harry and the returning Voldemort which resulted in the death of fellow student Cedric Diggory. This death and the the danger that Voldemort represents lies heavily upon the head of young Harry. The weight is evident in the very first scene, which is one of the few, so far, to take place away from Hogwarts and its related areas, and occur in the "real" world.
Harry, wearing a face that is much more angst-ridden and weary beyond his years, has a confrontation with his cousin, Dudley, which is stopped short by the appearance of a pair of Dementors on the prowl for the young wizard. Left with little choice, Harry casts a spell to save himself and Dudley, an action which results in his prompt expulsion. You see, it is against the rules for minors to cast spells away from the school.
This brings Harry back together with his permanent companions, Hermione and Ron, and also introduces him to The Order of the Phoenix, a group that is all about putting a stop to Voldemort's advances. All this before they even get back to the school!
Article comments
1 - NancyGail
Considering how dark the book was, I'm not surprised.
2 - NEKO
THE SERIES OF HARRY POTTER MOVIES HAS AN EPIC IMPACT ON THE WORLD OF MOVIES, YET THIS ONE COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER...NO ALOT OF BETTER. THIS MOVIE HAPPENS TO BE THE WORST OF ALL THE HARRY POTTER MOVIE SERIES, AS MOST BOOKS TURN HOLLYWOOD, INFORMATION IS LOST FORGETTEN OR JUST NOT MENTION BUT THIS ONE HAD THAT PLUS THE FACT THAT THROUGHOUT THE MOVIE YOU ONLY SAW THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERS.I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE THAN HERMIONE SMARTNESS, RON'S LOST MIND AND HARRY POTTER DECLARINGS OF BRAVERY. THIS MOVIE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CALL HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX BUT HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE BIG HEAD SYNDROME OF ACTORS . THE EFFECT WHERE ACTORS IN MOVIES HAVE TO MANYCAMERA TIME AND NOT ENOUGH ACTION OR THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW CHARACTERS AND OLD CHARACTERS. EXAMPLE LUNA LOVEGOOD WERID GIRL AND NEW HAS ONLY THESE PARTS: GIVE INFORMATION TO HELP HARRY POTTER, EXPLAIN HOW WERID SHE IS AND HELP HARRY POTTER TO DEFEAT LORD VOLDEMONT THEN EXITS PICTURE. CHO CHANG KISSES HARRY POTTER, BETRAY HARRY POTTER DISPOSED OF ANY CLUE OF WHAT HAPPEN TO HER AFTERWARDS. NOT MUCH TO BE SAID ABOUT HOW POOR THE ACTING WAS IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE MY DOG WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER AND IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW DOGS DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH, SOIT'S THAT BAD. ACTORS AND ACTRESSES SEEM AS THOUGH THEY HAD NO TIME TO STUDY THE SCRIPT AND OH LETS SAY ACT TO MAKE WHATS GOING ON BELIEVABLE. NO TALENT WHATS SO EVER. I WASTED 12 DOLLARS FOR THE SO CALLED MOVIE OF THE YEAR, I'M STILL LOOKING FOR THE REST. THE FIRST TWENTY MINS WAS BORING WASTE OF TIME, NO ACTUAL ACTING. LOTS OF DIALOGUE THROUGH THE MOVIE UNTIL THE LAST 20 MINS OF ACTION. THEN YOU HAVE 5 MORE MINS OF MORE DIALOGUE WITH NO ACTING. THING ABOUT DIRECTING SERIES OF MOVIES YOU MUST NOTE THAT THE ONE AFTER THE LAST MOVIE SHOULD BE BETTER THEN THE OTHERS. TO KEEP ME WANTING MORE. THIS ONE WAS THE WORST AND PLEASE PLEASE GIVE OTHER PEOPLE CAMERA TIME HARRY POTTER'S WORDS OF COURAGE ISN'T THAT IMPORTANT. I GUESS THATS THE REASON WHY THE DIRECTOR OF THIS MOVIE HAS THE FAVOR OF HARRY POTTER TO DIRECT THE NEXT ONE BECAUSE HE GOT THE MOST CAMERA TIME WHICH IS NO DOUBT SPOOKY BECAUSE HARRY POTTER LOOKS LIKE A 30 YEAR OLD NERD. SORRY BAD HABIT OF CRITICIZING BAD MOVIES WITH BAD ACTING. THIS MOVIE ON ASCALE OF 1 TO 10, 10 BEING THE BEST IT GOT AND 2 FROM ME. HOPEFULLY THE NEXT MOVIE WILL BE BETTER AND LORD VOLDEMONT WILL ACTUALLY KICKS SOME ASS NEXT TIME.
THIS WAS NEKO'S MOVIE REVIEW JOIN ME FOR THE NEXT BAD MOVIE.
3 - Chris Beaumont
Me thinks Neko needs to learn to turn the CAPS lock off. Not to mention the idea that a film adaptation is never going to be the same as a book. There are many considerations that go into adapting a book to the screen as there are essentially no limits to the written page where many exist for the movie world.
4 - Kaonashi
Although I liked it better than Goblet of Fire, I wasn't that crazy about OOTP. For example, I thought the editing was rather choppy at the beginning. And I know that it's tough to fit an 870 page book into a 2 1/2 movie, but many of the characters just didn't have enough screen time. Ron and Hermione were barely in it. I also wish they had also mentioned more about Neville's importance to the story. No, instead they kept the lame subplot about Hagrid's half-brother.
I think the best part of all the Potter films are the brilliant cast of adult supporting actors. I love Gary Oldman, and he was the perfect Sirius Black. Casting Helena Bonham Carter as batshit crazy Bellatrix was perfect as well. And of course, I love me some Alan Rickman. It's such a shame that you don't get to see much of them.
Oh, and the final battle at the Ministry of Magic should have been longer.
5 - Steve
Hmm, well, as far as the books go, I thought GOF and OOTP were about tied, but as movies, I definitely feel this was the better of the two. Granted, perhaps it would seem a little choppy, especially for those who hadn't read the books, but given the size of the OOTP book, it wasn't surprising. I suspect the DVD will have plenty of deleted scenes anyway.
I suspect they kept the half-brother subplot to avoid having to follow Hagrid to where most of the giants live, which would have been tricky, given that the movies are all told from Harry's perspective and he never went there with Hagrid. I can only assume Giants have an important role to play in book 7.
Interesting that the film makers were apparently told to include Kreacher in it (I think they've been trying to keep house elves to a minimum since "Chambers..." because of the cost etc. of the special effects required), as he plays a vital role in book 7 as well.
All in all, the movie was both thrilling and moving, IMHO. If you want perfection, I'm afraid only a word-for-word TV adaptation in series' form will do the trick, which I suspect they may try at some point after the last movie in 2010.
6 - Lisa McKay
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7 - heyya
Thanks neko! Exactly what I thought!!!!!!