Review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

After being disappointed with the 4th movie, I somewhat reluctantly went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night.

And after finally rolling into bed after 3:00 am, I have no regrets!

Finally a director gives the fans the movie we've wanted. Yates does a great job including the little details, scenes and characters that make this book.

But let me say that I am a book purist. JK has written such a great saga, I feel a director needs a good reason to change her story. Changing the maze from a series of tests to a Venus Fly Trap like human devouring plant, for example, makes no sense! Or having Dumbledore assault Harry destroys the loving, caring character we know from the books.

The small changes in OoP movie never hurt the plot or went against the books. My only 2 complaints for this movie are pretty minor. First Dumbledore and Sirius Black refer to Voldemort as the "Dark Lord". That bothers me since only Death Eaters call him that. The other minor problem is the way in which Sirius dies. In the book he falls through the veil. However, in the movie we see Bellatrix cast the Avada Kadavra and then he falls through the veil. But it leaves no doubt about his fate!

But in this installment they got more right than wrong. So much of the dialogue seemed to be taken word for word from the text.

The new characters appear to have materialized from the books. Luna Lovegood is the perfect mix of a ethereal, strange, disturbed, and likable girl.

The first time you hear Umbridge cough you can't help but smile.

The scenes with DA training are incredible. And I actually enjoyed the movies interpretation better than how JK describes them!

And finally we get to see a battle! I waited years to see Yoda fight, and I held the same type of anticipation to see Dumbledore in action.

The battle between the Order and the Death Eaters was beautifully choreographed with great action, special affects, and drama. But I wanted more from the Dumbledore/Voldemort battle. While a great visual battle, I craved to see Dumbledore show his power so casually as he does in the books. In the books I love the way he is involved in a deathly battle but never raises his voice, loses control or struggles. Dumbledore continues, in the books, to stay calm and infuriate Voldemort with his tone. Michael Gambin again fails to grasp the true character of Dumbledore. And as you leave that final scene you feel as if Dumbledore lost the fight and barely survived.

Overall it is a breath of fresh air after the travesty of the fourth movie! This was made with the fans in mind. Thanks Yates for remembering us!