Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (2007)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix is a 2007 movie directed by David Yates. The film stars the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, Imelda Staunton, Gary Oldmen, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, and Helena Bonham Carter. This is the fifth installment of the Harry Potter book and movie series and just so happens to be the longest novel out of all seven. Directing and writing Order of the Pheonix was a huge undertaking. Adapting an eight hundred-plus fantasy novel and condensing it into one of the shortest films (138 minutes apr) is a very demanding task and I praise David Yates not only for directing it, but the entire crew for making it. This is a very fun, surprisingly light, and filled with great scenes movie that did not disappoint me whatsoever. Order of the Pheonix is a great looking, great acted, and also has some great intros to characters that are crucial for the rest of the series. Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge was excellent casting. She is Umbridge. Her physical appearance, personality, and costume design fully inhabit the spirit that comes from that character. She's almost as unfriendly as a death eater herself and that's tough to pull off. As far as death eaters go, another perfect choice in cast was Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange. One of my favorite villians in the entire Harry Potter series, Bellatrix is sadistic, crazy, and filled with a lust for evil. Her acting was supurb in this film and she plays quite an important role (no spoilerss of course). Not to mention the Order of the Pheonix itself which is pretty awesome. Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks (pre Game Of Thrones) gives a very brief, but awesome performance as a young, almost punk like character. George Harris (Raiders of the Lost Ark) as Kingsley Shacklebolt was greatly casted. Point is, the cast in this movie is close to perfection and shines in this film strongly. My only flaw with Order of the Pheonix is that we don't get the same emotional feel that we received in the previous four installments in this series. A very significant character is killed off and while it's depressing to see Harry's reaction, the act itself doesn't revoke much of a response from the viewer. That's my only flaw, but man is this movie dark. This film has scenes that make the hairs on the back of you stand. It's a great movie, but that lack of emotion was just so apparent. Overall, I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix which is a light, magical, wondrous film that does have lack of emotion in places, but is still quite an enjoyable ride. Three stars