Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review

Director: David Yates
Screenplay: Michael Goldenberg (Peter Pan, upcoming Green Lantern movie)
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Imedla Staunton (Nanny McPhee, Freedom Writers), and Helena Bonham Carter (Alice In Wonderland 2010, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
Gross Revenue: $938,468,864 worldwide (#10)
Rotten Tomatoes TomatoMeter: 78%
IMDB Rating: 7.3

     I have showered great praise on the Harry Potter films thus far.  Watching them over the course of a 3 day period has given me so much respect for these films.  I have admittedly fallen in love with these characters and their magical world.  However, some films are better then others, and Order of The Phoenix is definitely better.  Despite being the shortest movie (though based on the largest book), the first major motion picture for director David Yates, the only Harry Potter screenplay not written by Steve Kloves, and the least critically acclaimed film of the series, I have an unabashed love for Order of the Phoenix.

     Order of the Phoenix takes place during Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts and the first since Dark Lord Voldemort has risen again.  The Ministry of Magic, fearful of another reign of terror by the Dark Lord, refuse to accept his return, and refute Harry and Dumbledore's claims of his returns.  In order to address "the falling standards" at Hogwarts, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge appoints overbearing and catty bureaucrat Dolores Umbridge to a position of power at Hogwarts.  Her sweeping changes are unpopular with students and the staff, as well as her refusal to teach practical magic.  In order to prepare the students for combat against dark forces, Harry starts an underground group, dedicated to practical magical arts.

      Order of the Phoenix is my favorite Harry Potter film.  I love everything about it.  I love the government conspiracy angle, I love the underground organization that Harry starts, I love the matured acting, I love the dark story line, I love the exciting climax with the first actual duel between wizards, and I love Voldemort.  This is, in my opinion, the most entertaining installment of the franchise.  This is the first time that Harry has to stand on his own in the wizarding world, without Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic helping him.  It forces him and his friends to grow up quickly, to stand up for themselves in this big bad magical world.  The cast is up to the task. .
     I keep talking about awesome this cast is, and they just keep improving every film.  The 3 principal actors have really become Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and their thoughts and feelings have become one.  As the characters have grown up and the story has matured, the actors have grown up and their emotional maturity has grown too.  Lightning struck 3 times when they cast these young actors; you'd be hard-pressed to find a more capable group of young actors.  The adult cast is stupendous as well.  Most are played by classically trained British actors, which everyone knows are the best actors on the planet.  All of them are just phenomenal, especially Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge.  She perfectly plays this uppity bureaucrat with just the smallest hinge of crazy, and even though I despise her character with all my heart, she steals every scene she is in.  She commands a strong presence.
       This is the third film in a row where there has been a different director, this time bringing in British television director David Yates.  He is my favorite Harry Potter director and I think he really has an understanding of how to craft an exciting and emotionally resounding flick.  Order of the Phoenix is easily the most action-packed of the franchise yet, but it doesn't forgo character development for the sake of it either  It's the most exciting of the franchise, but also pushes these characters to new places, forcing them to make decisions they didn't want to make, forcing them to grow up a little.  Order of the Phoenix could easily be described as the "loss of innocence" Harry Potter film and that's why I love it so much.  There are so many different parts to this movie, but director David Yates keeps the movie balanced, without one theme or plot overshadowing another.  The movie is nearly perfect.

       Order of the Phoenix is probably the most controversial in the series thus far.  It is the shortest movie, despite being based off the longest book.  Having not read the books, I don't know what was cut or what wasn't, but to me it seems like director David Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg glossed over several important plot points in the book.  However, I do believe this made the movie better.  Order of the Phoenix is the most tightly edited of the Potters thus far, and so nothing on screen is wasted.  Every single scene is of vital importance to not only the plot of this movie but to the upcoming sequels.  Though some fans may hate Yates' style, I love it, and I think he is the perfect director for the series.
     It would be redundant at this point for me to say that I really like Order of the Phoenix.  It is the most exciting and entertaining of the franchise, as well as the most emotionally mature.  It has the most interesting plot, as it pushes its characters to places they've never been before, which is what sequels are supposed to do.  It improved on every aspect of the production, increased the action, and pushed the characters to new places.  For that reason, Order of the Phoenix is the best Harry Potter film of the series.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix mixes the most interesting plot of the series with truly exciting action and the darkest themes of the series, which new director David Yates perfectly meshes together in an awesome and wonderful package. 4.5/5
"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  We've all got both light and dark inside us.  What matters is the past we choose to act on.  That's who we really are" -Sirius Black
1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 4.5/5
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 4/5
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4/5
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 4/5
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 3.5/5