Movie Review: Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix

July 19, 2007

(I am going to talk about the movie in this post (duh) so if you don’t want to know what happens in the movie; which IS slightly different at points than what happens in the book, I would not read any further)

Initial disclaimer: I have yet to like any Harry Potter movie when it is first released; yet, I own the first three and will buy the rest eventually.

That said. I didn’t like the movie and I am sorely disappointed. I finished re-reading the first six Harry Potter books two nights ago and was very much looking forward to seeing the movie as a hold over until the final book arrives (hopefully Saturday; as a side note, I’m starting to regret ordering it from Amazon because now I want to go buy one at midnight and start reading it). But I didn’t like it.

I’m sure I annoyed the crap out of Adam since I sat through the whole movie sighing and pointing out what wasn’t in the book, but come on! I get that you cannot put everything in a book that long into a reasonably timed movie – I am resigned that movies of books will always be forced to leave parts out; resigned, however, does not mean pleased – but if you are cutting out, why add things in that aren’t there to begin with?? Why not use that space to put in what was in the book?

I am willing to be corrected here since I did re-read the books rather quickly. But I have no recollection of Umbridge interrogating students at random; and I know the whole DA did not have detention together; AND Cho did not turn them in!!!

Aside from my annoyance at add-ins and deletions, my major beefs with the movie are these:

1. There is no balance in the movie between light and dark. The whole of the movie is dark. I recognize that there are dark aspects to the series, and I am glad the movies show those, but there are also warm/cheery sections in the book. Hogwarts is almost always a cheery place, especially the dormitories and Dumbledore’s office. The movie showed none of this – Hogwarts was as dark and dreary as everything else (and where was the enchanted ceiling? It’s my favorite part).
2. Too much Umbridge. I grant you that the character of Dolores Umbridge plays a major role in this book, but she was the whole of the movie. Where was the quidditch, the ghosts, the lessons other than Defense Against the Dark Arts? I think we could have done with a little less Umbridge and a little more of everything else.
3. The acting. I think Daniel Radcliffe is great and I think he was great in the movie; I think Rupert Grint (Ron) was good as well in the few scenes where he actually talked or acted at all. I thought Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) was an inspired choice to step in for Richard Harris, who was perfect for the role; but, in this movie (perhaps because of the plot) he brought to mind Lord of the Rings a little too frequently and I wished they had used someone different (granted I also found the scene between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic quite Lord of the Rings -esque). Finally, I thought Emma Watson (Hermione) was awkward, though I’m willing to accept the possibility that that was more to do with her lines than her ability to act, which brings me to my final critique (for now) …
4. I thought the transitions were awkward and the connections lacking. Adam didn’t seem to think so, so it may have more to do with my knowing all that was missing rather than the connections actually being weak. But I wondered whether or not I would get everything that was going on if I hadn’t read the book. Then again, perhaps I would have enjoyed the movie more if I hadn’t read the book, or at least not as recently.

All in all, disappointed. But, if things go as they have gone in the past, I will enjoy the movie in the future when the book is not so fresh in my mind. And for now, at least I have the final book to look forward to – let us hope that it is as satisfying as the past six have been.

Posted in reviews by Sarah