Movies Reviews
Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
By Anne Brodie Jul 8, 2007, 9:15 GMT
On the Web
Daniel Radcliffe - View Daniel Radcliffe Pictures - Daniel Radcliffe News
|
|
|
|
|
Emma Thompson - View Emma Thompson Pictures - Emma Thompson News
|
|
|
|
|
Emma Watson - View Emma Watson Pictures - Emma Watson News
|
|
|
|
|
Ralph Fiennes - View Ralph Fiennes Pictures - Ralph Fiennes News
|
|
|
|
|
Latest Headlines in Movies
- 1. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts ready for 'August: Osage County'
- 2. Oprah Winfrey could return in 'The Butler'
- 3. 'Butter' release date pushed back
- 4. 62nd Annual Berlinale International Film Festival The Iron Lady Photocall Pictures
- 5. Wicked Pictures Men In Black: A Hardcore Parody Pictures
Older Talkback
page: 1
True, the Harry Potter films may not be the best; but all you've proven in this review is that you're not a Harry Potter fan. The little things like the moving staircases and live portraits are what makes these movies. The fact that Harry's life is still the same is what makes his life tragic. Do me a favor, don't write reviews if you're going to go into it with such a biased attitude. I read these to see if I'm going to like the movie, not to hear about how much you hate it because you never gave it a chance.
I second Hilary's comments. Blathering about how the details of Rowling's novels are depicted onscreen is like complaining that 'Madame Bovary' would be a much better movie if the death scene occurred in the first half-hour.
Your review succeeds only in telling us what you don't like about the novels. You really haven't enlightened anyone - even, I daresay, yourself - about the merits of the movie. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere. for a real critique of the film.
Clearly, you haven't even bothered to read the books- any of them!
the true genius is in the writing, but you wouldn't know anything about what 'good writing' is. so why don't you stop spending all your time hating something you clearly have no idea about, and instead, here's an idea, use that time to actually research what you're going to do next. maybe 7 years later you might be able to write a line that's half-way decent.
This is the worst movie review ever. I feel sorry for you.
I'll be fine. I am only interested in GOOD films. Tthanks for your comments and keep 'em coming!
'GOOD' films is opinionated. Overall critic response to this and most of the Harry Potter films have been very positive so I wouldn't let the review worry people.
Not helpful, AT ALL.
Have you even read the books? Pretty much everything you complained about is stuff thats within the books. So you should blame it on J.K. Rowling if you dont like it rather than the movies which are sticking to the stories with those parts.
Your review sucks.....if it is worth being called a review which I believe is doing you too much of a favor. Its like you never actually saw the movie but just made up the stuff - which is true about all the movies that have been made and all the movies that will be.
What are you complaining about anyway, normal movies show newspapers too... do you want them to read Playboy instead? Normal movies show artwork, do you want them to be blank white sheets of canvas? The details - every movie with an out of the ordinary story has them (or perhaps you could not comprehend Spiderman and the likes). Character building ... read the books...if you have any patience!
I agree with many points in your review. This is coming from a HUGE Harry Potter fan, the books are enchanting and deserve better representation than the one dimentional characters, jumpy plot, and expensive hollywood special effects picked by the latest director. If you have read the book, then the movie will be a very big let down to you, heck, even if you havn't read the book I think the movie will still be confusing and poor. I can't even start to say how dissapointed I was with this movie but please do read the book and see how great the story really is.
Here is a challenge to everyone.
If you have ever wanted to write a movie review, now is your chance, we will publish it.
No pay here (however, we probably have a few DVD sets around for the top writers), but you will get your 15 minutes of fame with your friends and relatives when they see your material on line.
Now is the chance to prove yourself.
Good Luck
Such defensiveness!! Very Immature. Somebody who understands the meaning behind the Harry Potter series should have been the one to review the movie for the fans of Rowling. Not this Anne individual who obviously has no idea what the fascination is to children and adults alike.
oh, come off it! if you dont like hp, they why are you even bothering about talking about it... you know they say dont judge a book by its cover- evidently you havent read the books, and when you do then you'll realize that no 2 hp books are the same- everyone is unqiue in its special way
HP ROX!
Since the Harry Potter movies have been just as entertaining as the books, I was really looking forward to seeing OOTP made into a movie. I saw the film today, with my children, and was horribly disappointed. We were bored the whole time.
Harry's maturing character and threatening future are portrayed well in the movie, but I missed the entertainment, magic, and humor.
The characters were uncomfortable. The scenes do not propel the plot. The ‘impending doom’ is just overdone. Even the firework scene, which was a highlight of the novel, seems forced. I chalk all of this up to the task of squeezing such a long novel into a 2 hour film. Of course something has to be cut, but I would have rather seen more character moments and fun wizard-world scenes at the cost of maybe…Grawp. And leave out the thestrals if they are not going to be fully explained.
The portrayal of Professor Umbridge was entertaining. Helena Bonham Carter was definitely an asset as Belatrix, making the battle in the ministry the best scene of the movie.
Still love the series, both book and movie, but this was not my favorite.
Note to other parents - kids will be bored.
I have to say I agree with Anne. I found the movie plodding along, leaving out all of the things in the book that brought it wit and levity. I know you can't put in every detail, but little things like Sirius Black's mother screaming at the mudbloods from her portrait, Fred and George's joke items, those are the things that give the movie life. I told my husband that I felt like I was watching a book report. The only problem I have with Anne's review is that I don't think she read the books, but honestly the movie was jerky and disjointed with little spark.
Harry Potter is the Bestest.
And i love the Movie.
And the book.
Yay!
im a big harry potter book/movie fan, and i was really disappointed. i had been waiting sooo long to go and see it, i went on opening day. it kind of started off bad, with the thing about the dementors and dudley. the whole movie wasnt explained right, and someobe who didnt read the book wouldve had no clue what was going on. heck, sometimes i didnt even know. but i guess the effects and all were good. i just hope maybe half-blood price'll be better.
there was something wrong about this movie from the very beginning: where was the score by john williams? apparently he dropped out of this movie too, along with the previous directors. the scenes we have all come to love and watch about harry potter were omitted in this movie. there was no big blow up at the dursleys--they just ran away after harry received his owl from the ministry; and there was no after-adventure/danger talk with albus dumbledore at the end either when dumbledore explains everything to harry--just a flashback of a conversation harry and dumbledore had afterwards. even the rolling credits were poorly done--not at all like any of the previous movie.
yes, there were things missing from the book, but there are always things missing from the book. i doubt anyone expects the whole book to be translated into a movie. but certain things should have been in the movie that were in the book, and the director shouldn't have taken liberties on the things that he did in this movie.
the pacing was off; there was no depth to any of the scenes. the movie was like a 2 hour 18 minute preview of a harry potter movie.
DISAPPOINTING! The momentuem never builds up and too many long dull scenes.
So sorry but this reviewer ANNE BRODIE is right on point! The momentuem never builds up and too many long dull scenes very disappointing.
It was an OK movie
I saw the movie last night
I read the book so I was a little down but not so much because I have my books.
I understand the necessity for some changes and simple errors.
My book Fan grumbles are as follows:
Major Grumble
-Harry seeing into Snape’s mind (HA! Come On!)
-And the end they did not even have Dumbledore tell Harry the prophecy which they risked their lives for. Neville, the transfer of power, power of love, etc…
-Harry pulling out his wand in public threatening Dudley’s was not necessary and untrue (they could have had Harry talk aloud to himself about what he would like to do to Dudley and his mates)
Minor Grumble not so important
-Ron and Hermione not having time for Harry because of prefects duties
-Harry’s deeper friendship with Neville (Luna was well covered)
-The DA members rocking their Defense Against the Dark Arts OWLs
-Harry pondering and questioning Sirius’ death and the veil
None of this matter because “The Half Blood Prince” is my favorite, they better not mess it up. The magic is off the hook. Snape is so pimp and Harry his ho. The movie better not try to make Harry have all this magical power the whole point is heart/power of love not magical strength.
Have you ever read the books? This is the most biased review I've ever read. You should be fired.
I can see what you are saying, and bravo for having the courage (seriously) to write what you thought. Evaluated along standard lines, there is likely some merit to your thesis. One would imagine the same review could have been written had someone decided to make a series of movies, one per book, based on Frank Herbert's Dune. There are, however, two questions that you beg, to my mind.
First, would you (or have you already done so) written the same thing about '24'? After all, Jack Bauer is the Harry Potter of television.
Second, I'm curious why you opt to judge this movie as just another film, according to a standard set of criteria. Adapted from an 800+ page monstrosity of a book, the screenwriter and director have the choice of attempting and inevitably failing to be comprehensive in their treatment, or they could choose to emphasize one or another points at the expense of others (and also quite possibly failing, as they did to your mind). Having made this second choice, there will be a certain stylized portrait of the book in film. No characterization you say? I miss that too, but it doesn't mean I'm ready to trash most films by Ingmar Bergman, to name one example, or the caricaturization (as opposed to characterization) of well-regarded musicals such as *West Side Story*. The same piont, I think, would apply to graphic novels when adapted to the screen.
I prefer, then, to judge films according to their internal critieria for success, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all standard. But as the saying goes, orthodoxy is ultimately no more than my doxy, while heretodoxy is just someone else's doxy, rendering neither of us fit to judge the others. In that sense, I offer these comments as a dialectical response to your provocative opening gambit.
Fire this person. NOT HELPFUL!!
What do you expect when you have to put an awesome book into 150 minutes scenes are lost and cust are unhappy, i thought it was a good movie which did very well in portraying the quality of the book stop being so critical you neo nerd faggots.
hey, i think your review is bang on and well written. the problem is that the book is so long in comparison to the film, they had to get rid of all the substance just to squish the story in, hence there is no depth of character. the book is more interesting.
kudos
actually fom what i understand about your review(well if you call it a review )is that the story was boring and really awful but what you're really suggestings is that the harry potter series --->be a Zhen Chow story or a Timmy Tennison or maybe a Vladimir Nurcova. you watched a harry potter story and expected it to be different? your weird! what's the point of JK rowling making it Harry potter? you should also understand that the book and movie was titled harry potter because its the adventure of harry potter, not someone from berlin, china or whatever.
and clearly, they were right, your too biased, you should have reviewed the movie in its capacity to entertain, build-up characters, animation and effects, phasing and flow of story, climax and over all plot to critize it. i undestand that the movie was boring, well think about it, how can you put 870 pages of story in a 2 hours and 18 minuts of motion picture, like duh. read the book to appreciate the the adventures of harry potter. but as far as i can tell you would never like the book because you have already set you mind against it. lousy review i didnt get anything.
but you've got guts reviewing it like you did when many people would persecute you for doing so... hahaha... goodluck!!!!!!
I can proudly say I'm a die-hard Harry Potter fan, AND I have to agree with thiS review! The movie kind of blew!! BRING BACK CHRIS COLUMBUS AS DIRECTOR, and make sure JKR oversees her precious storyline! I have read all of the books many times and own every movie and PS2 game out right now... The Order of the Phoenix movie was horribly disappointing:
1) Where was Rita Skeeter the reporter? She will have an important role later
2) Where was the development of Kreacher and/or Mad-Eye Moody stealing artifacts from the Black's house. Harry didn't even come across A LOCKET TOO HEAVY TO PICK UP. Does JKR not remember the whole Horcrux thing when overseeing a movie? Horcruxes are HUGE later...
3) Where were Ron's lines? He mostly just stood there.. They could of had a field day for comedy when they were flying to London on the creatures he couldn't even see...
4) Who directed (well sadly we know) Hermione to huff-n-puff? Give that girl an inhaler for her lines... OR BRING BACK CHRIS COLUMBUS!!
5) Where were all of the rooms in the Ministry of Magic, esp the fight scenes? Ample selection for great action in a movie, totally blown over and fluffed by!
6) Where was Snape's part? I think the title character of book 6 and a HUGE PIVOTAL character should be involved in the movie more. Plus he is a Death Eater/OOTP member double agent... COME ON, that was an easy one!
7) In honor of the seventh book... What about the full prophecy elluding to the two possibilities.. Neville & Harry (son born at the end of july to parents thrice defying voldemort yadda yadda yadda) What about Neville's parents? TWO LINES?? WHAT?? They go to the insane asylum with his grandmother in the book! NEVILLE IS A PIVOTAL CHARACTER AS WELL!!!
I have a heavy-heart to say this movie was so-so, but it was.. In the spirit of Hogwarts and School, We the public need to write REVISE AND RESUBMIT as a teacher definitely would if this were handed in... JKR use your power, Recall this movie and help them fix it! It is afterall your story...
ONE MORE TIME FOR GOOD MEASURE: BRING BACK CHRIS COLUMBUS AS DIRECTOR!!!
I thought this was by far, very far, this was the worst Harry Potter movie I've ever seen. They ruined this book. Order of the Phoenix is an amazing book, and after watching this movie, I wonder if they even read it. This movie was painful to watch it was so bad. They focused more on fancy camera shots than the actual story. I was really looking forward to this movie, and I'm severly disappointed as any true Harry Potter fan should be. They need a new director or something, but something definately has to change, because anything would be better than the crap that we all saw.
you know what this movie needed ? Some Bang bus action with Hermionie.
Yeah we needed some 3 way and some DP on l'il Emma there. This movie definately would have benefitted from adult sensibilities.
The book of course was way better. You cannot convey the words into live action as with any book to movie like in Stephen Kings Pet Sematary.
You really miss the point. As a fantasy film though...it hit the mark.
thats where the DP_ action should come in.
Well of course your not a true Harry Potter Fan! Read the books duh.
If your tried of the same old Harry Potter stuff then...I don't know... don't watch the MOVIE. Know what your talking about before you say a comment about the movie or the books that you should read.
H.P is for TRUE FANS!
I might not have completely agreed with all of your points, but I can say this...The 5th movie was absolutely the worst movie that has been made out of the 7 part series. I loved all of the other movies, watched them hundreds of times and never get bored. I have read the books 1-6 several times and continue to enjoy them. The 5th movie bored me to tears for the entire 138 minutes because the plot was not strong and it did not follow the simple formula that was the basis in the book. I know that the director could not make a 9 hour movie to fit every detail of the 870 page book, but make the movie something like the book. Sheesh. Most of the stuff was left out or flat out made up. I have been driven to looking forward to the 7th book to replace my disappointment, becasue lord knows that I am not even going to find out the date in which the 5th movie hits the dvd racks. And that is saying alot for an owner of all of the books and the previous movies.
The movie was great, but there were a few problems with the movie...
1. They skipped a lot of parts...well, it was like everything was in a rush.
2. The battle should've been extended a little bit further...Sirius Black died a 'little too fast'.
3. Katie Leung (Cho Chang) should've given Harry a quick kiss and go!!
I totally agree with this review.
I was so bored near the end of this movie, that i was ready to leave.
The movie is filled with poorly developed charecters, that Harry Potter had wonderfull relations with (apparently), and those charecters that are well developed, are pretty much steriotyped and annoying.
As usual Harry Potter is allways in some state of emotional overdrive. Eiter he is extreemly happy, angry or... well i think thats about it.
I have a hard time feeling sorry for Harry Potter (witch i think is the general idea), cause he is not very likeable. He is an angry young kid, who for no apparent reason has supernatural powers, even for a Wizard!
Good review.
I did'nt know who dies !!! Thanks, Thanks so much for spoiling it for me !!
Let me get this straight you didn't like the movie because there was too much wizarding going on? Did you read any of the books? and if you knew what was coming why go see it? Maybe you should be more selective about the movies you choose to see, of course Voldemorts back and of course harry is going to fight him, it's about a boy wizard not some kid in Manhattan and if you want to go see that there's a million movies out there for you, This wasn't my favorite Harry movie but that because I know how amazing the book is.
Spoilers included so beware if you haven't seen OOTP... i have to say i some what agree but the simple truth is.. the movie sucked. it was the worst potter movie to date. they left out very important issues. like 1. the necklace 2. harrys first crush is not the bad guy 3. it was umbridge that sent the dementors on harry! those are just 3 need to know things that were just cut. not to mention in GOF they screwed up the fireplace scene and then this director goes and does it the right but yet its already been screwed with. should of left it alone. i could go on and on. point blank Sucked!!!
That's not true!
Perhaps this Anne Brodie (Critic, the person that wrote the text) made her job, but she didn't write her opinion. The reason, why she wrote so bad about Harry Potter, is that she needs attention. She just want that somebody is interested in her. That's what I mean...
I took my 13 year old son to see Harry Potter goes to the university of Phoenix Arizona today, The film was not sure what it wanted to be.
It started out strong with the Dementors and it fizzled with that annoying woman taking over the school.
It reminded me of the film Matilda at points and the Witches at other points. Because of the violent nature of the subject matter of murder and death and the idea that Voldemort kills totally removed it from the KIDDIE spectrum. Then it slows down with the mystery part and the ANTI anti climactic battle at the end and the bad guy got away AGAIN !! For goodness sake get rid of this guy already ! I know this is a series of books and there is supposed to be 1 more book but DRAG DRAG DRAG DRAG it out and stretch it out 'till it's no good anymore.
I am a fan of literature I read Stephen KING, Koontz, I have read the Rings I read Conan and world of Conan I read the Star wars books and the Star Trek books. I am a fan of any made up world with it's own mythos.
Rowling created something great. It's at the tail end of it's run now and maybe it's for the best.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a classic War Movie, plain and simple. What a disappointing story and a terrible message to send to kids. Instead of using his intelligence and magic to overcome problems and threats, Harry starts his own (aka “Dumbledore's”) Army and appoints himself the head drill Sergeant, who later leads his armed group of mercenaries into a classic battle at the end, complete with death, confusion, and destruction. Harry's mature look is completely military too - short hair, clean-shaven, tight shirts, combat boots - What happened to the nice comfy academic robes? We've got students being unfairly held captive and brutally tortured, a secret weapons training camp, and a small army of allied Centaurs abducting combatants behind enemy lines. Looks like the author Ms. Rowling has become entirely caught up in the British-US global strategy of post- 9/11 military domination to deal with conflict, in lieu of research, knowledge, and diplomacy. Seems that the movie's Writers/Director have been busy adapting every major scene from Platoon and Apocalypse Now for this new “Harry Goes to War” epic. Wake up parents and beware -- The battles have just begun!
thank god it's finally over ( almost ) Just one more stupid movie.
While I agree the movie is shallow, your lack of enthusiasm for the whole Potter genre invalidates your review. The movie WAS shallow and moved too fast without developing ANY storyline except the approaching battle. The scene in the Hogshead was particularly unsettling and misdirected blowing a chance to really deepen the movie and add character. The changing of the great Muriel scene to Cho was a huge flop. The chance to add depth again in the Grimmauld place scenes added to the movie's failure to come through. And yet again with a short hospital scene inferring visiting Aurthur and seeing Neville's parents and poor Prof Lockhart would've added little time and been a huge chance to add to the story. The poorly done, cheap scene in the Black Family tree room was enough to diss the entire movie.
It would've taken only a little rewriting (or NOT rewriting the original scenes) and add maybe 15 minutes to the movie to make it in to more then just an HP serial that skims over the story. A chance to produce a real movie that stands on it's own was missed in favor of a fast, cheap production that did little justice to the book.
To J.K Rowling, ur novel r very good.To Dan, Emma n Ruppert, i love u so much.I proud with u.good luck to u,ok!!!!
Just because you don't agree with a review, doesn't mean it's poorly written! From a cinematic (not literary - apples and oranges) standpoint the movie was fair at best. The pacing was brutally slow, it felt like they trimmed the plot too far and then padded what... was... left... by... talking... slowly... My DH, not a reader, said he sure was glad when it was over. HP fans like me will plunk down our $9 at the theater and later buy the dvd but I'm sure that will sit on the shelf with CoS (yawn). Too bad, OotP was my favorite book and could have been a great movie too.
hey i had a quick look at the review but i will and i love all the harry potter movies
I have to agree with you. I've never watched any of the previous movies nor read any of the books, and all I heard of was the hype, so I was going into the theatre biased, expecting a good movie.
Well, you're 100% correct. All the movie talks about is the stuff most fantasy novels and movies already touch upon. This movie bored me to tears because it DID go into too much detail, with parts taken from other films and books. Typical plagerism blended up and served mixed up on a dish, if you ask me. Not only that, it turns against the only asian character, and at the end, even when they found out that it wasn't her fault, they still didn't mention her at the end of the movie, though the eding did talk about friends sticking together. Racism, much?
Quite dissapointed; people are just blind sheep, thinking that certain things are cool just because their friends do. There's just too much hype involved.
I was watching the movie 4 months after the release. And after watching this movie I had nothing to say (as it happened for the previous one 'Goblet of fire'). What can people do to make business and money!!!
I thought JK was stong on her point that she wouldn't let others get the harry potters image down in anyway. But it seems she didn't have that mentality at all.
This is nothing but a bunch of chicks show. It seems the movie title is used to bring some teenage chicks on the big screen just like a recruiting agency. The characters don't show (don't have?!) any emotion !?! They act like robots... Full of animated environment...rather more than it was required..(Think of the black stone walls in the ministry of magic described in the book vs. the marble wall shown in the movie) if it is impossible to bring the whole movie down ..tehn why bother to to that?!?!
It's really insane. Horrible and shocking for a true harry potter fan. The images and environment inside a true harry potter fan's brain will never match to the movie. A true harry potter fan can't accept the movie!!?!
I will rather suggest to ask the fans direct the next two movies..They will do much better than those stupid professionals who don't have any respect for the Harry potter character.
So I just saw the movie and was immensely disappointed. Having read the book it was clear from the very start that they were leaving a lot out. Which I expected and has been done in all the other movies and other awesome movies such as LOTR. However I don't feel like there was a climax or much of a plot in the movie. I thought that this may have just been myself being overcritical (as I have been for most the other movies) until my friends who have not read the book said the same thing. I'm not really sure I would know what's going on had I not read the book. I would rate it 2 out of 5.
Good visual affects though.
page: 1
Your Talkback on this Story