Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 

I didn't see a thread about this movie so I thought I would make one. This was posted at MuggleNet.com

So, that's it then, no broom time at all in the 5th film. That means no Weasley is our King, no banning Harry, Fred, and George from the Quidditch team, and no Fred and George escaping on brooms and leaving Hogwarts.

That really sucks. I really wanted to see the whole part about Harry not being able to play Quidditch and the new team.

Anyway now begin thread.

I guess it's too much to hope for a John Williams return.

Personally, I had my fill of Quidditch with the other films. Then again, I'm not much of a sports guy, even if it involves flying around on brooms.

I'm waiting for a trailer. I loved all of the other films (the last two especially), so I'm highly anticipating this one.

Well there isn't much Quidditch in the book anyways, or it was never focused on as in other books. I'm sure Harry getting banned from Quidditch will be shown somehow... it was a highlight in the book. This book was one of my favorites... I can't wait to see it. I just hoped it isn't ruined like Goblet of Fire.

Whatever, Goblet of Fire was a great movie and by far the beast Harry Potter movie. It managed to maintain a high level of quality while still maintaining the essence of the 4th book (which is my only complaint about the 3rd movie). Sure the movie was choppy in the begining and they left out a few unimportant story lines but it hardly detracts from the entire movie.

I disliked GoF a lot. It was a massive backward step from Prisoner of Azkaban, which remains the only one to capture the feeling of the books and the general magic atmosphere at the school. Plus it was a damn fine film in many aspects; cinematography, editing, score, direction, CGI etc.

Acting sucked though. As it always will with HP movies.

I'm just sort of taking the movies as they come now. It's hard to get excited when the book series isn't even finished yet, and most people are waiting for that.

Yeah, PoA was easily the best of the movies.

Personally, as long as they keep all the nastiness of the Ministry's takeover Hogwarts, I'll be happy.

Hm, I'm afraid they're already cutting the wrong plot points. What I greatly disliked about OotP (the book) was the endless avalanche of shit rolling onto Harry, after some time it became just ridiculous (not to mention boring). But his ban from the Quidditch team is something movie goers could probably relate to fairly well, so why the hell are they cutting this?

Hm... I personally thought all the movies were pretty bad. I mean, they cut out a whole lot from the actual storyline, so unless you actually read the book, it's pretty impossible to tell what's going on. Yes, I've followed the movies, but hm... they're starting to give me lesser and lesser satisfaction. o.O And Quidditch! I thought they did quite a good thing with it. They're cutting that out? =(

Of course they cut out from the books. They have to. Read any decently sized book and watch the movie. They always have to cut stuff out.

Harry Potter, Ive heard, is actually pretty true to the books. I havn't read them, so I don't know. Speaking of which, I followed all the movies just fine without reading any of the books.

I never even read this one; I was done after Goblet of Fire, so it will be cool to see the movie because God knows I'm never going to read the book.

I'm not against Quidditch/broomstick flying. I don't see why a few minutes of that in the film is such a huge deal especially considering the movies are always longer than 120 minutes.

Good call. I don't even enjoy the flying in the movies. I thought they dragon flying in the last movie was done needlessly stupidly compared to how it was done in the book. Less obligation means more time for the meat of the story. I say good riddence to unneeded scenes.

I think Eleo was saying more of "why not have it in there"

I was actually a tad disapointed we didnt get to see any of the championship quidditch match in the 4th movie.

Well I think in the 3rd one they pulled it off well. There wasn't a huge emphasis put on quidditch; a quidditch scene starts off abruptly and it's raining and Harry is flying and such, he counters the Death Eaters (I think) so not only was the scene sort of exciting quidditch action it also moved the plot forward. I'd rather see it briefly than not at all, but then again I'd rather not watch an entire game for the sake of it just being there.

Agreed, all we got out of these world cup scenes were some impressive sets but in the end they did nothing with them. Instead they inflated the dragon trial ad nauseum. If I want to see big lizards animated for the heck of it, I'll gladly re-watch one of the Jurassic Park flicks.

I also dislike how the HP movies sometimes throw in minor plot points which either serve no purpose (bad) or aren't resolved (worse). An example: In PoA, the Weasley twins point out the nicknames of the creators of the Marauder's Map. And if I'm not very much mistaken, the movie never bothers to tell us who they actually are and why Harry's Patronum takes on a certain form (though I think they didn't quite show that anyway).

Granted, they can never put in everything, but a decent adaption should be at least fully coherent in itself, without any open threads and no unnecessary baggage either. Five minutes of well used additional screen time could do wonders sometimes.

Indeed, but sometimes five minutes is all a film needs to drag along when it was going perfectly well before. The best thing to do is find the theme of the book and try to cut things that don't relate to it.

God knows the OotP book could have done with some serious cutting. I hope they cut the right things for the film though.

I wanted to see some quiditch in goblet of fire thats why I loved the other films but the nice chase scene was a good replacement.
I don't read the potter book but I love the movies so I am eagerly awaiting order of the phoenix

My sentiment is exactly the opposite. I hated Goblet of Fire. Where do I begin? Hermione was psychic, because Harry never said what his dream was about. Harry never told Dumbledore, Fudge, and Moody that Crouch was dead. Did Harry even give the Maurauder's Map to Moody? I can't remember, because the movie was so bad. For some reason, the first time I watched the movie, Cedric Diggory's father's crying at the end seemed unbelievably fake to me and I almost wanted to laugh. And of course, Voldemort was alone with Wormtongue in Harry's dream that Hermione somehow found out about; the fact that they added Crouch Jr. into the scene was far from following the book, and Harry even tells Dumbledore that he saw the guy alive after the Pensive. The entire flow of the movie was unbelievably skewed.

I didn't notice all of those faults... and I didnt hate GoF, but it was definately a step back from PoA. It beat the second one, and had more of a cool factor than the first one, although I think it is overal weaker than the first movie. Thus placing it in 3rd of the 4 movies, or second to last if you prefer that phrasing.

I actually read Order of the Pheonix, the only one I read... so it'll be interesting to see it on screen. Now, maybe stuff was cut from the end of the 4th one, or maybe my memory just fails me... or maybe it has to do with the fact I havn't read any of the other books...

But does it seem like the flow from the 4th movie into the 5th book will be sort of akward, or a bit too fast?

I like Harry Potter, i've read all of them but I really can't remember what happened in Order of the Phoenix...I tend to read the book again when I know the movie is coming out just to keep myself updated. But as for the films, well they do their job at being family entertainment films. Sure they're not amazing but I think they're pretty easy to watch which I don't mind at all. Is there a trailer out?

Lots of teen angst, evil fat lady tries to take over Hogwarts,

That's about it in a nutshell...

No trailer yet, they're still filming.

The new Dumbledore actor sucks!

Priam from Troy wouldve played the character better.

I don't read the Harry Potter books. I've always wanted to, but never had the time. However, I do enjoy the movies, with Prisoner of Azkaban being my favorite in the series. My new favorite is now the Order of the Phoenix.

I am aware of the many changes that the movies go through from the source material, including this film. However, I am going to have to say that none of that matters to me. That critique has become a platitude, and it is quite annoying. Considering how amazing this movie is, I wish people would separate the two mediums and accept this movie for what it is: a huge step forward for the series.

In every Harry Potter movie I always felt I was missing something. I always felt that you had to have read the book for some scenes to make sense. I hate it when scenes are added into a movie that does not fit just because it was in the book. But this didn't happen to me while watching the Order of the Phoenix, and for that very reason I enjoyed it so much more.

This film is everything that I hoped the Harry Potter series would be like: a perfect balance between humor and suspense; between exploration and character development. This movie had better themes, morals, and lessons than all of the movies combined. And the best part of all is that it leaves you wanting more. The finale is fantastic. This is the first Harry Potter movie that I wanted to see twice in the theaters.

Yeah, there are some problems, such as Cho Chang and Harry Potter's relationship not being resolved. I also felt the opening scenes were extremely rushed, with later scenes in the movie being underwritten to try and wrap everything up in time. And I really wish they would bring back Quidditch.

But overall I was never bored and I was constantly entertained. The Order of the Phoenix is NOT the weakest movie in the series. This is a solid movie and the best film I've seen this summer.

I went and saw this movie yesterday and I actually liked it.

But that was because I didn't remember anything of what happened in the book (I read it ages ago) except that a major character dies and Harry acts like an asshole for a majority of the book.

Anyway, I liked it; it flowed well, and was very entertaining.

I thought Cho and Harry's relationship didn't really have a resolution, and more like drifted apart after the while fiasco in the end. Then in the 6ht book they kinda stopped talking to each other.

Also question on a spoiler I heard in the rumour mill regarding a possible change:

Just saw this a few hours ago. The movie was ok for the most part, and some scenes were done really well, like the DA meetings and the battle at the Ministry. Some parts were cut though that probably shouldn't have been, especially merely for the sake of time, and the person that played Dumbledore just does not fit the character. The movie could have been considerably better (and longer) but its still a good movie anyway. Some spoliers of what was cut below.

None of which is terribly important to the main plot.

I thought that the way it was written and what was changed and cut was very well done. Considering the length and density of the original book, it was excellent.

I agree that none of my spoilers are essential to the plot, but I have read the book enough times to notice what was missing during the movie, and when I do not see what I had been expecting, it kind of detracts from the movies quality. I suppose its like when I expected to see the uprising of the Shire in the Return of the King (not essential to the plot but it would still be a good scene for people like me who would prefer unabridged and uncut theatrical versions of books.) The Order of the Phoenix definitely was well done even though I think the person playing Dumbledore did a terrible job. If I have time, I probably will see it again in the theater.

Is Michael Gambon still playing Dumbledore? Or is it a new guy for Order of the Phoenix?

Concerning Cho,

The series has been progressively moving from childhood themes to young adulthood/aduthood themes...so why not beyond? Harry Potter's death would bring a gravity to the series.

No, still Gambon. Which annoys me, because he's a completely different Dumbledore than Harris were. I get that he tries to give the role his own turn, and it would probably have sucked if he tried apping Harris, but does he have to act exactly opposite of the novel Dumbledore?

Anyways, I enjoyed the movie. The girl playing Luna stole the entire movie, hands down. She was exactly as loony as she should be. It was really a treat.
Also,

The reason that I enjoyed this so much is because you could tell that Michael Goldenberg (the screenwriter) is a great fan of the books and that he did his research.

It's true that due to time constraints and the fact that it is the longest and most dense book, they had to make some changes to the plot and it is thus probably the least adherent to the original book.

It was the little details that made the movie for me:


It's these little things that only die hard fans of the series will catch or understand the significance of that allow me to see past any plot changes or clarifications that are added due to the change in medium.

Besides the ending, which I must say was pretty abrupt.

I think that this movie is one of the best at capturing the mood and the essence of the book. I truly enjoyed this movie and am excited to see what David Yates can do with Half-Blood Prince.

Did they have a new director for this movie? The movie was certainly fast-paced but a lot of the camera work was incredibly diverse from the other films.

I thought it was okay. I'd rent it but I don't think I'd buy another ticket. I saw this with my best friend and we picked away at all the little things they missed afterwards because we're purists, although I can understand some things had to be cut for time restraints.

Yes, David Yates directed this one. He is also doing Half-Blood Prince, I believe.



One continuity thing that did bother me:

The big complaint I had with the movie was that the entire first-act lacked energy. The characters seemed listless on screen, and the script couldn't decide what it wanted to focus on. I wasn't so bothered about things being cut out and changed. After all, they're adapting quite a large book to a relatively short 2 hour movie. What really bothered me was the inability of the early part of the script to commit to what themes it wanted to focus on. Even the angst-ridden bits were either lifeless or overly melodramatic.

I also find it ironic that with increasing book length, the films seem to be getting shorter... Although more and more I've found it's better just to treat the books and the movies as separate entities.

Thankfully, it picked up a bit mid-way through the second-act, and the climax of the third-act was well-handled in the context of the movie.

I could say a lot more, but Dumbledore's better than in the last movie, so props to him.

Just went to see it. Missed the first part cuz I was late.

It was okay - quite understandable that a lot of the book had to be chopped out, seeing as how Book 5 was so plodding at times. No Quidditch at all (including Weasley is the king chants and commentator Luna), no Peeves, no McGonagall getting owned by stupefies, no Marietta Edgecombe the sneak, no Rita Skeeter and the Quibbler, and very little emphasis placed on the OWLs.

I would have loved to see the scene where McGonagall pledged to help Potter become an auror. The much-ballyhoed wand combat was interesting - I want to see more of it, but Jedi acrobatics it ain't.

All in all, a good adaptation that holds my attention. Dumbledore's got style.

The movie was awesome except for Michael Gambon still completely missing the mark. I swear that guy's never read the books or watched the first flicks with Richard Harris. They need to ditch him, or get him to calm down a bit and be more confident, wise, mysterious, and lovable.

Just saw it. I don't read the books, so I can't compare nor do I care about inconsistencies with the books to be honest. However, the third movie, Prisoner of Azkhaban, still trounces this film. That is my favorite because the story and action were tight - there was no "dead space." I thought there was a ton of dead space in this film. It was brooding for brooding's sake; it wasn't leading anywhere in the end. For all the build-up to preparations for an attack on Hogwarts, I was extremely disappointed with what little action there was.

There is at least twice the action in the whirlwind ending of the third movie than this film. Also, the fourth film had just enough action due to the contest which kept the pace up and provided ample opportunity for action and conflict. The fourth film also had more action than OotP.

I did enjoy the film, and it provided us with many more answers than we knew before, but for a film titled "Order of the Phoenix" I was left wanting to see more of that order than the few minutes provided in the film...

He has admitted in an Empire interview before that he never read the books.

I don't care what a veteran Theater actor he is, its acting 101 that you need to RESEARCH your character, especially if its an adaptation.

Saw the movie, visually entertaining, acting was spot on, but the pacing was so so and it was very condensed from the book. Ah well, this is why I encourage everyone I know who watches them to read it.

I don't mind Gambon, nor could I see Harris performing the duel at the end of this film. He played a good mentor in the first two, but Dumbledore actually has to do stuff now.

Haha I think luna lovegood movie persona is now my favorite.

Luna was absolutely brilliant!
Very good casting.

I still have yet to read many of the books, (I can't seem to get myself to read Chamber of Secrets.) so I didn't notice any of the little things like radish earrings, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. However, you can tell it's a different director because of the pacing, which wasn't very good.



Yeah, if you watch too much Naruto.

I thought the girl playing Luna was brilliant. Great casting there. Still not nearly as good as POA, but that had one of the best directors on the planet so I guess that's to be expected. It was still better than Chris Columbus's movies. But they should do whatever it takes to get Alfonso Cuarón back for Deathly Hallows.

I didn't remember the book as well as a lot of you did, so a lot of these continuity points didn't bother me.

The problem I had was that things just didn't look remotely close to how I pictured them. As I read about the battle at the end, I got this picture in my head of how the final few places would look. And it was nothing like it. I didn't think the Ministry of Magic looked very foreboding, it just looked black, which isn't the same thing necessarily. From what I imagined in the book's description, I feel that they either didn't read the book or ignored that altogether for something maybe easier to do in CGI.

And I totally didn't picture Grimmauld Place as being so goddamn skinny. What the hell was that?

This movie was really the first that I felt the director had no idea what anything was supposed to look like. Everything else was close before, but, I dunno, the new places that were introduced just seemed way, way off.

Also:

I dunno, maybe I just feel like as the books get longer, they don't translate well into movies. I don't see how they get away with DH as a movie under 3 hours, I really don't.

Gambon has none of the whimsicalness of Dumbledore, instead chooses to play him as a typical headmaster, which he also admitted in the same inteview I believed.

Anyone who has read the books knows he is not your typical stern headmaster.

C'mon look at what Ian Mckellan did with Gandulf! Dumbledore and Gandulf were constantly compared side by side because of their similar personality.

The fact that this man openly admits never reading or researching the character, unlike Mckellan who actually put some preparation in HIS role, he derserves no respect. Harris at the very leastt, nailed the persona right. Whether or not his health would have allowed him the stunts is another issue, but there's always a thing called "stunt doubles", and Dumbledore isn't exactly wielding a sword around.

Point is, I wanted an actor that actually attemtps to learn about the character, yet Gambon has ruined a visual adaption of the character, and it will be unlikly that we will see another portrayal any time soon. Its not like there's gonna be a remake.

When he I wouldn't even give a damn. When I cringe everytime Dumbledore opens his mouth, that's a sign of bad casting.

This line killed me in Phoenix.

This is something Dumbledore will never EVER say, and certainly not in such a nasty tone, no matter how angry he feels inside regarding Umbridge, he NEVER takes it out on his students.

The character playing Luna was perfect. Just perfect.
It was a bit of a disapointment that there was no Quidditch but they probably figured there was enough of that already in the other movies. and all in all I'd say considering the size of the book they did an alright job. Still Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite of the movies so far. I can't even wait until Half-blood Prince comes out Nov 2008(I think).