Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix SPOILERS!!!

[Remus Lupin]

3 is still my favorite, followed by 4 and 1, then 5 and 2.

I liked this one, but I think that they dropped the ball, and the movie should have had more in it. I didn't like how they killed Sirius, but not having read any of the books I don't know if that's how he died in the book.

I was watching it, there was a decent battle, then Harry was crying and I had to ask my wife if I missed something. I didn't know that by him going through the portal he was killed, and it seemed to me that he could have stopped it, so to me his death felt forced and just didn't have the impact it should have.

It goes by quickly, but what happens is that Belatrix LaStrange hits Sirius with an Avada Kadavra curse, and he falls through the portal (remember, AK kills you instantly, it's what killed Digory). That actually IS different from the book, in which it is the fall through the curtain that "kills" Sirius. I think they did it this way in the movie so that they wouldn't have to do all the exposition on "Is Sirius dead or not? What's the nature of the curtain," which would have slowed things down. As it stands, I think it was good.

For the movie as a whole, I liked it, though there were a few things I would have liked to see more of. More Tonks, for one thing.

 

[jonathan swift]

Saw it at midnight Tuesday.

And I was highly disappointed. It wasn't bad per se, but a huge let down from all four previous films. The film seemed like two hours of nothing at all happening, with a little anti-climactic fight scene thrown in the end.

And they had to leave a lot out (so I've heard, never read the books) so not only did nothing happen, but not much made sense either.

Sirius' death was one of the few things I liked as it wasn't overly drawn out. It's like he's there, then he's dead.

And Luna Lovegood was a lot of fun.

 

[Jdvn1]

Saw the midnight showing at the IMAX, and with part of the movie in 3D.

It was really cool, though the 3D bits didn't add much to the movie.

I also saw it last night (with my SO) at a regular screen, and there's definitely a noticeable difference. Still, a fun movie.

Ms Umbridge and Luna Lovegood were awesome. Sirius's death was a bit confusing, since I think the charm used to kill him in the movie differed from the book such that in the book, he's definitely dead, but in the movie, not so much.

Snap is continuously cool, and I can see why Dumbledore trusts him.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Definitely my favorite of the movies.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Sirius's death was a bit confusing, since I think the charm used to kill him in the movie differed from the book such that in the book, he's definitely dead, but in the movie, not so much.

In the book, IIRC, he isn't killed by a charm, he's killed by simply tumbling into the doorway. Harry tries to follow but (as in the movie) Remus stops him. Then here is an extended deliberation about 1) Is Sirius really dead and 2) can he come back, to which the answers eventually are 1) yes and 2) no.

The movie is much more straightforward. Belatrix zaps him with the Avada Kedavra, ergo, he's dead. The doorway just makes him disapear, therefore, no need for the exposition.

 

[Shayuri]

Given the constraints of movie vs book, I think they did a fantastic job of cutting out the 'fat' that the book had time and space to deliver. This is in stark contrast to the Goblet of Fire, which included countless scenes that added little or nothing to the story (IMO), and excluded scenes that would have added quite a bit (again, IMO).

I found OotP's editing to be remarkably tight, yet omitting no vital details. My only 'complaint,' and that term is used loosely, is to point out that for a movie titled 'Order of the Phoenix,' the Order itself played a very small part in the story. Of course, when you boil it down, that's true of the book too...most of what they did there was tease Harry with knowledge then yank it away; driving him absolutely crazy. I think that still came across in this movie. It would have been nice to see more of the Order, if only because they're so delightfully peculiar.

I was particularly impressed by how they compressed several side stories (noteably the Cho Chang arc), retaining the basic -spirit- of the plots, but in fractions of the necessary exposition time. Also of note was the excellent use of visual details (newspaper headlines glimpsed, expressions of students in the backgrounds, etc) that conveyed thematic and tone information without requiring any dialogue. They created a hostile, oppressive atmosphere towards Harry (thus helping explain his behavior) without wasting a single word...and often simultaneously with other important scenes.

...I admit, my reaction is based largely on the -mechanics- of the movie...this is because the content of the story is much as it was presented in the book, even with the cuts in the movie's content. Problems with the storyline that existed in the book are still in the movie, and the myriad explanations that apply to those problems in the book still apply to the movie too. I don't really want to get into them. Because my problems with the movies in the past have been largely problems of the mechanics of moviemaking, it seems fair to judge this one on the same yardstick. And really, I found OotP to be very refreshing. It wasn't Citizen Kane or anything, but especially in comparison to the lackluster and disappointing Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix strikes me as an excellent interpretation of the source material, and well adapted for the big screen.

Mew.

 

[Randolpho]

I'll be seeing it tonight or tomorrow; comment then. I take it no serious diversions (other than Sirius' death) from the book?

Also, regarding Flich -- consider him Lawful Neutral or even Lawful Evil, sorta Harry Potter's version of a Vogon. He's cantankerous and spiteful, but won't break rules. He's really big on making sure there is order, and is countered by pure chaos in the form of Peeves.

Remember, in the book (dunno if it's in the movie) he goes to get the proper form to allow him to do a whipping.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

The wife and I really enjoyed the movie.

I was expecting something a little disappointing like the last one but this one was really well done, for the same reasons that Shayuri gave.

Even though I listened to the audiobooks (I only read D&D books), the first half hour of the movie I expected Harry to kill himself.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Also, regarding Flich -- consider him Lawful Neutral or even Lawful Evil, sorta Harry Potter's version of a Vogon. He's cantankerous and spiteful, but won't break rules. He's really big on making sure there is order, and is countered by pure chaos in the form of Peeves.

Remember, in the book (dunno if it's in the movie) he goes to get the proper form to allow him to do a whipping.

I forgot that. Yeah, he follows the rules. He just likes Delores Umbridge's rules a lot better than Dumbledore's rules.


My biggest disappointment with the movie is the how interesting secondary characters get almost no screen time. I remember Lupin saying, "Hello, Harry," but did he even have any other dialogue? We needed more Tonx, too. And I wish Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney) had something to do, other than stand there and be incompetent. Though, that is right from the book, pretty much. She had one real prophecy, right as Dumbledore was about to not hire her several years ago. Now that the prophecy is smashed, maybe she'll have another one in book 7.

Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith still rule, at least! And Imelda Staunton was fantastic.

 

[RigaMortus2]

It goes by quickly, but what happens is that Belatrix LaStrange hits Sirius with an Avada Kadavra curse, and he falls through the portal

So THAT'S what she said!!! I could have sworn I heard her say "Abra Ca Dabra". I was rolling my eyes at that one, but now it makes sense, lol.