Movie Details
| Title: | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | |
| Director: | David Yates | |
| Year: | 2007 | |
| Genre: | Fantasy | |
| Times Seen: | 2 | |
| Last Seen: | 12.11.11 |
Other Movies Seen By This Director (4)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
| Date Viewed | Venue | Note |
| 12.11.11 | DVD | Re-watching this for the first time. Still not a huge fan. Umbridge is an unpleasant character. A lot of the movie seems rushed. Practically nothing happens since everyone in the end of this one is in the same exact place as the end of the last one (whoa, voldemort's actually back!), well... everyone except Sirius which didn't seem poignant or noteworthy at all really. I hate how all the story ties up with newspaper headlines and Harry never talks to Cho after learning she was dosed with veritaserum. Lots of loose ends which kind of stands out since the series is usually pretty good about that. Plus this one everyone seems to have grown up all of a sudden. Harry has too many muscles or something. and the teen angst in the book isn't really handled well. Eh. So all in all, still probably my least favorite and definitely the least fun. |
| 07.23.07 | Bullock IMAX | Well... what can I say. New computer that can play games + new Harry Potter Book + new addiction to Good Eats TV show = no movie watching. Maybe things will return to normal in a day or two. In the meantime, I figured no one would go to an 8pm Monday screening of the new HP at the IMAX since a week had past. Wrong. It sold out... and I don't know why all non-Alamo Austin theaters suck so much but they really do. You'd think a town somewhat known for its film seen would have better theaters... the film started 45 minutes late (due to technical difficulties... not sure what was going on since they had two shows earlier today) and there were about a dozen huge black spots on the screen. I think they might've been bugs (Austin seems to be getting bombarded by crickets lately. no clue why) but whatever the reason, for a $12 IMAX ticket, the presentation should never be that shoddy. Of course no one was around when the movie got out except an elderly security guard so there was no one to complain to but whatever... I guess that's why I have this. So all that aside, there's the movie. It's weird that it's the shortest of these movies to date considering it's the longest book. Where Goblet of Fire felt like they tried to cram everything in so the movie came off hurried to me, this one seemed to excise tons and tons of stuff leaving us with a nicely paced if not ultra-simplified version of the story. Aside from the length, in my mind this film also have a tough road because it's my least favorite book. Especially now that I'm reading book 7, it seems like book 4 really was a pivotal turning point because the three books since then have all been much darker, much more trying, and much less... well, fun. So this was the book that basically said the shit just got real, which is unfortunate because I think lots and lots of kids fell in love with the series because of how fun it was. And also, the series seems to mature with Harry, so where once things like Chocolate Frogs and Every-flavor beans get plenty of screen time, now it's all about much bigger things and the very top of the magician society figure prominently. So, since the story gets more mature, so comes the criticism. I think might be the first movie to leave those that don't read behind. Now this is just a hunch since I read the books and can never know what the other side sees, but it seemed to me while watching this that the movie presupposed that you knew what A LOT of stuff was or why it was important. Maybe that's just because it's paid MUCH more attention in the book, but the whole climactic scene of the movie felt like it had no context at all to me. It was more of a thing like "oh, this is where we have to go... so we went there" without any of the rather grand meaning behind what they were going after and what were all around them. Harry's relationship with Cho, the significance of Kreacher, and Trelawny's prophecy were all particularly snipped this go-around... so knowing or caring why Dumbledore keeps her around felt kind of moot to the film. Maybe I'm wrong and it played fine to people who have only seen the movies... or maybe I'm wrong in that all the films relied heavily on already loving the material, or maybe I'm wrong in that no one's going to be interested in the fifth Harry Potter movie without being fan enough to go back and read the books... but then again maybe I'm right... in which case this will be their least favorite movie the same way that it was my least favorite book so... everything will work out anyway. never mind. However, there were a few elements in the book that I did like and they were all presented here. I really like how at this point the Order is an excuse to see all of our favorite grown-ups acting together. The scenes where they debate and talk over dinner are great just because we get to see everyone we've met through the years now together, banding together. Likewise, I like all the Dumbledore's Army stuff and how the students begin to apply what they've been learning. It's still great that so many of the actors are returning to their roles with each film, especially the growing children. The production and costume design are always pitch perfect and pretty much exactly what I imagine on the page splashed up on the screen. I think all in all I liked it more than disliked it. I knew I wasn't going to love it going in and didn't walk out disappointed. I just hope they get the next two right because both are almost as long as this and have tons and tons of stuff to work with. now back to reading! |
