Honestly....

Rating: 7/10 (11 July 2007)

I went to see this movie alone, as none of my friends are Harry Potter fans, and I really didn't feel like dragging anyone with me. I have read every review thus far before deciding to post my comments. I have also read every Harry Potter book twice, some three times. I read OotP three times, most recently last week. I feel there are two very distinct points of views for this movie: those who have read the book, and those who have not. I place no judgment on those who have not read the book, as they are giving to their opinion of a MOVIE they saw. Those who have read the book are giving their opinion of a BOOK they envisioned, and then saw.
The two perspectives will give very different reviews. Those who did not read the book saw a pretty good movie- though rushed at points with jumbled and missing connections. The action scenes were better than most of the other movies, the acting was better than any of the previous movies, and most of the special effects were also better. If you didn't read the book, missing details don't matter
HOWEVER the BOOK is called Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The MOVIE should have been called Harry Potter and Professor Umbridge. The Order of the Phoenix isn't emphasized at all. The story is told in staccato: no transitions, no time for explanations, emotions, or details. Those who have not read the book but have seen the other movies will wonder several things:
1. In the beginning: Why was that old lady dragging a suitcase across a field in a rainstorm to the playground?
2. Why was that same lady completely without emotion or fear at seeing a Dementor (especially since she knew what they were)?
3. What's up with the nasty house everyone in the OotP hung out in? Why weren't they cleaning/bewitching it to be nicer?
4. When Dumbledore left, why was Shacklebolt there to arrest him? I thought he was a good guy?
5. How come when Filch and Malfoy opened the door of the room of requirement it was a broom closet but Umbridge could just knock down the wall/door?
6. Why was there barely any magic in the Wizarding school, and for that matter only one class?
7. Why was Mr. Weasley in that hall?
8. How in the world did the OotP know to come to the Ministry of Magic to fight?
Now from the book readers perspective, WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY did they have to change everything around? The castle seemed distinctly un-magical, and since when do the students take a hayless hay ride to the castle? As a book reader, the following things made me roll my eyes, suck my teeth, sigh audibly, and feel really really disappointed:
1. There was no dark magic in the house of Black- i.e. - No portrait of Mom, no shuddering locked desks, no hint of anything except grime.
2. Sirius is related to Lucius by marriage- they couldn't show that on the family tree when they showed everyone else?
3. The Hog's Head was empty except for the D.A. members, a bartender, and a goat. Where were all the seedy characters?
4. Hagrid and McGonagall's fight was skipped.
5.Grawp was an over-sized playful kid. He was supposed to be frightening and violent, but wasn't in the least.
6. What happened to the magical doors and rooms in the Ministry of Magic?????????????? No brains? No time turners? No "baby" head Death Eater? Arrrrg!
7. With all of the spells and fighting in the end, why did it look more like Star Wars instead of Spell Wars? What happened to the spells that made stuff happen?
LAST BUT NOT LEAST!
8. Sirius dies by the avada kedavra curse and gets (what looks like) sucked into the -unexplained in the movie- misty archway and disappears? It was written SOOOOOO much better! Where's the part when Harry doesn't understand where he is or what happened????
Despite all of my nit-picking of details, I still enjoyed the movie. Like I commented earlier- the acting was better, the special effects were better, and Umbridge was portrayed perfectly. The only thing missing from her character was the bow in her hair.
Final recommendation: Go see the movie, but remember it's impossible to make a 4 inch thick book completely come to life in a movie without it lasting 4 hours.