The Rocky Five and death knell of the Harry Potter Franchise

Rating: 2/10 (5 December 2007)

I haven't read the books and maybe Order of the Phoenix (OOTP) is an accurate telling of the book. But for me, I have lost all affection for the Harry Potter franchise. OOTP is too dark, too complicated and has lost the magic that endeared me to the blockbusting phenomena that the first two Harry Potter's instilled.
I understand that the saga must advance and Harry and Ron et al must evolve as they age, but the look, feel and sound of OOTP bears little resemblance to the first two (and even the third). The story for me is so disjointed from the fourth and the glaring anomalies and pure stupid plot holes are unforgivable. There's nothing really new to delight, the pacing is slow and laborious and the characters become annoying and wooden.
I have said this before in previous Harry Potter reviews, but Gambon's portrayal is terrible, and I find myself constantly mourning Richard Harris' passing. I just do not like Gambon's work in the franchise. He has ruined all credibility of the all powerful but controlled Headmaster. But his performance aside, I feel all the actors seemed to be bored and no one stood out- with the exception of Imelda Staunton's portrayal of Dolores Umbridge. I seriously disliked Umbridge, and we are supposed to, but I felt no joy in her demise, no one stepped up to the plate. Ron Weasley and Granger were token appearances, Radcliffe's performance was wooden and amateurish, and Gary Oldman, and especially Maggie Smith and Emma Thomson, had little to do. Voldermort's appearance was nothing special and the supposed highlights of the movie was at best a yawn fest.
I do not like this movie and have no interest in further installments in the franchise. My eleven year old son (who has not read the books) was left scratching his head saying it was too complicated, he didn't understand parts, and it had lost it's magic... I couldn't agree more.