Thank you, David Yates, for the best HP film yet!

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2007)

It was with significant trepidation that I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I'd been somewhat disappointed with Alfonso Cuaron's PoA's film adaptation, and severely disappointed (even angered) by the travesty that was Mike Newell's vision of Hogwarts in GoF. OOTP is my favourite book of the series, and I was worried that the plot, characterization and overall film wouldn't be true to JK Rowling's vision.
Well, I needn't have worried. Director David Yates pulled this off in a way that had me grinning throughout the entire movie, because it was clear from the opening titles right through the closing credits, here, finally, is a man who "gets it".
Thank you, Mr Yates, for directing the young stars in such a way that fits their age. The awkward interactions between Harry and Cho, the conflicts within Harry himself, Neville's transformation, even Luna's dreaminess, all well-executed. He even managed to rein in the chemistry between Dan Radcliffe and Emma Watson that was leaping off the page in the previous two movies, recognizing - as any true fan would - that despite the actors' obvious affinity for one another, it's really Ron that Hermione is supposed to be falling for. Watson still has virtually no chemistry with Rupert Grint, but at least an attempt was made at giving them more interaction to set up the plot line for later.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Mr Yates, for restoring my Dumbledore! I'd been unimpressed with Michael Gambon in the third movie, downright horrified with him in the fourth, but it was clear from this movie that the man can act, he just needs better direction. Here, he got it, and returned to being the Dumbledore we all know, love and trust.
Thank you, Imelda Staunton, for bringing Dolores Umbridge to life, exactly as evil and as nuanced as she should be. Her performance was pitch-perfect every step of the way.
Thank you, Mr Yates, for the attention to background detail. While I recognize that it's impossible to put every single subplot from the book into a movie, you managed to condense pages and pages from the book into corners of the screen in such a way that made us feel like we weren't missing anything.
Thank you to the set designers, editors, animators and directors, for bringing to life the Ministry of Magic in such a stunning way, exactly how I pictured it. Seeing the movie in IMAX 3D was well worth it for the amazing scenes at the Ministry, but even the non-3D scenes were beautifully executed.
No doubt, people are angry at the changes and omissions to the plot. That has been me for every book so far, especially the last one. But here, I found I didn't mind so much. The scenes didn't feel rushed, and the movie made sense as a stand-alone. (One of the friends I saw it with hadn't read the book, and I found there was next to nothing that I had to explain later to her; she'd understood it all from the movie. This was certainly *not* the case in GoF). What changes were made were done for a reason, and I felt they stayed true to the spirit of the book, bringing to life what was most important and simplifying some elements that were less critical. The story was well told, and essence of the movie was very true to the book, while still making sure not to rush through scenes or sacrifice emotion for the sake of action.
David Yates is the first director of a Harry Potter film since Chris Columbus's to truly get it. I'm relieved and thrilled that this movie was so great, and am glad to hear that Mr Yates will be staying on to direct HPB.
A must-see for any fan and also for any skeptic. 8/10.