Needed more of the Order of the Phoenix.

Rating: 6/10 (24 June 2014)

Based on the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this is the fifth film in the Harry Potter film trilogy, a story where Harry and Albus Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities when authoritarian bureaucrat Dolores Umbridge takes over control of Hogwarts, all the while the threat of Dark Lord Voldemort returns full force.
Like the previous film, this story takes on a more darker tone and tense drama as we see more of the Dark Lord and more of Harry's struggles as his past and his enemies torment him. I think the actors did an OK performance in this one, but I thought Radcliffe overacted in his Harry role somewhat. I do like the Order of the Phoenix concept, which is comprised of a group of wizard rebels whose goal is to defeat Voldermort and his cohorts. The rebels include the brave Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) and the unpredictable and crafty Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) - two of the better acting performances in the movie. The rest of the characters were a little bland, especially the Cho Chang character. The supposed love relationship between her and Harry was out of place for this movie, in my opinion, and is one of several scenes that distracted from the main plot.
The special effects were pretty good and the battle between Dumbledore and Snape was the highlight of the film, though, I do wished Dumbledore's powers were showcased more not just in this movie but in the rest of the trilogy, since he is the most powerful wizard of all. In addition, I didn't think the Order of the Phoenix was emphasized enough; they should have showcased the group more and each of the group's wizards purpose in the movie. Instead, the movie focused too much on Umbridge and the Hogwarts students. So, what resulted was another average Potter movie.
Grade C