Stands on its own as a classic movie for muggles and magicians alike...

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2007)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the best of the five HP movies to date, but really stands on its own as a classic. Had I never seen a previous Harry Potter movie or read the novels, I still would have found this an amazing, mysterious, imaginative, quick-paced drama. The acting is top-notch throughout, and Daniel Radcliffe really comes to his own as Harry, filling out the character with believable and engaging emotional reality and intensity. Though set in a context of magic, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix is a coming-of-age story at its heart. The lessons the title character learns--coping with loss, managing feelings, nurturing friendships, taking leadership, discovering romance, finding one's own stand in a world of conflicting moral values, encountering adults as a youth--are universal themes, and the world of magic and Harry's unique relationship with the Dark Lord accentuate and accelerate these challenges and Harry's "real world" education. The spiritual, moral, interpersonal, and emotional themes of the plot are vivid and coherent, but there are numerous humorous vignettes throughout to lend some balance to a generally troubling story. The special effects do a great job contributing to the story and are a fitting tribute to J. K. Rowling's vision. All-in-all wonderful entertainment for eye, ear, heart, and mind.
I must add a word about negative reviews I've read about the movie. Some of them are so negative that I have a hard time believing I've seen the same movie. One group of critics seem to be Harry Potter fundamentalists who want this movie to exactly duplicate the original story. They rail against deletions of favorite scenes or characters from the books, and God forbid that the movie even make some alterations from the original story. If you want the novel, read the novel. I think the movie should and can stand on its own. Another group of critics seem to think that Harry Potter is a children's story and fret about the "darkness" (visual and emotional) of the movie. I never thought the Harry Potter series was for children only. Certainly it's a fantasy world, but J. K. Rawling uses the fantasy world to reveal great truths about the commonplace. And why should children's movies only be light, fluffy, unproblematic, and neatly resolved? Life is messy and often painful, and that's as true for kids as it is for adults. The Harry Potter story is all about responding to life's pains and complexities with courage and dignity. In an entertaining story. That's worth a trip to the movies!