I was expecting better

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2007)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is not a bad movie. It's just... I think this was the first case when a HP movie could have been better than the book, as the book is simply too long; it has too many plot points that it has to tell as an exposition for the last two chapters; too many new characters etc. (don't get me wrong, I love all the HP books but I find OotP the weakest of them). This movie runs through the story which results in a very long hour of talking. After the unexpectedly dark, thrilling opening sequence it's all about talking maybe until 1:35 or something like that in the movie, which is actually necessary for the 7-book story but a bit...dare I say, boring. Yes, we can say it is more 'grown-up' but grown-up does not necessarily mean boring; even if politics take part in the conversation. As this is the shortest movie of the five, maybe this time they should have included some quidditch in ten minutes just for fun and excitement (the quidditch story line is, once again, totally missing); maybe there should have been a little more emphasis on the romantic part as well. We see all the necessary new characters like Tonks or Bellatrix but they get way too short time on-screen. During this talking part the director tries to add some momentum several times but usually fails; maybe it's all because of the mentioned 'too much plot, too many characters' problem. It should have become a kind of thriller but even the nightmare sequences can't help creating real tension. Then, in the last 30-40 minutes, action begins and while this action is not really awe-inspiring, it is on par with the spectacular action sequences of the previous movies. So... It's not a bad movie, it is functional and I am sure the next one will be better (partly because that has a much stronger story).