A step down from the films that precede it.

Rating: 5/10 (31 July 2009)

The introduction to the film was promising, but it begins to spiral out of control quickly thanks to the haphazard editing, lackluster cinematography, generic score, poor special effects and failure to draw the audience's sympathy during emotional moments, all making the fifth film seem like a high-budget, made-for-TV special.
When the film begins, there are some graceful camera movements; however, when the dementors appear, the editing forces viewers to endure shots that are a second each. It seems like the director filmed for coverage, rather than using each shot to their fullest potential, allowing the editor to go on a cutting frenzy (who needs five shots in five seconds with five different angles to show one thing?). Furthermore, the dreams Harry experiences show some poorly implemented fades as well. However, the editing wouldn't have suffered if the cinematography was at least moderately good.
If the movie had been shot well, it would not have felt that the actors were in sets. Good cinematography should have invoked a sense of realism -- that the actors were actually in a castle, or wherever they were supposed to be. One place that could've used some major improvement is the train station at Hogwarts. There's definitely a feeling that the train is just a prop. On that note, the shot composition was poor as well, increasing the awkwardness of the actors' blocking, which resembles a stage play rather than a movie. Moreover, shots are either plain and static, or sweeping and excessively showy -- there's no "in between" except for shots that are excessively shaky, juxtaposing more fluid shots... mixed together in the same scene. These points wouldn't have dropped the ratingdown too much, but its further compounded by the poor score.
John Williams was arguably the best composer for the series, followed by Patrick Doyle, in Goblet of Fire, while Nicholas Hooper fails to generate any emotion, creating a bland, boring, generic score. I'm fine with discontinuation of previous themes, but that means that new themes must be competent. The new score is definitely lacking in quality. Whereas previous films had memorable themes such as "Window to the Past," "Double Trouble" and "Harry in Winter," there's no real sense of wonder. Action scenes have a dull rumble, while emotional ones are simply plain. Then there's the music used during dialog, where an oboe (I believe) is played. Those are really cringe-inducing. Never has a high-budget film felt so TV movie-like. More so are the special effects, which have taken many steps backwards from previous films.
The main problem was with Grawp, the giant. Whereas Children of Men had been able to create a realistic looking CGI baby during hand-held shots with a smaller budget, Order of the Phoenix manages to have a character that rivals Shrek. Never, have I seen a more play-doh looking character in recent times. Other things that suffered from this were the centaurs as well. The Thestrals are equally as unrealistic, which I assumed was impossible, as Buckbeak looked amazing in the third film. The wings on the Thestrals are a good use of Subsurface Scattering; however, the skin and eyes have an unrealistic shiny quality. Moreover, flying on the broomstick was poor as well. It seems like characters were placed on stock footage. Poor, poor special effects.
Another problem in the film was with the dialog, which made me cringe. Words such as "Who are you and what have you done with ________?" are so cliché that they're for sitcoms and comedies. Furthermore, things happened to fast, such as the climax, which made me go "What just happened?" Especially with the death of a major character, who falls into an object that was given no introduction. It simply... appears. The same thing happens many times. For example, when the Order shows up in the room to fight their opponents, there's no explanation for them being there. At most, the audience can assumed that some things happened. Only those who read the book can fully grasp the events in the film. There are some redeeming qualities that prevent Order of the Phoenix from receiving a lower mark though.
Acting has improved dramatically, and the story is even more twisted and darker than the last. Furthermore, the spells have cool effects, and Umbridge is played well. Other than that, I feel compelled to say The Order of the Phoenix is not worth one's cash, and it ranks the same as the first two, for different reasons though. While the first two films were pedestrian and lacked style, this film just felt rushed, hurting its rating. May I hope that director David Yates has learned from this experience.