Amazing!!!!The Best Movie of the Year by Far!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2007)

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan,having read every book and seen every movie countless times.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has always been,in my opinion,the weakest of the books so I was very worried about the movie before seeing it,but I was very wrong.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix begins when Harry and his cousin Dudley fall prey to a Dementor attack in an underpass on their way home one evening.Harry fends off the Dementors saving both his and Dudley's life,only to later receive a letter from the Ministry of Magic saying he has been expelled from school for using magic in front of a muggle.Later that night the Order of the Phoenix arrives(the group who opposes Voldermort led by Dumbledore) and rescues Harry taking him back to their HQ and telling him that Dumbledore has arranged a trial to decide his fate.Once at their HQ Harry reunites with the Weasleys,Hermione,but most importantly his godfather Sirius Black.Once back in the wizarding world Harry learns that the Ministry is denying all reports of Voldermort's return and is branding both Harry and Dumbledore liars,essentially accusing them of herecy.At Harry's trial Dumbledore arrives to get Harry off of the hook,and his punishment is lifted and he is off back to Hogwarts.
Once back at Hogwarts Harry feels more alienated than ever,while also having to deal with Professor Umbridge(played superbly by Imelda Staunton) Fudge's assistant who is the Ministry's representative at Hogwarts.The Ministry fears that Dumbledore is planning to build up an army and overthrow the Ministry,so they refuse to teach any real magic at Hogwarts.Due to this Harry,Ron,and Hermione create their own secret class full of many other students taught by Harry to teach them Defense Against the Dark Arts.All of these events eventually build up to a big showdown against Voldermort and the Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic.
The first thing I immediately noticed about this film is how much darker in tone than the previous films it is(even darker than Prisoner of Azkaban).As usual the production values are all top notch,cinematography,production design,and special effects are still top notch and at certain times steal the show.This time around the franchise has changed tremendously with almost a completely new creative staff behind it.First is the wonderful music by the new composer Nicholas Hooper,bringing back a great whimsical feel to the music that Goblet of Fire seemed to lack(still this isn't as great as William's scores,but is a welcome substitute).Another new member to the crew is a new screenwriter in Michael Goldenberg(Steve Kloves having left to take a break from Potter).Goldenberg has perfectly adapted the longest Potter book into a 2 hour and 15 minute film that seems to flow better than almost any other Potter film.The greatest thing about the script was how close it stuck to the book,majority of the film followed the book by verbatim,hitting every single major plot point in the book with precise accuracy.The greatest new addition though is director David Yates,who has only ever done one other theatrical feature before.Yates perfectly captures the spirit of the book generating quite possibly the greatest performances by these young actors so far,which brings me to the acting.
The acting as usual is one of the major highlights of the Potter film.All of the veteran British actors deliver picture perfect performances as always(in particular Gary Oldman).The only thing is the adults in the cast are getting less and less screen time each film.What is really impressive though is how much the younger actors have evolved since the previous installment,especially Daniel Radcliffe,who is proving to me that he could become one of the greatest actors of our generation.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a film rich with character development,emotion,and heart.Although there aren't quite as many laughs in this film as there were in previous installments there still are enough to tide you over.Another huge plus to the film is the climax in the Ministry of Magic giving some of the best action in any Potter film,it was amazing and was great eye candy.
All in all it is another great entry into the Potter franchise with way more character development than any other installment thus far,plus is way darker in tone(the darkest Potter so far),and way more emotion and heart as well.Although it has less action than Goblet,it is a way better film in my opinion.A superb film that is nearly perfect in every way and possibly gives Prisoner of Azkaban a run for its money as my favorite Potter film.
Another Potter film with a Perfect: 10/10!!!!!!!!