Fantastic Film of the Year, yet too time thrifty...

Rating: 8/10 (15 July 2007)

Before I begin my review, please note that my comments may contain spoilers, so watch out; they might spoil the surprise!
First of all, I find this movie as the most fascinating film of the year! Although a lot of scenes were omitted, I think this movie deserves high credits. I really can't blame the film makers for the alterations and deviations from the book, considering that the whole novel is about 800 pages long. However, they should have extended the run time of the film. When I watched the movie, it started at approximately 6:00 in the evening and ended at 8:00. Supposedly, the running time of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is 2 hours and 18 minutes; that makes it shorter than Goblet of Fire. I wish they extended the film for another 12 minutes to make it 2 and a half hours. That way, the movie could have been much clearer to the viewers especially to those who did not read the book. They could have added crucial scenes that would explain the events that occurred.
I liked the effects especially the duel with the Death Eaters. But I noticed again that those parts were filmed in such a hurry that everything went wild and confusing. On a lighter note, I appreciate the efforts of the film makers in including minor characters like Grawp (Hagrid's half-brother) and Kreacher (Sirius' House Elf; according to Ms. J.K. Rowling, he will have an important part in the last book). I think the only problem of this film is time. Again, they could have added more scenes that feature St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Dobby (the former House elf of the Malfoy family; his part in this film is again taken by Neville Longbottom),the Two-Way Mirror that Sirius gave to Harry, and Neville's parents and grandmother.
I agree with other reviewers in saying that Sirius Black's death was too sudden and has a lesser impact on the audience. But I do like the battle scene between Dumbledore and Voldemort, it was absolutely fantastic! I know that David Yates will be directing the next film "The Half-Blood Prince", and so I will be expecting a lot of things this time, since the 6th book is shorter than the 5th one. I hope they would be able to cover up the significant points in the story and allow the film to run for exactly 2 and a half hours, so that fans and viewers will not be disappointed. Despite my rants and raves, I give this movie 8 out of 10 stars!