Stupified Me!

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2009)

I want to start out by saying that for every person that likes something, there are going to be 3 people that hate it. That is very much the case on IMDb, as it is also in the world. There are many negative reviews on this movie, going on about how so many things were cut out and out of order and blah blah blah... I, being a HUGE fan of the books, approached this film with an open mind. I knew things would be cut. I knew it wouldn't be exactly like the book (because if it was, the movie'd be 5 hours long). So I looked at it honestly, and it was really good.
I have had very high expectations for the movies so far, and most of them, I thought, were pretty good. The first and second were charming, the third was great and getting darker, the fourth was good except for its terrible climax(so HIGHLY dramatic! Voldemort was seriously prancing around like a ballerina!), and I was really looking forward to the fifth. With a new director comes a new way of interpreting J.K. Rowling's brilliant series, and David Yates did not disappoint.
In Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort has returned, but the only living witness (who isn't a death eater or Voldemort) is Harry Potter. Dumbledore and his friends believe this, but the rest of the world is in doubt, especially the minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge, who is so scared of the possibility this might be true that he's convinced himself that Dumbledore is trying to form a secret army against him. In response to this, the ministry sends a seemingly sweet woman named Dolores Umbridge (who works for the ministry) to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Sickeningly sweet (as shown by how much sugar she puts in her tea) and evil, she punishes anyone who says Voldemort is back (and severely). Because of this notion that Dumbledore is making up an army of students against the ministry, Umbridge won't teach the students in her classes how to do spells, so as to make a "safe, risk free environment". Harry's friends then convince him to start a secret club where he can help students learn practical Defense Against the Dark Arts to prepare themselves for the wizard war that lies ahead. Meanwhile, Voldemort is in search of a "weapon" that he needs to reach his goal of wizarding world conquest, and Harry's having very strange dreams about a mysterious hallway...
Now that that's out of the way, I'll talk about the acting, and wow, was it good. Daniel Radcliffe is fantastic as Harry. He's really developed into a great actor and showed a lot of emotional range in this one. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson portray their characters great too - Emma's really grown up and Rupert's not just comic relief anymore. Evanna Lynch (who plays Luna Lovegood) is fantastic and is absolutely perfect for the role - strange, wise and mystic. Imelda Staunton was a perfect Umbridge - she made us love to hate her, and especially to hate her pink cardigans. Jason Issacs as Lucius Malfoy was fantastic - he really gave me the shivers, as did Ralph Fiennes who was a truly terrifying Voldemort. Michael Gambon was great in this one as Dumbledore - his way of portraying Dumbledore was just right for this one. As always, Alan Rickman continues to be a perfect Snape, and Gary Oldman as Sirius was fantastic too. Helena Bonham Carter proved to be a great Bellatrix Lestrange - wild, insane, and scary. For the cast, I give the cast a 10 out of 10.
The story was a bit distorted at times, and some things were left out, but overall I really enjoyed it. The climax was changed quite a bit, but in a way, almost for the better. It's strange that the longest book turned out to be the shortest movie, and I think they could have afforded to keep some of the scenes from the book. I was a bit disappointed that none of the Quiddich scenes were included in the film and that we saw Drako Malfoy so little. I found that some parts were a bit unclear, especially to people who haven't read the books. The script strayed a bit from the story, but they kept all the important things. I'd give the script a 7.5 out of ten.
The sets were amazing, especially the ministry of magic sets. 10 out of 10. The effects were superb. I couldn't believe that everything in the prophecy room was CG! Everything looked real and amazing, especially *spoiler* the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore - it was done beautifully and was epic. 10 out of 10 for effects. The music wasn't as good as the other films, but gave more of a sense that things were getting darker and that it was the real world, so music gets an 8 out of 10. Cinematography was absolutely gorgeous. 10 out of 10.
Overall, I definitely think that OOTP is worth seeing. With a stunning cast, amazing effects, and everything else, this was a really great, entertaining movie. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! 9 out of ten, just because I wish they'd included the Quiddich scenes.