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Bookmark this pageHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Director: David Yates
Synopsis
Harry returns for a fifth year at Hogwarts School and discovers that most of the wizard community is in denial about his recent encounter with Lord Voldemort. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, appoints a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to watch over the students, as he fears that the Hogwarts headmaster is lying about Voldemort’s return. Unfortunately, the newly appointed teacher’s ministry-approved course leaves the students unprepared and unable to defend themselves, so Harry decides to take matters into his own hands.
Movie review
From Time Out London
A midsummer release seems inappropriate for ‘Harry 5’, with its intriguing aura of new-term blues, as a hormonally distracted Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), having escaped expulsion by the intervention of dear head Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), trudges back for a fifth year at Hogwarts carrying a burdensome weight on his more muscularly defined shoulders. But just because he’s paranoid, it doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get ’im. Irritable but resolute Harry knows by physical injury that evil Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is gathering a new army, but his every step to recruit a rival one is dogged by the morons at the Ministry and their appointee as new headmistress, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), a smiling villain in pink-knit twinset who nails up more interdicts than a riled Robespierre.
There’s a new director on board, and if Chris Columbus was enjoyable, Alfonso Cuarón dark, and Mike Newell aware that for all school sagas, familiarity breeds content, new helmsman David Yates is serious, almost grave. He swathes swiftly through JK Rowling’s doorstopper text with martial efficacy, clocking a crisp 138 minutes, the shortest of the series. He certainly keeps the scenes and action moving, but his no-nonsense approach leaves no time for games – please sir, can’t we play just a little Quidditch? – and the excision of scenes of lolling chat in study rooms will disappoint fans of Bunter and Tom Brown worldwide.
On the plus side, Harry gets his first, sweet screen kiss – to the warrior the spoils – from one of the increased quota of ethnic faces, cherubic new girl Cho (Katie Leung). Also, Evanna Lynch brings new, if blenched, blood with her endearing loony, Luna Lovegood; the production design is again an eclectic wonder, from the adumbrated Georgian mustiness of the secret Order of the Phoenix house to the Bazalgette-burnished tiles of the Victorian Ministry ‘Headquarters’ where stacked rows of jurors deliberate like Doges for Harry’s inquisition; and there are some spectacular CGI effects. Performances are more mature, the soundtrack (by Nicholas Hooper) less grandiose, and Yates executes some thrilling set-pieces – but, please, Mr Yates, don’t let these winds of modernity sweep too many beloved cobwebs away! Let’s hope he casts some more old-fashioned spells in part six, ‘The Half-Blood Prince’.
Author: Wally Hammond
Time Out London Issue 1925: July 11-17 2007
User reviews of this film
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- ROSEMARIE BH, said...
- Posted on Jul 11 2007 20:03 I HAVE SEEN EVERY FILM I THINK THIS ONE WILL BE THE BEST
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- ROSEMARIE said...
- Posted on Jul 11 2007 19:58 I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT I,M GOING TOMMOROW I AM THE NUMBER 1 FAN I LOVE RON I WANT TO MARRY HIM
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- tyra tasha and jade said...
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Posted on Jul 11 2007 12:31
i love harry hes soooo cute ...........
he's magic ey mr potter lool
cant wait t see the film.. prieviews look brill! :D Sorry about thecomments above got a bit excited and clicked to many times :) - Report as inappropriate
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- TyRA AND TASHA said...
- Posted on Jul 11 2007 12:28 cant wait to see the film gona b lyk bare larfs init :d
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- anna said...
- Posted on Jul 11 2007 12:01 im looking forward to the film tomorrow.I dont think the films are just for kids but the books are a bit better in some cases.Im really looking forward to the last book too.
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- terri said...
- Posted on Jul 10 2007 23:58 I CANT WAIT TO SEE THIS NEW FILM , AND I CANNOT BELIEVE ONLY ONE BOOK TO GO !!, I CANT WAIT T READ IT THOUGH !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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- driller said...
- Posted on Jul 10 2007 22:07 utter rubbish. steer clear of the films. they're are nothing on the books. the films are designed for kids who just like the magic rubbish, the books are for adults with one of the greatest story lines ever written in a book. dont watch the films, they're all rubbish and fail to follow the books adequately.....
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- Saphire said...
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Posted on Jul 10 2007 17:48
I love these films!
looks like its going to be a great film yet again- gutted that there is only one book left. - Report as inappropriate
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- wezzo said...
- Posted on Jul 10 2007 10:38 oh my god this looks like the best film yet cant wait to c it im well buzzed up. gutted dat only 1 book 2 go i love HP
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- Jazz said...
- Posted on Jul 09 2007 20:41 My friends grandad plays the great Dumbeldore, so we saw the preview!! ABOLUTLEY AWESOME!!! AND DEFINETLY A MUST SEE!!!
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- Amie said...
- Posted on Jul 09 2007 16:03 i cant wait 2 go see the nxt film, it will b great, of course it won't b as good as the book but still...
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- beverley slade said...
- Posted on Jul 09 2007 12:36 harry potter is the best film i have ever seen i cant wait to see the next film i know it will be fab
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Cast & crew
Director: David Yates
Producer: David Heyman, David Barron
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Robert Hardy, David Bradley, Mark Williams, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Katie Leung, Harry Melling full cast
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Children's, Fantasy
Rated: 12A
Duration: 138 mins
UK Release: Jun 13 2007
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